Low Stress Fuels High Performance

It was the day of Holi, March 14th, 2025. A friend and I decided to take a trip to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary (150 km from Bangalore) and nearby places. Here I present some truths realized while returning from the trip.

The Inception

I was cruising at 85-90 km/h. In front of me was an SUV moving at the same speed. I did not like my view being blocked, so I decided to overtake.

I saw another SUV approaching from the opposite lane. It was neither too far away nor too close. I could overtake, but it wouldn't be an easy maneuver.

I thought for a second, then accelerated my Honda to its max. The wind blew hard across my body as I felt the bike fighting against the drag.

Midway through the overtake, I realized the oncoming SUV was now too close, but I had committed—there was no turning back at a speed of 100+ km/h. The adrenaline kicked in. I could feel blood rushing to my brain.

The overtake was successful—by a couple of seconds. The drivers of both SUVs were likely cursing me for the chaos I'd created.

I felt my brain pulsing from the intense blood flow, which quickly turned into a headache. I was stressed. My mind became hyperactive—replaying the scenario, questioning the morality of my action, and processing multiple thoughts simultaneously.

This mental state persisted for the next 15 minutes.

But wasn't the overtake complete? Wasn't the need for heightened mental alertness over? Why was I still caught up in an act now in the past?

When I finally asked myself these questions, to my surprise, the headache vanished. The stress disappeared. I felt lighter, emptier.

And this brings me to the first realization:

Stress Can Be Escaped

During those few seconds of overtaking, I needed the stress—it could have been the deciding factor between a crash and safety. But it was necessary only in those few seconds.

I had essentially wasted time dwelling on something now past, robbing myself of the present while subjecting my mind to unnecessary stress. This was a form of "AGYANA" (ignorance/delusion). My failure to recognize that I was no longer overtaking but merely replaying the scenario in my head caused the headache to persist.

The moment you end the ignorance via seeing the false for what it is, via realizing you have no reason to be stressed — truly realizing this is enough for the stress (DUKHA) to go away.

The Ideal Setting for Innovation

A state of AGYANA is clearly not conducive to innovative thinking. How can one rise above the standard if one is misinformed about the standard itself?

To think innovatively, one needs to understand current limitations as they truly are. Without this clarity, we remain caught within these limitations, clinging to them with no room to think beyond.

Let me explain through experience:

Once I became aware of my unnecessary stress, it dissolved—as if recognizing AGYANA is itself the remedy. This ended my DUKHA, leaving behind a clear mind. Automatically, I began observing my ride and the bike beneath me—the refined, quietly roaring engine — courtesy Honda's engineering.

And I wondered: how could this bike go faster? This became my new quest.

I thought about the mechanics of the internal combustion engine, feeling the single piston pushing for speed.

"We could add multiple pistons," I thought. "But that's already been done."

Then I realized this approach might be inefficient. How fast can one go by simply adding more cylinders? There must be a limit. Intuitively, I guessed perhaps 600-700 km/h at maximum. (As it turns out, the world record for a motorcycle is approximately 600 km/h.)

What if we wanted something even faster? IC engines seem to cap at 600 km/h, so we would need to step outside this paradigm. Perhaps something non-mechanical or semi-mechanical?

The significant aspect of this thought process was how clearly I could see the 'standard' for what it was and compare it against my quest for innovation—a bike that cruises at speeds exceeding 1,000 km/h.

Of course, our current infrastructure wouldn't support such speeds. But that's a secondary concern—a "secondary innovation" dependent on the primary innovation (the ultra-fast bike). The real challenge is the primary innovation, achievable only when one can think freely, unburdened by bias or limitation.

The Final Realization

After experiencing these first two realizations, I understood something profound: I had liberated myself from stress, then used my intellect for pure thinking—a process that, if continued, might have led to unprecedented conclusions. Perhaps I could have been on my way to building something never before conceived.

From this experience, I draw three conclusions:

1. We can avoid stress at will.

1. We can think freely and therefore effectively.

1. We can maintain this state consistently.

Isn't this the best any human can hope for? A constant state where one is incapable of suffering, unbounded, and effective. This comes remarkably close to what is described as "Ananda Prapti".