I love everything about the
counterculture and the beat generation : music , arts , philosophy , poetry, spirituality, mind altering drugs, technology, left-liberalism. Sometimes I wish I was there. Or may be I miss it like I was there. I love everything they loved and I hate everything they hated. By the way, it is interesting to note that i started loving counterculture only after getting to be a part of the
art of living family. Before that i was a confused soul between trying hard to fit my philosophy rather my way of life into the social norms, hedonism and computer software ( which i still love ). It is amazing how I started appreciating quality art , some of which include poetry ( tagore, ginsberg ) and good literature (hemingway , kundera) , art movies ( tons of them ) , philosophy ( huxley , hesse, camus ), great paintings, nature after getting into spirituality. It is like i opened up to this more beautiful and vibrant and mystical universe. Also my interest in modern physics grew so much too.
So much about me and now getting to the main point; Once ( 2001 , July ) i was sitting in the Vishalakshi mandap with Guruji (
Sri Sri Ravi shankar ) in a satsang and every single soul there was swimming in an ocean of happiness. For a split second, I just became aware of the whole place. I wanted every one I love, ( my mom foremost ) , may be every one in the world, to be there and feel that ocean of bliss. This is the height of joy and I absolutely don't want anything more than this . It was like this song title by
Shakti "What Need Have I for This? What Need Have I for That? I am Dancing at the Feet of my Lord All is Bliss. All is Bliss" . And then I knew why i missed the 60s. I was meant for being born in these times when my Master is going to come and sweep away the world with His love. And recently when I was talking to Vikram bhaiya, I told him we must record every satsang of for the sake of mankind all over the world and for posterity and He said "yep we must, we are like the grateful living"
How well said "Grateful living" !! Art of living could be summarized as the Grateful living movement . I missed the
grateful dead times, but i am much more happy to have the grateful living !! Art of living truly opens up one to a life of commitment , conscious living , making each moment a celebration. Oh Guruji i miss you much :)
PS: By the way, I relived the 60s lately for sometime in a
string cheese incident concert ( san francisco, Dec 30th 2006 ) . It was a dream come true. String cheese is absolutely amazing !! What a joyful sound !!
