It Is What It Is

A monk asked Tozan, the Zen Master, ‘How can we escape the cold and heat?’ Tozan replied, ‘Why not go where there is no cold and heat?’ ‘Is there such a place?’ the monk asked. Tozan commented, ‘When cold, be thoroughly cold; when hot, be hot through and through.’.When it was July and August, where monsoon had arrived in all other parts of the country, this coastal town of Chennai was being its usual self—sweltering hot! While riding to office on my two-wheeler, the sun singed my skin. Standing at a traffic signal at noon, I could still see the heat waves emanating from the road. I let out a mighty groan to my pillion rider, my colleague. ‘How horrid is this heat!’ He agreed and both of us rushed to the office just to bask in the cool cabins tempered by the air conditioner.On and off, my colleagues, who had shifted to Chennai recently from places like Bengaluru and Ooty, made loud complaints about the weather in their hometowns and how they were being roasted in Chennai. Though I was momentarily complaining on the roads, I got up to defend Chennai. ‘It’s not like we can get the sun to burn any lighter, can we?’ Everyone laughed and continued with their work..Then, there was some respite. Chennai witnessed unseasonal rains in the middle of August and in the early week of September. Trees looked greener. The tarmac glinted with fresh rain and life seemed pleasant. For a moment. While riding to office now, I noticed how irreverent drivers splashed dirty water from the puddles onto innocent passers-by. Footpaths became a hodge-podge of mud and rain water run-off. ‘God, I hate rain!’ I found myself complaining again. It spoils one’s plans daily. The traffic jams and the mosquito menace that follow become terrible. Again, I rode quickly to reach the comfort of my clean office. Alas, I was greeted with a blast of AC there. While the weather outside was a pleasant 24℃, at the office, the AC was a chiling 19℃. It seemed like we had rapidly moved continents. From the sweltering hot morning, to the icky rains, to the freezing cold—how rapidly the environment around me had changed. But one thing remained changeless. My ability to complain, no-matter-what.Truly, nothing could make us happy. If it was hot, it was too hot. If it was raining, it was dirty. It was cold, it was too cold. If it was just right, it was only momentary..And this was not limited to the weather alone. Thinking about it, life seemed like Goldilocks’ fruitless search. Food was too hot or cold. Dishes were either too spicy, sour or sweet. If I had something sweet, I was craving for something salty. If I had something salty, I was craving for something sweet. Everything was too much or too little.We might have all come across the serenity prayer. ‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’. And these were all things I couldn’t change. The weather, the food, the cushion of my office chair, the list could go on…To accept what I cannot change, I need to first experience it fully and recognise it as nothing but a play of the Lord. And second, whatever the experience is, it is not going to last forever. That makes it easier to bear. The sun is not going to burn upon me for eternity. It has to become night in a few hours and cool down. The blast of the AC is still under my control, I can change the temperature of the room. I cannot, however, change if it rains or not. But while it rains, I can imagine His divine grace in every drop. What a miraculous journey the water drop has had from sea to clouds to soil. Isn’t that wonderful?I am now striving to reduce my complaints and fully live life, as it is meant to be. I keep reminding myself of Swami Chinmayananda’s quote, ‘Enjoy when you can; and endure, when you must’. The pair of opposites are temporary, my equanimity is permanent.