If one aims to be free, all that one must do is to “drop one’s story”. It is just one story among over 8 billion currently alive, not to mention the countless billions more that have existed and buried across centuries and eons. It is such insignificant that it should not be cause for one’s misery. Yet that is something that one latches onto and build continuously. The outcome of all such stories is only suffering. If one gets this point, then there’s nothing to be done other than drop everything that has been till now – the entire story – and be free instantaneously. Just the relief will free oneself.
Let’s look at this from a different perspective:
All our problems are because we carry our past. We give continuity to our thoughts and that stitches a story which we dwell on endlessly, creating not just pain or suffering to ourselves but also others who become part of that. If, instead, we approached every event as something new—without attaching the past to it or storing it as an impression for future recall—then experiences would simply arise, unfold, and pass away, leaving no residue of pain.
That’s exactly our experience too. Do we have recollection of every event that has occurred in our lives till date? There are only few that we chose to hold on to, that remained as memory – pleasant or painful. Each time we recall these memories or connect them to current events, we reinforce the associated pain. For example, if someone once had an unpleasant experience with a particular individual, each subsequent encounter or even thought of that person renews the unpleasantness, making it more intense. But is this necessary? If the initial unpleasantness is forgiven and forgotten, the story ends at that moment, no longer influencing any future interactions with that person.
All that has happened in the past is, ultimately, just a story. There is no need for it to shape or colour our present experiences. By choosing to drop the story, we free ourselves from unnecessary burdens and discover a boundless sense of liberation. Each moment then becomes a source of wonder and possibility, untainted by the weight of the past.
