Tiger by the tail

I have seen that controlling life and its vagaries is very much like catching the tiger by the tail. Once you have caught the tiger by the tail, you are in reasonable control, and can prevent the tiger from devouring you, as long as you don’t let go. Life too is like that; as and when you try and exercise control over life, it is like holding the tiger by the tail.

Once you have the tiger by its tail, you start feeling nervous and scared, for how long will you hold on? Your arms will get tired, you will feel hungry or thirsty, you might fall asleep, and you will have to visit the toilet. Also, the tiger too is extremely unpredictable, like life. What will happen in the next moment, we do not know. Will the tiger struggle to get free? Will he quietly sit down and relax? Will he go to sleep? Will he run, pulling you along with him? Or will he do a turnaround and jump at your throat? Difficult to say, is it not? But is not life the same? We don’t know what will happen next. Life may be peaceful and uneventful for a while, and then suddenly some calamity, some problem comes up. We lose control, get worried, and desperately try to grab life by its tail, getting mauled and scratched, in the process.

Another major problem with controlling the tiger (life) is that we lose our freedom. How can a man, who is stuck with the tiger’s tail in his hands, have any freedom? He can’t even eat or drink, let alone go for a movie, read a book, or sip a glass of cabernet. The only way he can get freedom is to let go of the tiger’s tail. Ah, that sounds risky. And it is. Letting go of the tiger or life itself, is always risky and fraught with danger. But unfortunately, our very freedom, our liberty, our independence, is tied to the act of letting go. And the one thing any human being really wants, more than anything else in this world, is freedom. So, what to do? Those who have the courage to let go of the tail of life, will reap the benefits. There is a risk that the tiger will turn around and attack. There is also a chance that the tiger will just walk off into the jungle, happy at his own freedom. But there is a risk element in letting go, but one that we must take, if we want freedom. Only when we have freedom, only when we are not slaves, can we begin our search for happiness, peace, and joy. So, either you let go or keep holding the tail. The choice is ultimately yours. So is freedom. It is yours, if you want it, right here, right now. But you can't be holding the tiger's tail and have freedom. Sadly, these are mutually exclusive.