Trapped in the Rat Race?

One of my school friends passed away few months back. We had known each other since 1984 when we were in class 6.

Many of the friends from our early school days gathered for his prayer meeting. Many I hadn't seen in almost 3 decades.

I thought we would sit together, would remember the silly laughs, the naughty things we did. 

I thought there would be stories about him. There would be some tears, some smiles and there would be some silence.

But what I heard broke my heart.

The major conversations about who from our school time is doing better.

Who has climbed higher.

Who holds a bigger title.

Who earns more.

Who is ahead of everyone.

Rare mention of the friend we lost. A customary short chat about how good he was. And what support we can offer to his son.

There was no pause to wonder how short life really is. No questions asked about well being of those who were there.

In that moment, I realized — the real rat race is not outside. It’s inside our Minds.

A constant need to compare.

A constant fear of falling behind.

A constant forgetting of what truly matters.

Now hold your thoughts!! Before you jump to a conclusion or a judgement that how selfish and lost those folks were - Reflet... Ain't you doing the same?

Running in a rat race, without even knowing why are you running, and where are you going? 

Lord Krishna reminds us that the real battle is not outside — it is within. What he said in Bhagavad Gita (6.6): 

बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः।

 अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत्॥

Our true struggle is with our own mind — the mind that never feels satisfied, that constantly compares, that keeps pushing us to run endlessly.

When we master this mind, it becomes our ally — leading us towards peace, love, and true fulfillment.

But if left unchecked, the same mind traps us in endless dissatisfaction, a constant race, and unfulfilled desires - A Rat Race

What about you?

Do you find yourself trapped in this rat race?

Constantly running, but never reaching. The moment you think you have reached, the wheel starts again and you find yourself running..

For how long you want to keep running?