God shall grow up while the wise men talk and sleep
"Are you crazy? You are one of the many successful persons that this century has produced. Compare yourself with the earlier generations. They were all living a difficult life. They struggled with a lot of things. You know what I am saying? Don't you?"
"Yes. I do. Still the suffocation is so strong that I wish I run away from all of this. We run behind fame and wealth. Fame is never bestowed easily and we should accept it. Even if it is present, it is ephemeral. And wealth - how much do we really need? After a certain level, the rest is just extra. When your stomach is full, no matter what you are served, you just say, No Thank you. Don't you?"
"What about your family? Do you not want to think about them?"
"There is enough for their needs. And the extra that they may need, I am confident that they will be able to earn for themselves with their own intelligence. Did we not do that? Are we living off of our parents' gifts? Hardly any. This is another of that load that I have tied to my legs by listening to you. I mean not you personally, but the social psyche at large."
"I see what you are saying. That way we are so into trying to please the social psyche. So, we never question. Only once in a while someone like you question the trodden path, we wake up and start thinking about such things. So, what's in your mind? Do you feel like running away?"
"No, not at all. I really do like all that I have. I am just tired of the game. I wish to step out of it, call quits, hang up the boots. I just want to be there, not participating. Not trying to win always. Just be."
"How's that possible? You need to have a livelihood, a routine etc.?"
"I want to be occupied but not necessarily go after money. That way I participate but not necessarily play the game."
Savitri, Sri Aurobindo
Conversation 1
"I am choking, why do I feel that there are tens of kilograms of stones attached to my legs and body. I feel suffocation everywhere."
"Are you crazy? You are one of the many successful persons that this century has produced. Compare yourself with the earlier generations. They were all living a difficult life. They struggled with a lot of things. You know what I am saying? Don't you?"
"Yes. I do. Still the suffocation is so strong that I wish I run away from all of this. We run behind fame and wealth. Fame is never bestowed easily and we should accept it. Even if it is present, it is ephemeral. And wealth - how much do we really need? After a certain level, the rest is just extra. When your stomach is full, no matter what you are served, you just say, No Thank you. Don't you?"
"What about your family? Do you not want to think about them?"
"There is enough for their needs. And the extra that they may need, I am confident that they will be able to earn for themselves with their own intelligence. Did we not do that? Are we living off of our parents' gifts? Hardly any. This is another of that load that I have tied to my legs by listening to you. I mean not you personally, but the social psyche at large."
"I see what you are saying. That way we are so into trying to please the social psyche. So, we never question. Only once in a while someone like you question the trodden path, we wake up and start thinking about such things. So, what's in your mind? Do you feel like running away?"
"No, not at all. I really do like all that I have. I am just tired of the game. I wish to step out of it, call quits, hang up the boots. I just want to be there, not participating. Not trying to win always. Just be."
"How's that possible? You need to have a livelihood, a routine etc.?"
"I want to be occupied but not necessarily go after money. That way I participate but not necessarily play the game."
"Elaborate please."
"Let's say that I do something sincerely, may be something that I like. But even if I get to do something I do not like, I just do it honestly and do it as though I am the one who is the beneficiary of that work. Not because someone is telling me to do it. And, remove unnecessary stress from that job. For e.g. I had to get something ready by say next Monday, I will sincerely try to do that, but not get stressed to achieve that at all costs."
"Is that possible? There are always deadlines. People do not let you be in peace."
"I don't know. Maybe we assume a lot. Do you remember the extra ordinary rain fall that flooded Mumbai many years ago? There were many delays that it caused. And several companies shifted their deadlines due to this natural calamity. Would you have argued the same as you are arguing now towards that? Obviously no. So, I will tell people that I have been hit with a natural calamity, that of doing things honestly, sincerely and optimally. And it takes time."
"May be. But it is quite difficult to do that, as people have become very impatient today. If you don't give them what they want, there are tens of other providers. You will lose if you stick to your stubborn ways."
"That is precisely the game that I am trying to not play. I am ready to let go of that little extra profit that a hurried work may bring along. But I am sure people are quite smart. They may be in a hurry today, for they do not know the value of honesty, sincerity and hard work. Once I become good at what I do, these same people will surely come back to me. They will also honour my values, not just work. What we are failing to understand is that the trade involves not just talents, but also values. No matter how much you ignore core values, for the sake of better returns, they will haunt you in some way or the other. The question is, are you smart enough to witness the very complex ways of life. May be you and I are so engrossed in playing the game, we have lost our ability to watch or witness our own game."
"I see what you are saying. We are so busy playing, we never stop and review what is happening in our life. We keep thinking that we giving our best, which may be true, but often it is our best sans core values. We may cheat without even knowing. We may bad mouth without thinking. We judge without listening to the other side."
"Do you now see why I say that I am carrying weights all the while and they suffocate me?"
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