SECRET OF LIFE

Our great defect in life is that we always seek ideality. The goal is so much more enchanting, alluring and so much bigger in our mental horizon that we lose sight of the details altogether. But when failure comes in almost all cases it will be due to not paying attention to the means. Proper attention to the means is what we need. We forget that it is the cause that produces the effect. When the means are perfected the effect is bound to come. The realisation of the ideal is the effect. Attention to the means is the great secret of life. We have to work with all our power, to put our whole mind in the work, that we are doing. At the same time we must not be attached. That is to say we must not be drawn away from the work by anything else; still be able to quit the work whenever we like.
If we examine our own lives we find that the greatest cause of sorrow is this: we take up something, put our whole energy on it and even if it is a failure we cannot give it up. We know it is hurting us and further clinging on to it will bring us misery, still we cannot tear ourselves away from it. Why are we here? We came to enjoy, but we are being enjoyed. We came to rule but are being ruled. We came to work but our being worked. We find this all the time. It comes into every detail of our life. We are being worked upon by other minds and we are struggling to work on other minds. We want to enjoy the pleasures of life and they eat into our vitals. We want to take everything from nature, but we find that in the long run natures takes everything from us.
Had it not been for this, life would have been all sunshine. With all its failures and successes, with all its joys and sorrows it can be one succession of sunshine, if only we are not caught.