A Square Peg in a Round Hole

Sheikh Farid speaks of the nature of this world in one of his poems through a beautiful example. He says that during the month of Katak in the Punjabi calendar, which is equivalent to the months of autumn, the skies in Punjab are filled with migratory birds that come from Siberia. During Chayt or the months of spring, the flowers in the forests are in full bloom, the redness of which makes it seem that the forests are on fire. In Saawan or the rainy season, one gets to witness bright flashes of lighting and the roaring sound of thunder, and finally in Siyale or winter, the sceneries involve couples that are in love cuddling up to protect each other from the cold.

Sheikh Farid points out that this world is in a constant state of flux, just like seasons change, times change, sceneries change; similarly our bodies also undergo change and eventually will come to pass away.

Most of us in this world try to find happiness by seeking health, beauty, companionship, and just about anything that has a job description of satisfying the needs of our bodies. But more often than not, this strategy does not give us satisfactory long-term results. As we age, as our near and dear ones leave our side and sometimes even before all these triggers force us to re-evaluate our lives’ direction, we start to feel a growing void within, a deep sense of dissatisfaction and a serious lack of purpose in this world.

Our dreams and hopes always point us towards eternal happiness and true love, and this is why we are like square pegs in a round hole, trying to desperately fit in a world that will never be able to accom-modate our aspirations.

Our Master lovingly wakes us up to the reality that although we are in a body, we are not the body – we are our soul, undergoing the experience of being human. The soul is the one that grants this body its consciousness, its energy and its life; without the soul, our bodies would be nothing more than a heap of ashes. Thus focusing on the body and ignoring the soul would be like admiring the frame and ignoring the painting or like eating the skin and throwing away the fruit!

Any respect or honour that is due to this body, is deserved only so long as the soul resides in it.
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh, Philosophy of the Masters, Vol. 1}

Now if I was a full-time mother, then my happiness would probably revolve around the welfare of my kids. If I were a struggling entrepreneur, then maybe my happiness would be dependent on the success of my business, but if I am soul, a part and parcel of the Lord, then what should I seek in order to be happy? Rumi explains this as he says:

The mother seeks her child, principles seek out their derivatives.… Without doubt, every kind takes pleasure in its own kind. The part takes pleasure in its whole.
_{The Sufi Path of Love}

Mystics explain to us that our soul will only find peace, solace and true bliss once it returns to its true home; once it is reunited with the Lord, and once it merges in its whole.

A square peg does not fit in a round hole. This world is like a round hole and our lives are the square pegs. Perhaps some day soon, we will wake up to the reality that the ‘square hole’ into which we perfectly fit is God.