New Year Message 2021

Hello, my dear friends. This is Mohanji. 

Hope you’re doing well. Thus 2020 is coming to an end. I think the main theme of 2020 was staying alive, survival. Whatever our plans were at the beginning of the year, whatever our resolutions were at the beginning of the year, I believe most of us could not accomplish them. It’s not our fault.

Current Situation

This is a clear sign of how nature or the environment takes decisions in our life. We had taken decisions in our life earlier, but now we realise that we can’t take any decisions anymore, or not as we used to do before. We can take decisions to love instead of hate. We can decide to support, instead of rejection. We can take so many good decisions; we still have that power. 

2020 was peculiar. I don’t think in our lifetime, we have ever experienced a year like that. And it still continues. COVID does not have a new year; it is continuing. A situation, a calamity like this may not have a boundary; we still are under threat, we still have that uncertainty. 

Lessons in 2020

But 2020 gave us invaluable lessons. Number one – companionship, supporting each other. Number two – how to handle uncertainty. Even if we are angry, upset, even if we are not feeling good, because of restrictions, nothing we can do. Our limitations were shown on our face by COVID. Also, it was a warning bell that nature has more power than humans. Apparently, this COVID is a man-made calamity.

Flexibility

What do we learn out of this?

That we can take any decisions we like, but nature also plays a role. Extreme flexibility had to be maintained; there’s nothing else you could do. And those who survived were also flexible. They accepted the situation, they went through the process, and they survived. Many people couldn’t, of course, they had physical problems as well. We have to have physical and psychological health maintained together. If these are properly maintained, together, then we can have a flexible life, a good life.

Now, 2021 is happening. For us, it’s a new year, but for nature, there’s no new year. It’s a continuation. And in that continuation, we have various changes happening, various reformations, resurrections, so many things are happening. 

2021, when I look at it, I look at it as a potential year of resurrection. It means you can reinvent yourself. And that has to be connected to flexibility; there’s no other way. Likewise, let us look at what we potentially can do or possibly can do. Mainly, we can make better friendships, take initiatives. This is something which we can do. Before we reap, we have to sow. Before we ask for appreciation, we have to do the right action.

Stay flexible. Just feel like a river. Keep flowing. And through the situations, through life, just keep flowing. That is the best spirituality you can entertain. You’ll be very powerful if you are flexible.

Initiative

Like that, our initiative is very important in every aspect of our life. How much initiative do you have? Are you, an imitator, means somebody is doing something and you’re imitating? Or are you innovative? This question you have to ask yourself. Are you imitating or are you innovating? Are you taking the initiative, or are you waiting for others to take the initiative? If others are taking the initiative, you may not have the necessary effect in your life. If you’re taking the initiative, it’s a different story. 

Take the first step for your own improvement for your own betterment. Take steps; take solid steps. This is very important, because we often complain that things are not changing; we don’t ask ourselves, did I really take the initiative? This question we don’t ask. It’s important that we take the initiative, take the step. You know, without initiative, without taking the first step, there is no second step, we have to take that step. When we talk about new, rejuvenated, positive life ahead, we have to take steps for that. 

While we are taking steps, we must also be considerate about other people. It should not be a selfish step. We should not take selfish ‘only-for- us’ steps. We should look at what else I can do for this world, just like helping the helpless. 

Decisions

Likewise, do not jump into judgments. Understand the situation clearly before you take a decision, or before you make an opinion. This is very important. You take positive steps, considering how it will impact your society as well, or people around you as well, so that there is harmony. Take good steps, which will give positivity, continuity, consistency, stability to others as well. 

Do not take decisions without ascertaining; understanding the situation. Do not operate on assumptions, please. Because whenever you operate on assumptions, the chances for failure is very high. Take your time to understand, analyse, even dissect a problem or a situation sufficiently, so that you can take reasonably good decisions. This is very important. 

This is especially so in 2021. We have also seen that people took harsh decisions because of pressure from within; restrictions which we could not control, or we were surprised with. And people jumped into decisions, and they suffered. We can avoid all that next year. 

Opinions

Likewise, so many people will give us opinions, various opinions, including medical opinions. But we should not practice all those. We should ask a proper practitioner, an expert before we take any such decisions, or accept any opinions. We have seen various videos, various forwarded material, which suggests us to take certain medications as a precaution. I would recommend that you should not take any forwarded messages for granted. Until and unless you check with an expert, with their approval only, you should decide whether to proceed or not. Otherwise, it could be catastrophic. 

Friendships

Then, one of the major blessings of life is good friends, good company. Fortunately for us, we have global friendships and companionships, we have good company. We must appreciate it; we must do everything possible to maintain it. And we must take extra precaution to weed out selfishness from it. Everybody, all of us must ensure that we should take selfishness out of this beautiful family-ship. 

Sometimes it takes many losses to appreciate a true friendship.

One of the major things I would like to tell for 2021 is initiative. Take the initiative, take the first step. Second, accept the situation as it is and remain flexible. Third, nurture companionships, and friendships and encourage more and more of selflessness and weed out selfishness. Then fourth, communicate. Communicate with kindness, communicate with benevolence, make sure everybody is okay, within our circle within our family, or our extended family. Make sure people are fine. 

We cannot reach 7.5 billion people easily, but at least we can reach out to all our known people or even the extended known people and make sure all the people are okay. Some of them might be shy to tell you they are not okay. So we must extend our hands. This we can make as a culture. 

– Take the initiative

– Remain flexible

– Nurture companionships

– Communicate

– Respect life

Respect

Fifth, I would like to say is respect. Respect everything. Respect life, respect people around you. Respect the materials you use. Respect nature, all the beings of nature. Take care of everybody. Let us maintain a culture of respect. Let us cultivate this tradition of respect. The tradition of liberation is rooted in respect. When we respect, we will not waste. We must respect our life and every life. We must respect all the materials that we have; all the people, all the relations, all the possessions and positions. We must not enter into corruption, selfishness, greed, or any vices, that could affect us, and others adversely. 

Gratitude and Analysis

This is approximately what I wanted to say, for the new year. I already made a video, wishing you a happy new year. This is in addition, let’s say goodbye to 2020 with gratitude for teaching us invaluable lessons. And we must spend some time today to analyse these lessons, and probably there are much more. We might have learned many more lessons, maybe restrictions in movement, restrictions in money, restrictions in a job. We couldn’t spend enough time with our loved ones, various other things. 

So, think about all these things and understand as a species, how limited we are. Now 2021, we are again plunging into uncertainties. We have no choice. 

How do we survive? 

Taking or making use of the lessons learned in 2020, we can make a proper flexible plan for 2021. And while you make the plan, add a lot of love into it, a lot of respect into it, a lot of acceptance into it. Let your plan be filled with acceptance, respect, love. 

I wish you a great 2021, and beyond. Let’s walk together. Let’s not judge each other. Let’s not doubt, let’s not criticise. Let us not compare and compete. Instead, let us just love. It’s a short life; let us use it well. Let us enjoy it well. Let us be together. 

I wish you a great togetherness and great companionship. We are one world, one family. 

Lots of love, this is Mohanji for you.

Transcribed by Ulla Bernholdt

Proofread by Rekha Murali