HINDUISM: A morning scenario Part I

A common morning scene in most households,is stressed, hurried and snappy.
The father and mother are hurriedly rushing to leave for work and the children are downing their breakfast to catch the school bus in time.
They are all worked up and irritable, when suddenly the son spills his glass of milk.
The mother hurriedly changes his wet uniform chiding him all the time, and by then, he has missed his bus. The mother has an important meeting to reach for, so the father, grumbling all the way, has to drive the son to school.
Agitated and tense, his fast driving fetches him a tidy traffic fine. He arrives late to office and suddenly discovers that due to his morning madness he left behind an important file at home.

The whole day was ruined for the family as well as anyone who interacted with them. Even on reaching home the father encounters grumpy faces, and all for a spilled glass of milk.
All this could’ve been much more pleasant, if the reactions of the parents’ minds were a little more calm and balanced. A sentence like “Never mind child, don’t rush with your food, let’s start the day a bit early from tomorrow” would’ve saved a lot of mishaps during the day. If there is one skill that needs to be mastered in life, it is the art of keeping the mind quiet and undisturbed through any situation in life. We allow situations and the heat of other irritable minds to ruin our own poise. One hassled mind in our vicinity radiates so much negative energy that it can disturb a whole household or office.
But our own way of looking at a situation determines our happiness.

Prarthna Saran, President Chinmaya Mission Delhi.