Inner and outer joys

Just read something interesting today.

A yogi, Dr Samprasad Vinod, said that the way we look at the external world gets modified according to our inner states. The way an object appears to us depends on the way we look at it. I can’t agree more. When I look at something or someone with negativity, there is no way for me to appreciate, like or accept what I am seeing. But the moment I am able to modify my perception, my attitude towards it will slowly change.

There is a world of difference between someone who sacrifices ‘for’ love and someone who sacrifices ‘with’ love. The one who sacrifices for the sake of love tends to have certain expectations and may exploit it later to satisfy personal interests while the one who sacrifices something with love do it happily, wholeheartedly, without expecting anything in return. The former may develop unhappiness when his personal interests are not met while the latter gets rewarded with an inner satisfaction without striving hard for it.

We human beings are very different from each other because our fundamental approach towards life are different. A person who eats to live is very different from another who lives to eat. If you eat for the sake of joy, you become attached to the food you eat causing the mind to be always engrossed in thinking about the taste of the food you have eaten or are about to eat. You essentially develop certain expectations when you are eating. However, if you eat with joy, you appreciate and enjoy everything you eat, regardless of its taste. The mind does not get caught up with the thoughts of the food you ate yesterday, are about to eat today or will eat tomorrow. By understanding the importance of eating for survival and yet not attaching excessive importance to the food we eat will enable us to focus on the more important issues in life.

The differences between inner and outer joys are so subtle. It all depends on the way we think and approach our lives. If we allow our minds to constantly remain preoccupied with thoughts of outer joys, there is no room for our consciousness to dwell on other more important issues in life that will give us inner joys.