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This is a fact: today is whatever date it is. Here is another fact: it will never come back - never, ever. It cannot happen.
What does that mean to you? You woke up; it's another day. We look at our calendars - the years, the months, the weeks - like it doesn't mean anything. I talk about "the moment called now." Well, by the time you finish saying "the moment called now," it's not "now" anymore. It's gone. Time is a force that is so powerful, it just moves, moves, moves. And it touches you. But the question is: what do you do in this time?
Do you act like a human being? Or do you try to be somebody else? A robot. Acting. We are all actors, acting someone we are not. You might think, "I'm not an actor. I'm a responsible person. I have my duties, my schedules, my agendas." But we pretend, "I am so-and-so." On the scale of this universe, you are nothing, absolutely nothing. And yet, in your universe, you are the supreme leader. You want to shape, understand, and control your destiny.
What is your destiny? If you want to know your destiny, you can. But the destiny you have is the destiny of a human being, and you will have to become a human being first, not an actor. Not the imaginary king of an imaginary kingdom in an imaginary time far, far away from the kingdom of reality.
What do I do? I'm not here to preach to you. I have some tickets to the greatest show on earth. I look for people who want the tickets, and they look for me. You are the venue, but you need a ticket. I have one. I'm not selling them; I'm giving them out - compliments of one human being to another.
Who's playing? The most magnificent is playing in this theater for a limited time. How long? As long as you are alive. When can you see the show? Whenever you want. Will you like it? It is a performance of performances, the impossible drama playing out. The infinite, the Divine, has decided to come and join you on this journey.
Recently, somebody asked me, "Why is life difficult?" I said, "Suppose you have a brand new car right out of the factory that runs fine. Then you take the tires and put them on the roof, take the engine and put it in the trunk, take the gas tank and put it where the engine is, and ask the dealer, 'Why doesn't this car run?'"
What have you done to your life? Please, come down to earth. It's not a bad place. Being a human being is not so bad. It's actually very good, very profound. You can accept. You don't have to live in a world of make-believe.
Sometimes I give this example. Make believe there is a cow - black with white spots, cute, small. Does this cow have problems? Yes. It's there, but it exists only through a belief. Can this cow give milk? Yes, but you have to believe it; you can't drink it. In belief, it even moos, winks, has big eyelashes. In belief, this cow is just gorgeous, and she gives a lot of milk, but not any that you can put in your tea. And her milk makes a lot of butter for toast, as long as you believe it's there. But you and I have no use for an imaginary cow. It can't give milk that we can drink.
If this is the only place you're going to live all your life, what's the point of the rest? You are so fortunate to be alive. This is the grandest of all blessings. Make-believers don't understand this. They're looking for the make-believe toast so they can have the make-believe butter from the make-believe cow that gave the make-believe milk. They dream of heaven when they are already in heaven: "I have to work really hard. I have to do this, and I have to sacrifice this, so when I die I'll go to heaven." You know what the big problem with that heaven is? You have to die.
The beauty of this heaven is: You don't have to die. All you have to do is open your eyes. Stop dreaming, start looking, and you will see what a heaven this is. You don't have to make believe. Truth, joy, is within you. Inherent kindness is ever-present. Every day. Explore the gift you have. It's about discovering, feeling. You really should consider that ticket. It will take you to an incredible show of shows. Within you.
Prem Rawat
