The itch to go on a holiday is quite a modern phenomenon. Particularly since so many of us became stressed workaholics. How can we make sure our holidays, including all the usual travel involved, are not also stressful!
The word holiday comes from the Old English word hāligdæg (hālig “holy” + dæg “day”). The word originally referred only to special religious days. In modern use, it means any usually extended time of rest or relaxation, as opposed to normal weekends, or the occasional days away from work or school.
But the question is, before going on a holiday is your mind and body in a state of enjoying this space? Nobody thinks about it, all the preparation is outward, right from booking tickets and stay to packing bags, saving money.
Osho is amused by the so-called holiday seekers. He says:
“On every holiday people are rushing to health resorts, sea beaches – not to rest there; they don’t have time to rest because millions of people are going there. Holidays are the best time to remain at home because the whole city has gone to the sea beach. For a few minutes, they will lie down, and then they need ice cream, and they need Coca-Cola. And they have brought their portable television sets, and everybody is listening to his transistor….
“And then again the marathon race back home because the time is over. More accidents happen in the world on holidays than on any other days: more people are killed, more cars are crashed. It is strange! … And in those few days, they are simply waiting for their offices and their factories to open. People have completely forgotten the language of relaxation.”1
Let us get familiar with this language of relaxation. First, learn the art of letting go, it is one of the most beautiful states of being. When you let go, you merely exist, enjoying whatever is happening, but not doing anything, just being silent. You simply enjoy the songs of the birds, the greenness of the trees, psychedelic colors of the flowers. You don’t have to do anything to experience nature, in fact, you have to stop doing. You have to be in an absolutely unoccupied state, with no tensions, with no worries.
In this state of tranquility, you become attuned to the music that surrounds you.
You suddenly become aware of the beauty of the sun. There are tons of people who have never enjoyed the amazing hues of a sunset, or the golden magic of a sunrise. They are continuously working and producing – not for themselves, but for the vested interests: those who are in power, those who are capable of manipulating human beings.
Second, learn to be present wherever you are; it means being “here-now” right in your office, on the street, in the car, in the market. If you cultivate the art of being present amidst the chaos of the market you will be present when you go sightseeing in exotic places. And third:
Learn to survive without outside distractions: mobiles, the Internet, newspapers and so on.
It means to start living with yourself, enjoying your inner peace, learning to know yourself.
A holiday is not only being away from work or from the crowd but also distancing from your own mind, its pressures and disturbances. If you can achieve that before going on a cruise you will really enjoy the few days you have been waiting for throughout your hectic working schedule.
By Amrit Sadhana
To read this complete talk and see all available media formats:
1 Osho, Satyam Shivam Sundaram – Truth Godliness Beauty, Talk #5 – The Art of Let-Go
