Comparison Suffering

[nehkeval]

Rukhi Sukhi Khai ke Thanda Panee Peey
Dekh parai chopri na tarsai Jee

In today's world we suffer immensely from what I call "comparison suffering" - this is when you suffer not because you have something deeply wrong in your own life but someone else supposedly has something "better" than what you have.

Could be anything money, spouse , kids, house, car, job, academic score etc . Now imagine for a moment if you were the only person living on an island , would you still be complaining about your fate like you do now ?

And social media has made the situation only worse - now we get to rub in all our "achievements"

Get out of the rat race , life was supposed to be a pleasant picnic not an excruciating marathon where only the winners take all !

[MisterrSingh]

I'd dispute the "life was supposed to be a pleasant picnic" opinion. There is pleasure to be found in adversity. The beauty of existing is when life drags us down and somehow we find a way to get back up; that's how a man truly discovers what he's made of. But I agree with you generally speaking. Unfortunately, the Punjabi mindset doesn't lend too favourably to what's being suggested here.

[N30S1NGH]

On a wider topic of suffering, we suffer due to separation from the source due to our personal will and ego, biggest anticode to suffering - accepting, contemplating, abiding in Hukam razai chalna, Nanak likhya naa. Satguru mahavakh.

Hukam razai chalna, Nanak likhya naal.- Being with eternal divine flow-source of life always unfolding moment to moment to moment. One of the ways to be flow with divine hakum/flow always unfolding which is beyond reach by our conditioned egoic mind psychological box by creating gap between mind and being consciousness (Surat). Surat (core being consciousness) need to feel wanting to know truth(Sat) nothing but the truth and has to open and receptive inwards turned (antar mukhta) towards its source - JOT SAROOP

By being -connecting to our real self consciousness (Real us JOT saroop). Once we BE THAT, not conceptually but actually BE Consciousness (Gur-Chaitan saroop mukh-inwards) only, hakum will spontaneously effortlessly appear in our meditative empty mind (pure consciousness) via direct pure perception (gyan parchand) insight and will be OUR guiding force intuitively at each moment and step of that way- all the great attributes, spontaneous action , great speech, humility, direct action, pure action, righteous action, defensive reaction, great intelligence come directly from Hakum-Gods will/pure consciousness- Jot saroop and beautiful thing about it is knowingness intuitively and its originally unmodified/uncontaminated by personal will when personal will-ego is gone to sleep (thoughts/mind/sense perceptions) during contemplation and meditation

[Quantavius]

Rukhi Sukhi Khai ke Thanda Panee Peey

Dekh parai chopri na tarsai Jee

In today's world we suffer immensely from what I call "comparison suffering" - this is when you suffer not because you have something deeply wrong in your own life but someone else supposedly has something "better" than what you have.

Could be anything money, spouse , kids, house, car, job, academic score etc . Now imagine for a moment if you were the only person living on an island , would you still be complaining about your fate like you do now ?

And social media has made the situation only worse - now we get to rub in all our "achievements"

Get out of the rat race , life was supposed to be a pleasant picnic not an excruciating marathon where only the winners take all !

Well said brother. I was once a rat in the rat race, not anymore. I don't care anymore. Life's short, you never know when you're going to kick the bucket. It's this Punjabi mind set of constantly competing with each other and parents trying to live out the life they didn't have via their children. It's so sickening. People are so materialistic these days.

Parents program the kids from a young age to compete with the 'Joneses' or in our case the Dhaliwals and the Gills, so much so by the time the kid is an adult, he/she is now fully programmed. I remember how unhappy I was for the past 20 years. I was never satisfied. I know something was wrong with me but I couldn't 'deprogram' myself. It was only after I had wholeheartedly submitted at the feet of Guruji Maharaj that I finally had some peace of mind.

These days I take life easy. My dream is to be a truck driver in N. America. That way I can earn a living and yet see the whole country.

I agree with the gist of your post however I would like to add. Most people who are in the rat race are programmed that way. It's not that they disagree with you, it's just that their minds are programmed that way. No amount of words of wisdom can deprogram the mind. From my experience, it's only through our religion one can deprogram their minds. Once you fall at the feet at the feet of our Guru, the mind has only 2 options, either accepts Guruji's teachings or keep chasing that shadow.

[Thanatos]

Well said brother. I was once a rat in the rat race, not anymore. I don't care anymore. Life's short, you never know when you're going to kick the bucket. It's this Punjabi mind set of constantly competing with each other and parents trying to live out the life they didn't have via their children. It's so sickening. People are so materialistic these days.

Parents program the kids from a young age to compete with the 'Joneses' or in our case the Dhaliwals and the Gills, so much so by the time the kid is an adult, he/she is now fully programmed. I remember how unhappy I was for the past 20 years. I was never satisfied. I know something was wrong with me but I couldn't 'deprogram' myself. It was only after I had wholeheartedly submitted at the feet of Guruji Maharaj that I finally had some peace of mind.

These days I take life easy. My dream is to be a truck driver in N. America. That way I can earn a living and yet see the whole country.

I agree with the gist of your post however I would like to add. Most people who are in the rat race are programmed that way. It's not that they disagree with you, it's just that their minds are programmed that way. No amount of words of wisdom can deprogram the mind. From my experience, it's only through our religion one can deprogram their minds. Once you fall at the feet at the feet of our Guru, the mind has only 2 options, either accepts Guruji's teachings or keep chasing that shadow.

You have no idea how much I admire you for writing that, that takes courage good on you and I hope you get the success you desire. May the Lord bless you with Sikhi and Celestial Peace, and hopefully a nice truck :P

[FriendlyStranger]

Sure, there's no point in competing if it creates unhealthy attachments to our status and ego. However, I don't completely agree that we should just sit back, relax, and "enjoy" life.

"Those who are lowest of the low class, the very lowest of the low;

Nanak seeks the company of those. Why should he try to compete with the great?

In that place where the lowly are cared for-there, the Blessings of Your Glance of Grace rain down. ||4||3||"

-Ang 15

Let's not forget our purpose. We don't shut down and cruise through life after we realize the futility of competing with the great; we get to work.