To Rajiv

My dearest Rajiv,

It's been a while since I left the country and we haven't had the opportunity to interact as much as we should have. I am writing you this letter in the hope that it will bring you much courage and illuminate your path. We have a lot in common, especially when it comes to problems in our lives. What I am going to explain is pertinent to most of the issues in our everyday lives – and it's up to you to see how and where you will implement the solution.

You see my dear friend; we like to see what lies within the extremes. Not unlike the rest of this world, we like to test both the maximum and the minimum. I don't know why we do it, but this is nothing to be ashamed of. Buddha too has been on both extremes of life: first he was a prince and although there were no actual recounts of any of his partying exploits, he has lived in the most vibrant and luxurious comfort that could exist in his era. And after renouncing to everything and going to search for illumination, he also tried the other extremity of life: utter privation as an ascetic. None of those lifestyles were right, and he instead chose the middle way – that of moderation instead of excess.

The middle way is the right way. An excess of salt in food makes it salty, while not enough simply doesn't give it any taste. Eating a lot will make you fat, whilst depriving your body of the right aliments will make you sick. Sleeping too much will ruin your life, while sleep deprivation will decrease your lifespan. Everything has to be done in the right amount, in the right quantity. That is one of the greatest wisdoms that you could apply to your life and to everything that surrounds you.

Today, the world is going wrong because humans are trying both extremes: the western lifestyle is one where pleasures are tested at their extremes, whilst their arch-enemies in the Islamic world are more in favour of a lifestyle of privation and harsh rules. None of them are right.

Don't spend too much. Don't spend too little. Don't love too much, and don't turn your heart to stone. You have yet to try the middle way. Trust me, nothing tastes better than food with the right amount of everything.

 

Your friend always,
Rowan