Cut the Noose of Worry

“Don’t worry.” These simple words of reassurance are repeated throughout our lives, beginning with our earliest anxieties. As children, we worry about getting into trouble, being bullied, or making friends. As teenagers, our concerns shift to fitting in with peers, the fear of failing exams, and our physical appearance. In adulthood, these worries evolve into anxieties about our careers, financial security, buying a house, raising children, caring for our parents, and our health; the list of concerns is endless. Sometimes it feels as if we spend our entire lives worrying about one thing or another.

When spiritual masters advise “Don’t worry,” we cannot help but question the practicality of this advice, given the challenges we face. Is it realistic to set aside our anxieties? The answer to this question does not lie in ignoring our worries, but in understanding their cause and the adverse effects they have on us. In Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. II, Maharaj Charan Singh attributes the root of our worrying to our desires. He encourages us to learn to accept our destiny and live in the will of the Lord.

We worry because we want certain things to happen in the way we want them to. We have certain desires, certain wishes to fulfil, certain ambitions to fulfil. And we are always worried about whether we’ll be able to achieve them or not, whether we’ll be able to satisfy those desires or not. That keeps us worrying. If we leave it to the Father, if we live in his will, he knows best what to give us. We just prepare ourselves to accept what he gives. Then what is there to worry about?

Maharaj Charan Singh’s call to learn acceptance becomes especially persuasive when we trace the history of the English word worry back to its root in the Old English term – wyrgan, meaning to strangle. This etymology vividly illustrates the impact of worrying. Worry does not simply unsettle us; it constricts. It suffocates rational thought, chokes joy, and leaves us gasping for clarity. Therefore, when spiritual masters say, “Don’t worry,” they are not dismissing our struggles but offering a lifeline to cut the noose of our anxieties: meditation.

As Maharaj Charan Singh further explains, the very purpose of meditation is, “to train ourselves…to develop [the] attitude of accepting things as they come.” When we worry, we focus entirely on ‘me’ and ‘I’: what I imagine will happen; how things will affect me; how I feel. This self-centred mindset traps us in false attachments to our physical form, personality traits, relationships, and preferences. However, meditation teaches us to surrender to a power greater than ‘me’ and ‘my problems,’ and frees us from identifying with the human experience we are going through.

There are other ways meditation counteracts the effects of worrying, including restoring our perspective. When we worry, problems often seem larger than they are, and we doubt our ability to handle them. Our minds fixate on imagined catastrophes that may never occur. Even when difficult situations do occur, the reality is usually less overwhelming than the disasters we create in our minds. Meditation counters this habit by raising our consciousness beyond our thoughts. As the repetition of simran stills the multitude of thoughts our mind produces, the practise of bhajan attunes us to the Shabd, the primordial vibration underlying creation. When our awareness of the sound current increases, we become more detached from the things that used to trouble us. Ultimately, meditation transforms our attitude towards life. We realize that all adversities, no matter how challenging, are transient and that with the inner master’s guidance, we will overcome them.

In the following quote from Die to Live, Maharaj Charan Singh reminds us that the Master is the ‘helmsman’ of our lives, meaning he is always ready to help us the moment we turn to him. However, when we worry, we demonstrate a lack of faith in him and choose not to accept his support. If we decide to worry or rely on others, he will not stop us, but the moment we turn to him and surrender completely, he promises to give us everything. Then, we will be infinitely happy, and there will be no more worry. As Maharaj Charan Singh explains, worry has no place in a disciple’s heart:

You can’t change the course of events dictated by your destiny. But by obedience to the Master and by attending to meditation you remain happy and relaxed as you go through it. You accept whatever comes your way as the grace of the Master. He is the helmsman of your life now, and he has only your happiness and best interest at heart. By his mercy, he is bringing you to Him as swiftly as possible to give you all He has. So worry has no place in a disciple’s heart.
Die to Live