Our mind is restless (Bhagavad-gita 06.34) – it’s like a child. Children can spend their entire day or even their entire life playing with toys. Therefore, their guardians bring some structure to their lives by allotting some time to go to school, some time to study and so forth.
We may be adults, but our mind remains childishly restless. Suppose, on waking up in the morning, our mind suggests that we watch TV. We might watch for some time, but will stop thereafter if our life is structured, whereby certain things such as going to work need to be done at certain times. If, however, it’s an unstructured weekend, we might spend the whole day or even the whole weekend glued to the idiot box.
Nowadays, technology, especially the internet, has opened almost unending doors for distraction and delusion. Consequently, the rupture the mind can cause in our life is almost unlimited. Consider students during the preparatory leave before a critical exam. Their mind may suggest that they can surf for just a few minutes, but, without the structure of a college schedule, they may keep surfing for hours or even days, wrecking their study plans.
That’s why we all need some structure for our life: some fixed times, or at least time ranges, to wake up, to sleep, to take our meals, to read, to exercise, to do our spiritual practices.
What is the structure feels too restrictive? Then, by experience and self-observation, we can gradually adapt the structure to suit our needs and nature. A rigid structure may not work for us; but without a structure, we may not work.
By designing a customized structure for ourselves, we can gradually progress toward creating a life that is meaningful, productive and fulfilling.
Think it over:
- List three occasions when lack of structure has let you get excessively distracted.
- List three occasions when a structure has protected you from the mind’s distractions.
- List three things that are most important for you. Plan how you can structure your life around those things
source
