Summertime Rendezvous: Morning Sky, Trains & Attachments

TUNG.

DOONG.

"May I have your attention please?"

"May I have your attention please?"

"The train is now approaching."

"For your safety."

"Please stand behind the yellow line"

"..."

The train eventually arrived in front of the platform.

Most of its carriages, were full, crowded with passengers, who were eager, to get to work on time. But so was the platform itself, many people had lined up, waiting to get on the train, hoping to squeeze into, whatever gaps they could find.

I was one of them.

And after many struggles, I successfully managed to get in. 

Comfort, was non-existent, within these carriages. You could call it a fortune, if you somehow acquire a few centimetres of space for yourself. This was certainly not the case today.

"..."

"The next station is Shibuya."

"Shibuya."

"The door on the right side will open."

"Please be careful not to leave your belongings in the train."

"..."

"We are now arriving in Shibuya."

"Shibuya."

I finally got off the crowded train.

PHEW.

I took a deep breath in relief. 

"..."

I still feel dumbfounded to this day, how no one, feels suffocated, by these congested carriages. Such conditions would be considered hell, by people suffering from claustrophobia. They would have fainted already, just by waiting at the platform. 

"..."

I exited the station, and started walking in the direction of my workplace.

I wonder what awaits me, today.

A regular day?

A boring day?

Or perhaps.

A day full of excitement. 

I stared at the horizon of the morning sky, adorned by the softest shades of lavender and pink. As the sun's radiance beamed the velvety curtain of night. 

What a beautiful sight.

I continued my walk, surveying the streets. Shopkeepers carried heaps of boxes, as they prepared their stalls, early morning joggers, scuttled themselves by the pavements, while workers like me, walked towards their destination with a brim of hollowness. Temporarily escaping the world and their surroundings, through their phones.

From trying to live in this world consciously, to escaping from this world, far as possible.

This is the state of the world now.

"..."

POKE.

"?"

I felt a poke, from behind, on my right shoulder.

Who could it be?

I stopped, and stood my ground, as I turned my head around, to unveil the identity, of this mystery person.

"..."

A familiar figure.

"Sato-san?"

"Ohayo, Kobayashi-kun."

It was Sato-san with a gleeful smile, with her hands behind her back.

"Did I surprise you?"

"You sure did."

"Hehe."

"I didn't know you were behind me."

"Did you just get off the train a few minutes ago?"

"Hehe, not quite."

"I take the bus during the mornings."

"While the bus was stopping I saw you walking by."

"Ah, I see."

"Yeah." 

"I would love to take the train but they aren't..."

"That safe for women, during the mornings and peak hours."

"So..."

"..."

Chikan.

A term, most commonly used to describe sexual harassment, that occurs in overcrowded public transportation. Especially in train carriages, where men like to take advantage, to touch women inappropriately. But there is also, a stigma, that only women, are the victims.

But that is false.

Even men can, and have been victims of such atrocities. 

"..."

Many may point to the victim and say.

Why aren't you doing something?

Report them.

Challenge their behaviour.

Give them a hard slap.

Well.

It is not easy.

"..."

The shock of experiencing such a traumatic event, is not easy to grasp. Victims may fall, into a fearful state of mind, unable, to take quick actions for themselves. Victims may also feel, that the process of reporting such behaviours, is far too complex and time-consuming, so they dismiss it, as an irregular happening. While, some victims, have even grown to accept, that this is all normal.

It's a pity, that some victims, feel this way.

But they shouldn't be.

They should be able to ride, on any public transportation, with confidence, like any other passenger.

So, are the authorities doing anything to resolve this issue?

Where's the police?

Are the staff just sitting there, doing nothing?

Why hasn't this issue been raised with the government?

"..."

Well, authorities are, trying their best, to prevent and reduce such tedious experiences, not just for the victims, but for everyone. Through various campaigns, introduction to women-only carriages, and easy protocols that anyone can follow and report.

But the question is.

Have they done enough?

Maybe.

I mean, it's hard to measure its effectiveness. But there have been signs, of significant changes. It will still be a while, before it fully takes effect.

After all, this approach, is only treating the symptoms, and not the root cause.

To truly make an impact, we need to first understand the root causes, and fix it from there onwards. Treating the root cause, will treat all the symptoms. 

And that the root cause, is not solely, the fault of society, but rather, the perpetrator's attachment, to this very, material world. 

"..."

Work is good for the mind, it prevents the mind from becoming turbulent.

But working with attachments, isn't. 

The common types of attachments for everyday people may include worries about, work, expectations from colleagues/friends/families, results, objects, and lifestyle. This causes the mind to be in a constant state of panic and frustration.

And to tackle this problem.

What do people do?

Yes.

They thirst for temporary sensual pleasures.

By intoxicating their body, smoking and drinking.

Eating excessively. 

And most of all, engaging in sexual sensual pleasures.

This is growing, all due to the normalization of pornography, as well as the sexualisation of almost everything. Nowadays, there will not be a single day, where you do not come across, sexual content. While all of this, has only created, a snowball effect, for future generations, and so, the symptoms continue to develop and grow into hideous variations.

But the worst case of sexual sensual pleasures, is when, the person, the perpetrator, releases their frustration on others. 

That's right.

Through, Sexual Harassment (including Chikan).

They are so blinded by their attachments, and controlled by their perturbed mind, they fail to realise, what they have done, and what they are doing.

And sexual hunger, always, I mean, always, outclasses the hunger for food, whether it's a human or an animal. 

It's inherent in our nature.

Sure, you can blame it all on the society, for bad work and life balances (e.g. excessive overtime), ease of access to pornographies, and just the life, you are living right now. 

But we should not stay still, playing the blame game, and, the victim game. 

It does not benefit anybody. 

We need to start, consciously taking action ourselves, rather than waiting for others to. 

If you don't, then who will?

"..."

The treatment, for the root cause, attachment, is rather a simple solution, but a hard concept to comprehend. 

That is.

To work without attachments.

Yes.

Exactly that. 

To work, without, attachments.

But how?

By understanding, that you are not the doer, of your own actions, rather the real doer is, the Universal Creator, God. 

He is the true doer of all the actions. 

"..."

What...?

Yes, it can be difficult to understand at first.

Think of it like this, God is the player, and you, are His in-game character. He sends you the necessary instructions and resources, for you to perform a command. 

And now, it's up to you, on how you perform those commands. 

That is what we call. 

Free Will.

We can either perform these commands correctly, and be rewarded, or perform these commands incorrectly, and be punished. 

If we do perform these commands incorrectly, we are pretty much a bugged-out character, hence, we need to be fixed. And most of us know that, fixing a bug, is almost impossible, as new and current bugs, continue to emerge, one after another. It may even take several iterations, just to, fix one bug. While some bugs, may not even need to be fixed, and can be left alone, due to their low severity. 

And if we use this context, and compare it to our daily lives, bugs are more like attachments that give birth to our hidden desires. They continue to arise, time after time. While iterations, signify, the endless cycles of rebirth. It may take us many lifetimes, just to understand, that holding on to our attachments, is simply futile. 

Most of our attachments are, materialistic. 

This serves no benefit, to our journey, of seeking the Absolute Truth.

While some attachments, are important, especially to our daily lives. These are equivalent to bugs, that do not need to be fixed, due to their low severity. This may include, basic attachments to your family, friends, and wealth, only to the degree of your basic needs. However, if these attachments get too strong, they will not benefit you, in any way.

You'll start living a life, worrying about yourself, and worrying about others. 

You need to have, the right balance, for these types of attachments. 

But the best attachment of all.

Is no other than, the attachment, to the Divine.

"..."

So, in the context of our daily lives, how is God the doer?

Good question.

It is normal to think, that we are the ones, performing the actions. For example, you may have had, thoughts, about watching a video on ViewTube, and then, you clicked on the video, to start watching. You would easily assume, that was all you. 

But if we really dive deep into this process. 

How does our body know what to click and when to click?

How do our neurons know, when to travel across the synapse? 

How does the rest of our body function, automatically, without us giving it instructions consciously?

And most of all

Where and how, did we even get this inspiration of thoughts, to even watch a video?

And that can be all explained, thanks to the material energy provided by God.

Think back to the gaming context, the material energy, is like instructions and resources, provided to us to execute our actions.

In theory, our sole role is just to execute actions, whether it's good or bad. But of course, actions, come with consequences. While most of the process leading to the execution of our actions, is carried out by God's material energy. 

This is why, we say God is the doer, and not us. 

But this should not be confused with, people executing bad actions, and saying, that God is the doer. After all, God is only providing you with the instructions and resources to execute your actions. And if you execute negative actions, then it is ultimately the executor, who is responsible. 

And so the executor pays the price. 

"..."

If we understand this concept, this truth, very well, then we begin to let go, let go of our attachments, that give birth, to these hideous hidden desires. 

We start to finally work, comfortably, without attachments and worries. 

We simply start to, not give a sh*t, about what people say, and what people do. 

We realise, that not everything, is within our hands.

Que sera, sera.

And most of all, we start to live, a real life.  

"..."

"I see, I understand Sato-san."

"But doesn't the bus get busy as well?"

"Not much as the train, Kobayashi-kun."

"I see, that's not bad then."

"Yeah."

"Having a car would be helpful, but it's impossible to drive in the city."

"Right?"

"..."

"Well then."

"Shall we make our way to work, Sato-san?"

"Yeah."