The ego thrives on misery. Feeling hurt continuously is a sign of the thriving ego. You must have noted that when you are happy, all thoughts tend to disappear. The ego also disappears completely. There is no feeling of covetousness or inequality. All feelings of hurt and sorrow disappear. There is only a feeling of pure joy. But, when you nurture your ego, when all your thoughts are concentrated on yourself and your feelings, then you will not be able to forgive or forget the hurt caused to you. It is a trap, a circle of ego and hurt, where you go on exaggerating the hurt and your ego continues to thrive upon it. You forget all the good and beautiful things in your life, you remember only the hurt and pain, and through all this, the ego flourishes further and further.

The ego may sometimes persuade you to forgive, for the feeling that “I have forgiven” gives you a sense of power and superiority. Forgiving should happen naturally. Be free of the past by living in the present. Enjoy each moment of your life. Be grateful for all that you have. Consciously, stop brooding over past hurts or losses. Just practise the art of living in the present.

Once you start doing this, you will find yourself enjoying each moment. A deep sense of contentment builds up within you, and a feeling of joy takes over. When this happens, you forget your past hurts and also the clinging-on stops. Then, you finally come to a stage where ego and hurt disappear from your life.

So, the key to a joyous life is “to live in the present”. Live from moment to moment, consciously, without any comparison or greed, savouring every breath. Enjoy life with a sense of gratitude for the grace bestowed by the divine Creator.