Why did Duryodhana not have any remorse despite being so unfair to the Pandavas, while Arjuna was quite unsure about hitting an arrow at his cousins? What made Arjuna so sensitive while Duryodhana so insensitive? Is sensitivity a curse? The ego, like skin, forms a protective cover around us. As skin protects us from viruses and bacteria, the ego too protects us from many things. When we see so many people dying hungry for food, the ego tells us that we are different from them and we have the right to accumulate money in our accounts even if so many people in this world are dying hungry. We remain immune to the comments of others and reject them at the outset. We remain immune to the actions of the people around us, and often our ego ridicules them as illogical.
As we grow spiritually, we open up. We dare to remove that safety cover of the ego. As we open up, all types of influences impact us. Because we do not ridicule or reject them at the very outset. The problem with the ego is that it rejects everything at the outset, leaving no scope for examination. It works like a firewall, filtering out unverified websites and preventing them from accessing the system. However, the moment we remove the firewall, all types of websites will gain access to the system, and some of them will definitely be dangerous. Similarly, as we grow spiritually, we open ourselves to different types of people, each with their own thought processes and energy.
Ideally, we should remain completely unaffected by these energies and thought processes and stay 100% connected to our true selves. However, in practice, none of us is at either 0% or 100% on the spiritual journey. None of us is aware of that inner connection 100% of the time, and none of us is completely unaware thereof. None of us has 100% clarity of that centre, and none of us has zero per cent. All of us are somewhere in between. That's why, when we meet people, open up, and let go of the protective cover of the ego, it sometimes becomes difficult for us to handle negativity, manipulation, double-talk, and ill intentions.
Young kids get influenced very soon because they are quite open. They learn very quickly in the process, but they also learn bad behaviour very quickly. If an adult abuses in front of them, they also quickly learn to say these abuses. The reason is that they have not developed the ability to discriminate. As we grow, we learn the tricks of the trade and develop a very strong layer of ego around us, closing ourselves off. However, that cuts us off from the world. When we undertake the spiritual journey, we again open up to the world. That's why Arjuna is sensitive to the pain of his cousins and elders. But Krishna tells him in the Bhagwat Geeta that openness has to come with equanimity. That equanimity comes with the awareness of the true nature of the self. Self, that is one across the universe, just divided by the ego, and that's why Krishna tells Arjuna that it does not matter whether individuality remains or not, because that individuality is just an illusion. An aware self will definitely be open and yet unaffected, because it has constant awareness of the oneness of the entire universe. Openness with awareness is the key. Openness without awareness is quite difficult to handle. The greatest problem of humanity in today's world is the mindless routine that keeps us busy all day long, leaving hardly any window open to look out of the prison of the ego. How will we become aware of "light" in that closed, dark room of the self, with thick walls of the ego?
Comments