Isn’t it strange that those who are financially well-off keep running endlessly after more money? A few of us are crazy about power. Who doesn’t crave for a good position in society? Fame is a big motivational factor. Attention seeking is a common flaw. So is craving for worldly pleasures. Spiritually speaking, almost all of us are bound by at least one or all the three: Ignorance, passion and goodness. We are also helplessly attached to our bodies barring a few exceptions.

We actually love these bondages because we are ignorant of what these chains are doing to us and to our future. We are all prisoners of our faulty natures. We assume attachment to world sense objects will give us happiness. Since most people are pursuing them we assume that they must be desirable. And because all of us need a sense of security and identity we convince ourselves that these worldly objects well help us grow.

But what do these bondages really do to us? They keep us bound. Such attachments prevent us from pursuing liberation or moksha. Who can be peaceful if he or she is thus bound? Attachments detract one from doing one’s duties. And a person thus chained cannot have a good quality of life.

How does one extricate oneself from such bondages? One has to turn towards god. Only god can give us effective shelter. One must consciously get attached to god, which will counter other attachments. Spiritual practices like chanting, meditation, etc. greatly help in this. One should restrict oneself to doing one’s duties towards one’s body, family etc. One should keep an open mind. One should have a long-term view of his or her life. Simple living is conducive to being free. One should keep good company and consult those who are knowledgeable, his or her well-wishers and practitioners of what they advocate. One should realise that human beings are special due to their higher intelligence, evolved consciousness and greater mental power. In this strong desire and motivation will help.

Is it wise to remain bound when one can be free by firm determination and efforts which are all within one’s capabilities? The benefits in being free are simply too great to ignore. Why then be bound? Why then suffer unnecessarily? We must all break our shackles and fly like free birds in a clear blue sky.