New World

Life. Is it a game? A mystery? A puzzle? So many of us contemplate these without an answer. For Raj it was not one of these, rather it was the combination of all three. Yes, Raj was about to encounter an experience that would change his life, provoking thoughts, feelings, and perspectives he would never have envisioned before he met a certain person. He would learn that "We don't get what we want, we get what we feel for ourselves". Meaningful words that each of us should carry in our thoughts.

Born to an upper-middle-class family in Rajasthan, India, Raj was always very shy and introverted as a child, and kept to himself. From early on he was a high achiever in his studies, effortlessly attaining high marks, but always persisted the difficulty of facing people due to his introverted nature. Later, this would begin to impede his studies. His marks began to fall short, and tensions emerged with his parents as their concern grew for the problems he was now facing. As his achievements continued to decline, his job prospects consequently became dim. His parents were supportive of him but deeply concerned what the future would hold for their son.

Time progressed, and eventually this crucial phase in Raj's life would pass when he managed to attain a good job with a large investment bank that came with good pay and benefits. With such relief from the stress of his prior situation - Raj was excited, suddenly free from the constant preoccupation of what would become of him after his studies, and how he would survive. His parents were also excited - with the new confidence and pride that their son had secured respectable employment and overcome all the strife in his life. A golden period had emerged in Raj's life. A good position, a comfortable living, security - what more could he have imagined for himself? Still, unanswered questions hauntingly lingered in his mind, why in his past was there so much discomfort and difficulty in facing people?

A year had passed. Raj had done well at his job, earning the respect of his friends and co-workers but the work became increasingly monotonous for him, until one day, he left the job. He joined another company, and after a short time, found himself again clouded with an agonizing sense of monotony. Raj began to realise that there is a certain instability in him, somehow he had lost focus. Soon he left this job also.

With no answers, Raj felt doomed to repeat the cycle. Something had to change. It was decided. With the remaining savings that he had accumulated during his employment, Raj set out on an adventure. He set out on a trip to the mountains of

Uttarakhand. He had heard about their scenic beauty, and about the spirituality they evoked. It was to be a recreational journey, free from all the noises and hassle of the city life.

He boarded a bus from his native place to the city of Dehradun in Uttarakhand. After reaching Dehradun, he slept for a day in a nearby hotel. From there he took a bus for a nearby village where he would stock the backpack he brought with the necessities he would require for an adventurous trek in the wilderness. It was just Raj and his backpack, while the destination would remain unclear. At this point the goal was just to find solace, to have a peaceful time alone.

After he conferred with the local villagers to plan his route to the mountain he took his map and set out on the rugged terrain on foot. It was a sunny day in the afternoon, and after he was about 5 kilometres along he began to feel somewhat exhausted, and decided it was time for a rest. In the challenging terrain of the mountains, that 5 kilometres felt like 50. He found a spot and rested.

Slowly, Raj drifted into a deep state of meditation. He saw his past, and the changes in his life over the years. The thoughts coalesced in his mind, the view of his childhood days, the difficulties that followed interacting with others, the decline of his studies, and after all of this having reached success with his job, earning him wealth and admiration from those around him. How suddenly and certainly it was all lost! The thoughts perplexed him deeply until he felt he had began to realize his purpose in life. Raj stood up, and continued his walk forward, the thoughts still lingering in his mind. For a person like Raj, it's not easy to just give up all thought so easily, but now he knew. He is searching from within for the true meaning of a human life.