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Every day that you exist, there is one wish from within that never changes—the wish to be content. No matter what you have gone through. No matter what you have had and not had. No matter what people have been in your life—loved ones who are there or have gone. With all the changes you have been through, that one inner desire to be fulfilled has never changed. And it will never change. You can count on that.
You have the ability to see; you have the ability to understand. Look at your life. Open your eyes. Open your heart. Open the gates of your understanding. It isn't a question of analysis. It's a question of observing what is. Understand what you have been given. You'll never be able to analyze it, but you can observe it. You can admire it. You can see its beauty, its simplicity.
If you're going to build your house, that is the place to lay your foundation. lay your foundation in quicksand and then say, "What happened to my house?" Your house will be gone. Find that solid surface—the desire to be content. And build your house on that—as big as you want. Make big plans. Make it huge. It doesn't matter, because this is one ground that'll take anything you throw its way.
People think courage is required. It is, but what courage? Your ability to overcome your fear is your courage. There are thieves who have courage. Is that a good use of courage? There are people who climb buildings vertically. They overcome their fear. Is that what courage is? For what? There is an elevator. I can come up and down too.
This is how our world is set up. If somebody does something that most of us can't do, that's really special. Most people can talk, so if you hear somebody talking, it's not a big deal. But not all of us can sing, so if you hear somebody with a good voice, you think, "Wow! That's good." And it goes like that. If somebody went to the moon, you think, "Wow! You're really special; you went to the moon." Everybody wants to be special in their own way. They want to be different: "I can do something that nobody else can do."
But there is something that I can do and everybody else can do, too—that I can enjoy and everybody else can enjoy. I can find my satisfaction, my joy, my fulfillment in every breath. It is better than a song. It really is better than going to the moon. It is better than the best. And every human being on the face of this earth can accomplish that. That's what makes you special. Not just that you can sing, because one day you won't be able to sing.
Recently, I saw some old‑time singers. They were singing, but they were out of tune. I'm sure they were incredible once. When all that goes, what remains? There is a connection with something within that will be there till the very end. Then being old doesn't matter because the heart is full. Fill this existence with that. Fill your life with that beauty.
I've learned a number of things over the years, and one of them is that not much actually changes. There are people who love their life, but they still love to complain. They complain because this is what they have practiced, and they've gotten good at complaining. I just wish they would have gotten used to appreciating, to gratitude, and practiced that. It's really important.
Maharaji
