Once upon a time every man on earth used to be a superhero. His problems began the minute he realized that he was a superhero! The moment he realized the gift of his super powers, his ego developed and he started losing his powers. A great war between the ego and the superheroes took place and unfortunately the ego won. The superheroes became engulfed in layers of ego and lost all their super powers. Sadly, they crossed over to the darker side and forgot who they used to be. With the passage of time, superheroes became a myth. Myth became stories and stories became cartoons, movies, video games, and Halloween costumes.
Only a handful of people on this planet were immune to these special abilities and they continued being superheroes and reminding others how to come back to the brighter world. Rest of us are only the shadows of what we used to be. Now, we believe that being a superhero is only for the chosen ones. Secretly, all of us aspire to become one and we all know exactly which superhero we want to be. We know exactly which super power would suit us the best but we think that achieving it could only happen in our dreams and imagination. I believe that it is time for us to stop hiding and make an appearance. It is time to remember who we are and become what we are meant to become once again.
By the day, our modern day superheroes are engineers, doctors, cops, pilots, businessmen, dancers, janitors, teachers, and the list goes on and on. But when the night arrives and the entire world goes to sleep, there is a magical transformation in these hidden heroes. In the dark and lonely night, when nobody is watching, they come face-to-face with their reality. This is the time when these superheroes become who they really are – sad, tense, weak, frustrated, confused, fearful, angry, heart-broken, and doubtful. Sometimes, they use their capes to wipe off the tears.
Unfortunately, this is what we are facing daily. Times are tough but we need to be tougher. As of now, we are very far from gaining back our super powers. For starters, we just need to master very simple human qualities before attaining the super human abilities. The journey is simple but not easy. Like any other superhero, we have to go through our tests.
Have you ever noticed how often our mood changes in a given day? One minute we are exuberant while the very next minute we may be depressed. In the same day we may go through a wide range of emotions and feelings like self-doubt, suspicion, egoistic, excited, kind, helpful, bitter, fearful, etc. etc. It is quite all right to feel it all. After all we are all humans! But have you ever imagined what happens to your inner calm when you subject yourself to extreme reactions throughout the day? It doesn’t matter if your feelings and reactions are positive or negative. When a person goes through a roller coaster of emotions on a day-to-day basis, inner peace is lost and we are left with frustration and confusion, especially in life’s tougher situations, which need more strength and courage.
Meditation is the only thing that can come to our rescue. Through meditation, it is possible to restore our inner peace once again. The best and the most valuable gift meditation can give you is your very own personal space to retire within yourself when you are faced by challenges. A practice of daily meditation gives you the solid assurance that everything is going to be fine and every situation shall pass. Meditation helps you look at the bigger picture and helps you to connect the dots. The line of demarcation between a stressful and joyful situation starts fading and we automatically become thankful for everything that exists in our life.
You will no longer feel the need to tell people around you to leave you alone for a while or the need to lock yourself in a room or go away for a while when faced by ordeals. Meditation creates that sacred space right inside you and you can access it at any moment without having to request others. This reminds me of how Harry Potter always found the magical “Room of Requirement” at Hogwarts in the times of great need. The room always served its purpose by appearing in front of the person when he or she needed it the most. I believe that the “Room of Requirement” is a symbolic way to look at the inner spiritual space that is hidden inside each one of us.
Does it mean that you will stop encountering problems if you start meditating? No! You will learn to look at those problems with a new perspective. You will walk the storm with a new layer of protection. You will have a permanent shield protecting you at all times. You will always be connected to the source. You will know all the time that no matter what happens, no matter what life gives you or takes from you, nobody will ever take away that precious space from you. And this is a sign of a true superhero who moves about with that confidence; the confidence of coming home to that space again and again, recharging yourself, and moving on to face the world. When was the last time you came home? When was the last time you became a superhero?
