I was inspired to write this version of the "final lap" as a comparion to all our pursuits in life, whether they be a worthy worldly ambition or a spiritual aspiration. It symbolizes to me a liberating moment, in and of itself, as it frees us from the striving, from the unnecessary stress or burden that one carries when the goal is not in sight. It also symbolizes to me something that is free from the indecisiveness of whether or not to move on, as the momentum picks up naturally leaving us with no choice of whether or not to stop or linger on! The state of mind of the runner in this "inspirational writing" that is running this final lap of freedom, is by itself the free mind aspired to by all the spiritual seekers! Am hoping to write second article that goes deeper into this comparison and its spiritual significance.
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The Final lap to Freedom
The bell has rung announcing the final lap and the finish line is now in sight. This sound has a positive and energizing effect on the mind of this marathon runner, which prompts her to run with a greater urgency to the finish line. This is when the pull factor of the finish line replaces the push factor from the runner all through the race. This runner and her world is now our screen!
This particular runner is an experienced runner but has yet to taste the freedom that comes from winning the first major race. She has practiced for long and participated in many other races. Destiny has at times been with her in getting her the right team to practice with, the coach who knew her strengths and weakenesses and the sponsorships that always seem to play an important role behind the scenes. But then there has been times when she had wondered if there was any thing called "Luck" at all on her side. There were many who stood in her way, questioned her ability, and those authorities who seemed to even be threatened by her potential rather than nurture her talents. However, she had learnt the quality of being grateful to all those who had supported her and to all those who had intensified her trials and obstacles in life!
When the race began, she knew that it will take all her experience, and all the support of friends to carry her through. Every race is unpredictable despite all careful preparation. The bigger the race, greater the chances for things to go wrong - one wrong foot and it could be the end! Constant vigilance was now a more reliable tool than the best running gear or the comprehensive report on weather or road conditions!
Returning the narration to the final lap when the bell is rung......
Despite her spirits that is alive again, her "flesh is weak" as not just the feet but the whole body is aching and feels like breaking apart! Until now every step has been growing more and more shaky, unsure, and lacking the energy which had made her consider slowing down or even stopping if it continues to become unbearable!
But now she has reached this point where the dramatic words have resounded in her mind - "there is no more going back"! She just has to move on.
No longer does she hear or see her coach even though she senses his presence from "the eyes behind her head" knowing him to be yelling out words of encouragment, words of caution! Any advice at this stage has no meaning as she alone knows her predicament, the pain in her feet, the tingling in her sciatia, the throbbing in her head, the thirst in her throat (which makes her regret on not grabbing the drink at the last opportunity) etc. She knows now the only way, the one mental attitude that she has to adopt to help her with her all these challenges. She alone knows how to loosen the chains that was fast tightening around her!
A slight thought lingered in the background of her mind about her other team-mates and whether they were still on the race. But then she knew that each person has to finish their own race not only for themselves but for a purpose that was bigger than was obvious! Teammates too were mature enough to understand this and there was no feeling of being let down.
She could also no longer hear the crowd and was uncertain if they are cheering her or another racer who may have been closing up on her. She doesn't even want to look as she is now riveted on the finish line. Yet in that state, she is aware of everything as the watchful eye records the magnum opus of this moment which she know will be replayed again and again in her mind for a long time to come! Nevertheless, at this moment those feelings can not overwhelm her and there is an equilibrium of the focussed mind which she had never known before. After all this is the biggest moment, in the biggest race, she has ever run....and may ever again run!
At this stage, she begins to become aware that something strange has come in; something that is best described as "the force of momentum". It seems to lift her legs to move on not out of any sheer force of her own, but in an effortless push of energy. It seems to propel her first in the mind, and then fill her with a superhuman transcendence of the aches and pains in the body. "Whoa! Where did that come from?"she pondered for a second. Ah! But then she has known this momentum before and has glimpsed it on many occasions when she had given up trying to mentally control the race. She has known it well enough to just let it be and not to tamper with it, lest it be lost. Because for this momentum to sustain, it demanded complete obedience, an unquestioning faith and loyalty, qualities that were hardly dealt in training by any of her coaches.
But yet the profound nature of her experience was known to every racer who has completed his race! The secrecy of the momentum of the final lap was almost too sacred to even talk about. It was shrouded in such mystery because each one's experience, even when they attempted to share for other's benefit, seemed to be unique!
Yet there was no magic to the moment that was "out of this world". It was not to be mistaken as "a miracle" that took out all her bodily pains away and seamlessly lead her to finish line. To attribute the remainder of this race to such an uthopian experience is to deny the reality of every runner's hard landing foot on the merciless track - which discriminates not the runner's condition or whether it is the first lap or the final lap! Human mind is indeed fond of such miracles which at best is a upliftimg source of imagination to a mind low in hopes.
Instead it is the very desire to finish, and the commitment to hang on, that has brought on this surge. Her moves may now lack the form and grace that one wishes. Obviously control and will power, at this stage, is not so much from her mind but from a sense of instinctive surge just as she would run for life when chased by a tiger! So the form and flow too is not what she seeks to control as although she wishes to stick to the shortest lane (or the fastest path), her legs flow in free form with a will of their own. It seeks out the right lane, the right path, of its own accord (In fact it does actually have a certain grace, atleast for those who have the eyes to see it)
Despite the burst of energy pushing her onward, there is no fear and anxiety anymore! Whether she wins or loses too is irrelevant. She knows she has given her best and the outcome will be what it will be. It is now the responsibility of the "finish line" and its force of attraction to pull her in! This moment, this step, this lap - is all it has come down to!
Whether this runner is aware or not, whether she completes the race or not, she has found in this moment the state of supreme freedom, that state of mind and heart which comes from complete surrender!
To continue on with the narration on this screen is now redundant
The finish line and the goal which brings in the concept of "Time, Story, Personalities" are no longer relevant! On this "final lap of freedom", the Runner, the Race and the screen of this Race have fulfilled the purpose of their being!
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