Depression - Part II

Getting rid of Depressive / Suicidal Tendencies-II

Why a loving God permits cruelty, pain and suffering ? We often wonder why a God, so kind, merciful and omnipotent, still allows so much sorrow, suffering and cruelty in this world.

Well, this situation is our choice, not His. In any picture, there are light and dark shades ; in the film shown by a projector, there is a mixture of light and shadow. To make a creation, God had to mix the darkness of delusion to His divine light - the One had to appear as many. You can't make ornaments from pure gold anyway ; you have to add a bit of copper

This world is a play of mere appearances. What appears is not true, what is true does not appear so. Quantum Physics now says the same thing about this world.

We can enjoy this play if we keep up our remembrance of a divine origin. Through ego and ignorance, by siding with the Satan in our minds, we get too involved in this play of appearances and we think all this is 'my' show, all this is real. The moment the thoughts of 'me' and 'mine' come in, there is trouble.

But God gave us reason and the ability to develop deeper intuitive understanding so that we can escape the delusion and heal the situation. But we must make the right choices. We are , as a poet put it, made strong enough to stand but free to fall. If we choose to fall, why blame Him ? Here is a story someone posted on the net that gives an insight by comparison.

A man visited a barber's shop in his neighborhood to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they started a casual conversation. They talked aboutmany things.

When they eventually touched on the perennial subject of God, the barber was quick to say :'I don't believe that God exists.. ''How can you say that?" the customer asked. "Well, you only need to go out in the street to realize that He doesn't exist. Tell me, if He did exist , would there be so much pain and suffering, so many sick, unhappy peopleand hapless, abandoned children? I can't imagine loving a God who would permit these things, or be powerless to control them."

The customer paused, he didn't really want to start an endless argument. The barber finished his work and the customer paid up and left . Shortly after he stepped out, he saw a man in the streetwith long, matted, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.

The customer quickly turned back and re-entered the barber's shop ; he said to the barber who had meanwhile started attending to another customer, "You know something ? Barbers really do not exist." This naturally surprised the barber. He asked, "How can you say that? I I am a barber, right here, and did I not just work on you ? ''

"No, no ! ", the customer insisted. "You see, barbers do not exist because if they did, there would be no such people with long, dirty hair and untrimmed beards such as that man outside.''

"Ah, well, barbers of course do exist! What can I do, if people do not come to me.''

"Yes, Exactly!"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't turn to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world.''

So well, let us not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if we are not willing to even move your feet. God will not declare from a roof-top that He exists. He is too shy and humble for that ; besides, He has given us freedom to choose.

He wants to see if we would love Him just for His own sake, and not merely for the sake of His many gifts of life and loved ones, food and water, rain and sunshine....We fail to thank Him even as we consume these...Whether we believe or don't believe that He exists, He loves us all, just the same, like even an earthly parent who would love his/her child, regardless ofwhether that love is reciprocated ! Wouldn't the Heavenly Father's love be much deeper, much more unconditional, than an earthly one's ?

Happiness is about making right choices. Depression comes from making the wrong choices. We only need to change our consciousness. Look for love - give it to receive it, seek God in the cave of your heart, count your blessings and be grateful for His many gifts, tame your ego ... and you will see how beautiful the same life can be.

In the next blog, we shall have some specific tips for what to do to fight depression.

- Hans Dholakia
http://www.hansyoga.com
mails : hans@hansyoga.com