​A bridge to somewhere

Many of the bridges, big and small scattered all over India across its many rivers and water bodies are relics of the British era. Although they were built to last decades, they are no match for modern bridge designs. The bridges being built these days are more flexible compared to the older and more “fixed” bridges. The movement of traffic is heavier and the load placed on the bridges is exponentially greater. In the old days a few cars and buses would traverse these bridges. Now with the growth in vehicular traffic, there is a great load placed on the bridges. As long as traffic is free flowing, there is not much load placed on a bridge. A common sight is traffic comes to a standstill on some of the bridges and the weight of a stationary vehicle on a bridge is much higher than a moving vehicle. There is a danger that many of the bridges may collapse in the not too distant future if remedial action on bridge maintenance and traffic management is not undertaken on an urgent basis.
 
The body also serves as a bridge, between the outer and inner worlds. Most of the body is soft and flexible barring the bony skeleton. The mind may be thought of as an extension of the body and increases the reach to the inner world. Unlike the body, the mind becomes mostly rigid with few soft spots. The body remains healthy as long as we are constantly moving. When we are sitting still for long periods of time, the weight of the body is felt. It puts a lot of strain on the joints and internal organs. But moving about, walking or running will help evenly distribute the body weight and no one part will be affected more than others.
 
The traffic of life’s experiences courses in and out of the mind at a very fast clip. Unless there is a give within the mind to accommodate the stresses and strains imposed by the changing circumstances of life, it will fail as a bridge and we will be subject to misery. There is a way out. Just as the modern architects and engineers constantly innovate and come up with new bridge designs, there is nothing stopping us from rebuilding the mind, thought by thought. It takes less time than we may think. After all the mind starts fresh every morning when we wake up. It is quickly rebuilt based on the blueprint of our habit patterns rather than how we want to shape it.
 
Fixing and rebuilding old bridges across our rivers will help speed up traffic and ensure its safety. The road to the inner world will also be rendered safe when the mind acts as newly built bridge that can easily bend and withstand great stresses imposed upon it.
 
Blessings to all
 
Swami Ponnurangam