When Mahatma Gandhi historically professed to offer the other cheek, I am quite sure he was posturing. No man, by nature, can be so graceful.( honestly, I hardly find any grace in this submission , but my awareness about the stature of the man is restricting me from being any harsher). His words have become textbook lessons, one of the most impractical suggestions ever made(subject of numerous jokes, and rightly so). When Siddharth Gautam renounced the world for greater good, we largely miss the fact that he had been very unfair to , infact betrayed, his wife and child, who were his responsibility. Sure enough, the world would have managed without another religion.
When 'learned' men preach, mostly they talk impractical nonsense. 'Love your enemies'. "Don't be tempted, this world is 'maaya'". Really, why blame maaya , an otherwise seductive name for a woman, for all the miseries of the world.( Imagine that daku-type baba on India TV preaching all this). Still it attracts people. Some of these talks attract more people than, say, a Metallica show in India would. Maybe its comes with age. (Still, so uncool). I mean, where is the fun in listening to an old gentlemen, talking about life and what not, in a partial gay-ish tone (I just recalled how Asharamji Bapu speaks).
The very basic flaw in their preaching is that they teach perfection. Like, "Forgive your enemies". These are obviously the correct things to do. Ideally this is how it should be. But we dont live in an ideal world. You expect such behavior from, I dont know, may be Lord Ram, not from lowly humans. But then, even Ram doubted his wife's fidelity. Perfection is elusive. Men are designed to be faulty. God didn't create something that could later challenge their supremacy. Ego, perhaps got to them. Practicing what they teach , at various levels, asks to basically cut your natural instincts. Anger, for instance, is a very raw, very honest expression. It doesn't have any pretence. It cant be curbed. At best, you can hide it. But why hide? It's like making someone who has hurt you feel happy( or not bad) , at your own expense. Its obviously a more social things to do. But at times, when it's more important how you feel about yourself, than any long term gain, just let it loose.
What I have advocated is an easier option. If indeed anyone is capable of doing better, that's the way to go. But there is no shame in having flaws. It was always meant to be that way. Perfection is boring. If ever everything right said was practical, there would be no wars, no progress. All desire for attaining perfection, starts from our uneasieness about ourselves, which , as I see, is the first imperfection.
When 'learned' men preach, mostly they talk impractical nonsense. 'Love your enemies'. "Don't be tempted, this world is 'maaya'". Really, why blame maaya , an otherwise seductive name for a woman, for all the miseries of the world.( Imagine that daku-type baba on India TV preaching all this). Still it attracts people. Some of these talks attract more people than, say, a Metallica show in India would. Maybe its comes with age. (Still, so uncool). I mean, where is the fun in listening to an old gentlemen, talking about life and what not, in a partial gay-ish tone (I just recalled how Asharamji Bapu speaks).
The very basic flaw in their preaching is that they teach perfection. Like, "Forgive your enemies". These are obviously the correct things to do. Ideally this is how it should be. But we dont live in an ideal world. You expect such behavior from, I dont know, may be Lord Ram, not from lowly humans. But then, even Ram doubted his wife's fidelity. Perfection is elusive. Men are designed to be faulty. God didn't create something that could later challenge their supremacy. Ego, perhaps got to them. Practicing what they teach , at various levels, asks to basically cut your natural instincts. Anger, for instance, is a very raw, very honest expression. It doesn't have any pretence. It cant be curbed. At best, you can hide it. But why hide? It's like making someone who has hurt you feel happy( or not bad) , at your own expense. Its obviously a more social things to do. But at times, when it's more important how you feel about yourself, than any long term gain, just let it loose.
What I have advocated is an easier option. If indeed anyone is capable of doing better, that's the way to go. But there is no shame in having flaws. It was always meant to be that way. Perfection is boring. If ever everything right said was practical, there would be no wars, no progress. All desire for attaining perfection, starts from our uneasieness about ourselves, which , as I see, is the first imperfection.
2 comments:
This is wonderful blogging. I see the point you made here. Its subtle but strangely remarkable. The praises people have for these people, most of it, sounds like a generalization. And certainly, even after being repeated so many times, its hard to see any follower that is true in his intentions. Too perfect to imitate- if that is the image they have to portray, I have to agree with you on this one: Its boring.
thanks Apoyando... just have a feeling that people change more to please others, to be perceived better by others, than with an actual urge to be better humans...
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