Our minds are only happy when we do something beneficial for the
community. And happiness is true relaxation. There are also ways to relax that do not benefit anyone, and in the long run, will lose the relaxing effect or even cause trouble.
RELAXING
Two students on a motorcycle slowed down when they noticed an elderly man in a mask struggling to pick up trash and place it in a bag along the street. They could not tell who it was because the old man had his face covered. After that, the two of them drove the motorcycle through there.
• One of the students wondered, "Does he look like Professor Vinh who taught us in the past?"
The other student replied in agreement.
The next day in class, the old professor finished his lecture and suddenly raises a question:
• When you need to relax, what would you do? You have 20 seconds to give me your answer. Remember to give me a clear reason.
All the students in the class were excited and competitive about speaking up. There are countless ways to relax, such as the following:
• Watching a movie that leads us temporarily to a different world and relieves our current tension at work.
• Musical entertainment can help us relax because music is the ultimate art form that can keep us away from troubled reality.
• Playing soccer or doing exercises is a physical activity that can reduce our brain's activities.
• Chatting online with friends or lovers is a way of sharing thoughts or emotions, from which we can be relieved.
• Fishing may make we feel excited while waiting for the fish. The romantic landscape along the river can make us relax.
• Dancing at the club with the crowd and physical activity can chill us out.
• A walk in the park to get some fresh air and connect with nature can be extremely relaxing.
• Practicing Indian Yoga or Vietnamese Qi-Gong will relieve our stress.
• Practicing Buddhist sedentary meditation because, it ends directly with our tumultuous minds.
There are many strange ways to relax: going to the fortune teller, guessing the weather, snacking, or curiously watching what your neighbors are doing.
The atmosphere in the class was joyful. Then the students asked their professor for his ideas. He slowly said:
• I respect your ideas of relaxation and think you can really find effective methods. But I have my own way of doing things, and it works for me. I only gave
you 20 seconds to speak, but I will talk about it for much longer. It's unfair, but let's forgive this old man.
When I plan lessons, write conference essays, grade assignments, grant articles, or attend professional meetings, I get really stressed. It's not because of something wrong, but just because of my brain working too hard.
At first, I used many ways to relax, as you suggested. I even joined a boxing club, wearing gloves and a hat, fighting like crazy. Later, my health was poor, so I changed my ways of relaxing. Now I'll stick to the three methods of relaxation:
• First is to do meditation.
• The second is to practice Qi-Gong, a Vietnamese traditional martial art.
• The third is to pick trash up off the side streets.
All the students in the class were astounded.
The old professor continued:
• Because you don't know, there are many good things about picking up trash on the street. The first is the meaning of keeping the street clean; the second is to set an example for people not to litter the streets carelessly; the third is to practice sympathy with street sanitation workers; the fourth is picking up trash while mulling over the philosophy of seeing yourself as trash; the fifth is that this is also a delicate, gentle way of labor; and the sixth is that it's also a commendable act of charity.
Every time after picking up trash from the street, taking a shower, changing clothes, lying in a hammock, listening to music or reading a book, I find my mind happier than before.
Many voices in the class rose up:
• Let us go pick up trash with you, Professor.
Our minds are only happy when we do something beneficial for the community. And happiness is true relaxation. There are also ways to relax that do not benefit anyone, and in the long run, will lose the relaxing effect or even cause trouble.
Some people even upgrade relaxation into entertainment. That is, until they do something funnier. We must be careful. Many famous actors committed suicide because they indulged themselves in too much pleasure. When they find their pleasure does not satisfy them, they might increase their desire until they fall into depression because of unsatisfaction. Entertainment is quite similar to drugs, forcing us to keep increasing the dose. But, not everyone has a lot of money to keep having fun.
Instead of finding pleasure, we should do something beneficial to the community. We have to work harder, but we can achieve true and stable happiness.
Written by:
Janna
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