This weekend was incredibly spiritual and energetic. The sense of renewed energy and overall feeling toward life was amazing, a feeling I’m sure was shared by many others like myself.
To begin, let me start by explaining why: I’m an Ismaili Muslim, an interpretation of Shia Islam that has what we call a living Imam; a living guide who helps with spiritual matters and provides guidance on material matters as well. That Imam for us is His Highness the Aga Khan. Now, before I continue, let me clarify one thing – I’m not interested in any which way how you feel about religion, spirituality, or whether or not you agree with my beliefs. I’m simply going to discuss renewed energies, but this blog first requires some context.
As I was saying, the Aga Khan was in town to preside over religious matters. This isn’t a small deal. Imagine if you will, the Pope coming to the city and every Catholic feeling the mandatory obligation to come and see him as he presides over whatever it is he needs to for their spiritual benefit. It’s a big deal. And so my spiritual leader came, and with him, brought the sense of community, purpose, and positive feeling. The aura was incredible. There were hundreds if not thousands of volunteers to help the entire Ismaili community who was able to participate, have an easy and enjoyable moment. We’re only human so of course, not everyone is going to be 100% happy with whatever volunteers do, but of course you know they’re serving to the best of their ability. The concept of volunteering in my religious community, as shared with many other religious communities, is what we call seva.
The meaning of seva as taken from a web page is: “Seva” is a Sanskrit word meaning “selfless service” or work performed without any thought of reward or repayment. It’s the one thing I find that connects all of us. It’s not limited to any one community or club or whatever. Volunteering and service to others is really a quality you can find in every person. The type of service differs, but we serve that which we strongly believe in. It’s something we all try to find meaning in.
My weekend was spent in serving my religious community the best way that I knew how. I did some camera operating, as well as helped with guiding crowds of people from one area to another. I helped bring in rented vans as shuttles used for transporting people from one parking area to the main hall. I helped try to make it easier for others.
Before it starts to sound like I’m looking for some kind of credit, I’ll get to my main point. After all this going on, it just felt so good to be able to help. It renewed that sense of purpose. It renewed the feeling of finding more meaning in life. It helped to renew the energy that I put out to the world. I read this quote by Florence Shinn once: “The game of life is a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy.”
This relates to the concept of Karma. Essentially, it’s true. The energy we put out in the world returns to us. If you care about nothing, nothing will care about you. If you put your best everyday, despite how hard it is, then good things will happen. Patience is definitely a virtue, but it’s worth having.
The renewed energy I felt is something I intend to act on. There’s just so much that life can offer if you take the initiative. Of course, your situation does make it easier or harder, but finding that sense of purpose can be as easy as helping others make their day to day ends meet. Of course, serving others isn’t the only way. You can also serve yourself by being ambitious and taking on responsibilities you normally wouldn’t take. Challenge yourself to be different. Do things you normally wouldn’t. Easier said than done, and I’m not one to practice everything I preach, so I don’t expect anyone else to either.
Getting back to myself, I’m excited about new opportunities coming my way. I’m excited about helping in any which way I can. I’m excited about challenges I’ll have to face and being resourceful, creative, and having the strength to face them. I’ve found a renewed energy, and I plan to do everything I can to keep that energy going. At the very least, try.
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