Shift Delete

 

There is a feature in Windows Operating System, when one presses two keys, Shift and Delete together, the file or folder which one wishes to get rid off is deleted permanently. As against plain and simple "delete" as that merely sends the file to the 'recycle bin', from where we can retrieve it anytime. I can see the smirks on the faces of nerds, try it as much as you wish to, we will recover what we need to. This data once on the hard disk can only be deleted once the disk itself is physically destroyed, with the help of a hammer or crushed and burnt/buried. But for ordinary mortals the data once permanently deleted is gone unless you get into the past life regression therapy to recover it. The parallels which  are being drawn with rebirth are obviously with a purpose. The Gurus want us to “live in the moment”, I am sure each one of us has encountered these spiritual Godmen who sermonise on the joy of being and living the moment and most of us have found it takes barely a few minutes for our minds to start with its antics and we either hop skip jump to the future or land up in sometime past with huge regrets on actions and deeds done or missed.

 How I wish we could do the same in life, all the unpleasant memories, experiences despatched forever into the black hole, irretrievable. But all that we manage to do is send it to the recycle bin of life from where, it just makes a comeback like a counterfeit coin. Ekhard Tolle waxes eloquent on the "Power of Now", but we would rather procrastinate on everything, worry about inconsequential issues rather than just observe. Easier said than done...

So 2022 is gone dead and buried, an year when we thought we had seen the worst part of Covid and come out with our mental physical being intact, although one can't say the same about the emotional or psychological ones.  2022 will be remembered for the Russia Ukraine war which shows no signs of abeyance even after 10 months. World obliviously seems to be hurtling on the path of a climatic armageddon and the powers that be are too busy playing the fiddle trying to sort Russia out even if they have to cut their own nose to spite their faces; in the bargain losing out on the much needed sanity. 

There is an urgent need for a format command and rebooting the processor, unfortunately formatting the disk will lead to losing the pleasant memories as well. As individuals who are spiritually inclined and enlightened, this process of discarding the trash comes naturally. The lesser mortals struggle with it and there are those relish it, just love living in the past; oldies are normally afflicted with this disease,"In my time...", "When I was so and so..." Without these memories they would be reduced to zero, something which is anathema for them, little realising that all the Zen masters were striving to just be that, a big Zero, with no thoughts, just be there. As the French say "Joie de Vivre"....