Friday 15 August 2014

Abwarten und Tee trinken

 Wait.. make it your cup of Tea!!!


Few weeks ago, I happened to stumble upon a German proverb, ‘abwarten und Tee trinken’. Literally it means wait and drink tea, German version of ‘wait and see’. When there is nothing you can do to solve a problem, the best thing to do is ‘do nothing’… just wait for the natural outcome to unfold by its own. In other words, ‘wait and wonder’ and while waiting, why not drink some tea? 
 
The origin of this saying is said to be attributed to a 19th century herbal healer Heinrich Ast who told his impatient patient to drink tea (herbal tea mixtures prepared by the healer) and wait for the illness to cure. So the Chinese say, ‘Man drink tea to forget the noise of the world’. 

Patience is the virtue of a person who is ready to wait. Generally we are impatient because we think about the future, expecting something or wanting something to happen exactly in the way we would like it. Being patient actually means to be attentive to what is happening in the present moment, living it to the fullest and seeing the signs that may be right in front of us. Patience and endurance is considered as essential virtues in Hinduism. It is the ability to wait with endurance through odds calmly, cheerfully, without anxiety and the desire for revenge. Hindu philosophers are of the opinion that, patience and endurance is important for long lasting happiness. For a Hindu, Suffering is seen as a part of living. Worldly life is ought to suffer pain until it reaches the final stage of life, ‘Moksha’. However, the blissful soul remains detached from the bodily (worldly) sufferings ie, ‘Maya’ or illusion called ‘life’. Life is a journey through various experiences for the soul to reach the perfect state of detachment. So the purpose of a Hindu’s life is to attain the ability to endure calmly and happily the experiences of life with least care for the fruits of one’s actions.

In turbulent times, one should sit down in peace, drink a cup of tea and then contemplate on what could be done. Though waiting and hoping is a hard thing to do , it is better than jumping in to bad decision and regretting the whole life. So just wait and see… meanwhile have a cup of tea too.

"The happiness which comes from long practice, which leads to the end of suffering, which at first is like poison, but at last like nectar - this kind of happiness arises from the serenity of one's own mind.”  Shrimad Bhagavat Gita