A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

"188 MAYA AND FREEDOM.Time, the avenger of everything, comes, andnothingis left. He swallows up the sin and the sinner, the kingand the peasant, the beautiful and the ugly ;he leavesnone. Everything is rushing towards that one goaldestruction. Our knowledge, our arts, our sciences, everything is rushing towards that one inevitable goalof alldestruction. None can stem the tide, none can hold itback for a minute. We may try to forget it, just as wehear of persons in a plague-stricken city becomingparalysed, trying to create oblivion with drink anddancing, and other vain attempts. So we are all tryinghard to forget it, trying to create oblivion with all sorts ofsense pleasures. Yet it does not stop.Two ways have been proposed. There is one device"very common, which everyone knows, aTid that is, Itmay be ivery true, but do not think of it. Make hay whilethe sun shines, as the proverb says. It is all right it;is a fact ;but do not mind it. Seize the few pleasuresyou have, do what littleyou can, do not think of thisnegative side of the picture, always look towards thehopeful, the positive side." There is some truth in this,but there is a great danger. The truth is that it is agood motive power ; hope and a positive ideal are verygood motive powers for our lives, but there is a greatdanger in it too. The danger lies in our giving upthe struggle in despair, as is the case with every onewho preaches, Take the world as it is ;sit clowncalmly, as comfortably as you can, and be contented Avithall these miseries, and when you receive blows, say theyare not blows but flowers, and when you are drivenabout like a slave, say that you are free, just tell liesclay and night to others and to your own souls, becausethat is the only way to live." This is what is called