Question: Do some individuals take life too seriously?

Sri Chinmoy: If one has attained a very high state of consciousness and has established a free access to the eternal Life, then he knows that after life is death, and after death there is new life again. This knowing is not just book knowledge. One has to realise or discover the fact that this earthly death is only a short passage, like the tunnel to Manhattan, and at the end of it there is day again. So if one knows that there is something called eternal Life, then for him sixty or seventy years is nothing. For him it is not necessary to take life very seriously. This is just one point of view, for somebody who has realised the Highest.

If somebody has realised God, he may not want to go into the field of manifestation and work hard again. He may come into the world or remain in the world, not to help humanity but to enjoy the world, not in an ordinary human way, but as an observer.

You have played your game extremely well for so many years. Then you may not want to participate in this sort of game again. Spiritual people can say, "Let me take rest here on earth as we take rest in Heaven." There are some spiritual Masters who have done this. After realising God, they have stayed on earth twenty or thirty years longer, but they didn't enter into the field of manifestation. They only watched. They ran fast until they reached their destination. Then they wanted only to look at others to see how they were running; they got joy from observing the speed of others. But if God wants them to reveal and manifest Him, and instead they just observe, then they are making a mistake. It is all right only if God has sanctioned this, saying, "My son, you have worked so hard. Now, if you want to take rest for a few earthy years, I grant you that opportunity."

But for those who have not yet realised the Highest and who want to realise the Highest, each second is of paramount importance. If one doesn't have a goal, then one can take rest. But if one has a goal, then one should take it seriously and run towards it. Each second counts. There are many people all over the world for whom there is no goal. For them, every day is the same, and nothing is serious or important. But if one has a goal, then one does not want to waste even a second.

At the same time, we should be wise. If we take life too seriously without having the necessary capacity to deal with life successfully, then we will commit suicide. If someone wants to get his Master's degree and feels that if he does not get it, his whole world will collapse, then he is taking life too seriously. At this point, he has to be very wise. He has to know that there are thousands and thousands of people with Master's degrees on earth, and if he does not become one of them, it will not be a terrible disaster. He may not get this degree, but there are millions of other people on earth who have not got it either, and who are still satisfied. What human beings need is patience. If you do not succeed in your efforts this time, then try again later on. If the next time you also fail, then believe in reincarnation. In your next life you can start studying again. People have done many undivine things, many absurd things, when their earthly desires were not fulfilled, just because they have taken life too seriously.

People who have the inner cry, the aspiration to realise the highest Goal, should not waste time. But again, they should not set a date for reaching their Goal. If I have just started praying and meditating today, I must not say that the day after tomorrow I must realise God or I will take my life. If I am sincere, I will say that although it is my sincere wish to realise God the day after tomorrow, I know that God is all Compassion, and at His own Hour He will grant me realisation. It is not my choice but God's Grace that will grant me realisation.

One has to know what kind of aspiration one has. If the seeker has burning aspiration, then he must not waste one second in reaching his Goal. He will tell himself, "With this intense aspiration I will try always to run the fastest. Then, at God's own choice Hour, He will give me realisation." This is the best attitude for an aspirant to have.