Gatashan: A Yoga Story, Episode 1

Once upon a time, in a galaxy not too far away from ours, on a planet not too different from our own, there lived a race of creatures that are, for all intents and purposes, indistinguishable from us humans. Let’s not worry about whether they are actually humans, or how they got to be on this planet (no need to start another evolution-creation debate). These creatures are biologically and psychologically indistinguishable from us. So let’s just assume that they are humans. 

Anyway, on this planet, there was a city named Satinicen. Satinicen was a laid back little city by the ocean, and boasted many beautiful beaches and huge waves. As such, it was a popular destination for surfers and hippies, and all of the myriad activities that these two groups partook in thrived in this little city.

In this city, there lived a young man named Mit Rilelm. Mit was a pretty ordinary young man whose life was not too different from that of many other young people his age. He had just gotten out of school, and had an entry-level job with crazy hours that he wasn’t particularly crazy about; but it paid the bills, and allowed him to eat and have a little fun (Santinicen at that time was a place where drugs could be had at a reasonable price, and, as mentioned above, the surfing was great), so who was he to complain? Like many young people his age, he also had a few things that he disliked: For example, he dreaded talking on the phone with his parents, not least because his dad always started and ended conversations by admonishing him to get a “real” job (what does that mean, anyway?).

 

But really, life wasn’t too bad. Mit wasn’t wealthy by any stretch, but he had many of the things a young person his age would and could have wanted. But still, there were days (and sometimes, nights) when he wished there could be something… more in his life. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what this “more” is: It probably wasn’t a romantic relationship (although he wasn’t seeing anybody at that time, and it would be very nice to be seeing somebody). Perhaps it had something to do with that somewhat old-fashioned idea of having something to live and perhaps die for. But why would anybody care about having (or not having) something to live and die for when life was, frankly, not too bad?