The star and the black hole

Our known universe is full of stars and black holes. The universe is believed to have emerged out of a dot through a process called the big bang. Isn't that amazing? In the universe, there are billions of galaxies. In each galaxy, there are billions of stars. Sun is just one of those trillions of stars in the universe. We are living on one of the planets of the solar system called Earth. On Earth too, there are billions of people like us who leave aside the plant and animal world. 

In spite of our relative insignificance in the universe, we still feel to be the center of the universe. The entire scientific community has so far been unable to understand who is this "I" feeling itself to be the center of the universe. Yet each one of us is quite convinced about our indispensability in the entire scheme of things. 

We get stressed and depressed at times. Sometimes we become aggressive and sometimes we become full of fear. We are not afraid that our dear solar system will be gulped by a hungry black hole. In fact, we have the one at the very core of our galaxy called Sagittarius A, the supermassive black hole. We are not bothered whether the Sun will stop shining tomorrow. Whether the Earth will stop revolving around the Sun or rotate around its axis. 

We are also not bothered whether the trillions of connections in our brains will keep functioning well. We hardly ever think about how the food we took some time back is getting digested and reaching different parts of our body. We are hardly concerned about how the billions of bacteria inside our gut are helping us digest food. We do not bother how the hormones and neurotransmitters are helping the entire body to work in a coordinated matter. How the food reaches the tiniest part of the body. 

All these are many more things that are taken for granted. We find the causes to be worries. What will happen to my posting? How will my kids get the best education? How will I get a powerful assignment? How will I clear an exam? How will I marry a partner of my choice? How will I get intellectual stimulation? We also get upset and stressed with so many things. The bullying by friends to social boycotts a disharmony around us. We keep complaining that system is not fair. People are very selfish and so on. 

If we ever work out the chances of us being alive with being at the right place in this universe, the Sun being at the proper distance to the correct tilt of the Earth to being evolved as a human being to the entire body working in harmony, the chances may be one in trillions of trillions. We end up wasting such a precious life in so petty and useless things, like using the best of the car to carry the garbage. 

Life is such a precious gift from God. It is full of infinite potential. I strongly feel that we can live life in two possible ways. One is living like the Sun. We burn ourselves all the time giving energy to billions of life forms to survive. Sun is just undergoing nuclear fusion to release the energy required for the growth of life on Earth (and maybe on other planets as well as we do not know). It does not receive anything in return from any planet. It happily keeps burning itself day and night to keep us alive. On the other hand, there are black holes that gulp everything and yet remain hungry forever. Even after gulping so many stars and planets, they are not satiated as if they are cursed with the bane of hunger. 

We see both types of people around us. Some are always burning themselves to set the systems right, despite their unfair treatment of them. Others are gulping each of the opportunities by hook or by crook. The more they gulp and the hungrier they become. They get everything they wanted in life and yet remain equally dissatisfied. Having their stomach full, they may snatch the bread from a poor hungry child and justify the same and also cry if they are not able to snatch the bread and also seek sympathy for the injustice done to them.

On the surface, it appears as if there is great injustice with the Sun and there is undue favoritism with the black holes. However, if we go a bit deeper, we will soon realize that the biggest curse of the black hole is its being dissatisfied. It is never happy. The more it gets the more unhappy it becomes. I have seen such types of people around me who get disturbed by very minor things in life. In fact, sometimes I feel irritated looking at such people, and other times, my heart is filled with compassion that these people are unaware of what a precious gift of God they are throwing into the dustbin each day. However, all attempts to convert a black hole into a star are generally a waste of time. Probably because the habit is so old and strong that anybody trying to show the mirror appears to be an enemy. 

The stars are not bothered about the treatment society gave them. Jesus had compassion for the society that crucified him. Krishna had compassion for even Duryodhana who tried to kill him. Buddha had compassion for the society that never understood him. The reason is very simple. Somebody can give to others only when one is complete within. Sun is complete. It does not want anything for itself that's why it burns to give light to others. 

That completeness within has no match. The bliss it brings is not possible by getting any success or material possession. However, it is quite difficult for Ravan to understand and appreciate the bliss that Rama had and therefore he remains motivated all his life to accumulate more and more. More knowledge, fame, and material possessions just to die dissatisfied. Rama remained contended despite leaving his entire kingdom and his friends and relatives back in Ayodhya to guide the entire humanity to live a life full of possibilities. This is the power of awareness. It makes one complete and contended internally. Despite gulping everything around, the black hole remains hungry. Despite burning day and night, the Sun remains full of bliss.

That's why the reward for good work is never outside. It's always within ourselves. Nobody can actually give the reward. What reward can a human being give to the Sun.