The Promise

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If I had to promise you something, what would it be?
I can’t promise that you would always be comfortable…Because comfort brings boredom and discomfort.
I can’t promise that all your desires will be fulfilled…Because desires whether fulfilled or unfulfilled bring frustration.
I can’t promise that there will always be good times…Because it is the tough times that make us appreciate joy.
I can’t promise that we will be rich or famous or powerful…Because they can all be pathways to misery.
I can’t promise that we will always be together…Because it is separation that makes togetherness so wonderful.
Yet if you are willing to walk with me, if you are willing to value love over everything else
I promise that this will be the most rich and fulfilling life possible.

I promise your life will be an eternal celebration,

I promise you I will cherish you more than a king cherishes his crown,

And I shall love you more than a mother loves her newborn.
If you are willing to walk into my arms,

If you are willing to live in my heart,

You will find the one you have waited forever….

You will meet yourself in my arms…

I promise.

Poem written by H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

© The Art of Living Foundation

Self - Reliance and Surrender

Self-reliance needs enormous courage. When there is nobody else or you want to depend on yourself for everything, you need a lot of courage.

Surrender needs less courage.

A person who cannot surrender cannot be self-reliant either. If you don’t have enough courage to surrender, then it is not possible to be self-reliant; you simply fool yourself. Even a little fear is detrimental to self-reliance.

Self-reliance contains surrender. Fifty dollars contains ten dollars.

Often people think that surrender is a way to escape from their responsibilities, then they end up blaming the Divine for all their problems. In fact, true surrender is taking total responsibility for everything.

© The Art of Living Foundation