Indifference is no virtue. We should feel. Feel for ourselves and feel for others. For a self-centered man, spiritual evolution is not easy. Man, as a general rule, is essentially selfish. No doubt. Even animals are selfish. They take care of themselves first and then leave the rest to the others. Man certainly takes care of himself, but usually cannot let others enjoy anything, as he likes to hoard everything for himself. This is how the world works. The world has provided sufficient materials for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s GREED!!!
True evolution happens when our personal matters become secondary and others’ matters become our priority. Selflessness is the first shift visible in a true spiritualist. There are many seekers who are extremely self-centered. Their growth gets stagnated beyond a limit. The expansion of the anahata (heart chakra) is synonymous to spiritual growth. Our detachment becomes expressive when unconditional love replaces selfishness.
Let’s classify people according to their basic traits or character. Vasana (inherent nature or trait) becomes a thought. Thought becomes a word or expression. A word becomes action. Repeated actions become one’s character.
There are elementary men. They are emotional by nature. They do not use their intellect at all. We can divide them into emotionally good and emotionally bad. Some are bad by nature. They are selfish and only live for themselves. They live their life in complete anarchy. They are capable of creating lots of nuisance in the society. There are many such people in this world. They cheat, steal and kill. They are like animals in human bodies. They do not care. They do not use their intellect at all.
They live an emotional life. An example in Mahabharata is Dusshasana, brother of Duryodhana, the Kaurava King. Dusshasana would kill anyone if his brother commanded him to do so. He would not even think for a moment or stop and ask, “Why?” By nature, he was harmful and his conscience never stopped him from carrying out harmful acts.
On the other hand, some men are good by nature. They never harm anyone. They are emotional by nature and usually express repetitive benevolent thoughts, words, and actions. In Mahabharata, Yudhishtira, the Pandava, was such a person. He was good by birth, truthful and benevolent to all. He will not even tell a white lie. He was so emotional about truthfulness. But, he also lived on his emotions and seldom used his intellect. Because of that, he could not do anything, even when he knew that playing dice with the Kauravas could prove to be hazardous to him and his family’s very existence. He led his brothers and families to the forest, as he lost the game. The loss was inevitable. His own blind truthfulness was his own enemy.
So, if the head of an organisation is emotionally good, one who just follows a set rules and never uses his intellect to change anything or adapts to help himself and his company, the company is most likely to suffer. It is easy to follow a set rules. It is difficult to improvise. So, most managers are like this. They just walk the beaten path. They cannot take a company to the next level unless nature automatically aids its progress. Then, the success of the company has nothing to do with the manager’s calibre.
Then comes the intellectual negative. There are many such people in the world. They are extremely intelligent. They present things very well. They prepare elaborate plans and impress everyone. The end result is always for their personal welfare. They are selfish to the core. They can easily make the above two categories of people dance according to their tune because they are truly eloquent and immensely presentable. In Mahabharata, Sakuni, the maternal uncle of Duryodhana, was a very intelligent man. He plotted the whole drama. He played dice with Yudhishtira. He was intelligent. He knew the limitations of his enemy. He knew how far Yudhishthira would go. He created the fall and surrender of Yudhishthira and his family. For an intellectually negative person, life is all about scheming and plotting, without actually making it seem so. They are never transparent. They are sweet talkers. They are cunning. Treachery is their toy.
Passive people suffer at their hands. We can see many politicians in today’s world who are of this nature. They make their whole country dance to their tune while they accumulate personal wealth. They are usually good actors too. If such a man leads a company, it will prosper, but, the maximum benefit will eventually go to him. He will work out things in such a way, that he earns what he targets and sometimes beyond, even if he has to compromise the company, its staff, and its reputation.
He never cares about anyone except himself and his family. He will not care much about his staff and he will demand work, even at the cost of their equilibrium. He will pamper some if it is good for him. He will express selfishness visibly and in disguise.
Now comes the last but the best of them all. The good man who lives by his intellect. Lord Krishna is the right example of that. He is good by nature, even if we ignore his “avatar” stature. An intellectually good man has no selfish dreams. He lives for the betterment of the society or the country. Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu. He never cares about himself or his personal gains. He does not count in terms of money to nurture any relationships for selfish ends. He lives his whole life for others. But, he does not blindly and emotionally follow principles, like the emotionally good man who inevitably ends up in problems. Instead, he would use the truth measuring the advantages of a situation. He is superior to all the above three because of his selflessness and because of his capacity to think and act. He can never be dragged into any foolish commitment. He is transparent and benevolent. He feels for others and he truly does something about it. He dares and he has no fears of any kind.
Lethargy or procrastination is not his cup of tea. He lives a life of selflessness and intelligent truthfulness. He has the capacity to take a country from dungeons of despair to the height of bliss. He knows what he is doing and how to go about it. If such a man is the boss of a company, the investors and the staff will experience true well-being. This boss knows everything about every member of staff and he truly cares. He will make sure each one is well-taken care of and nobody is abandoned.
His distribution of work will also be based on individual capacities. Overburdening someone or being partial to someone will never take place. He genuinely cares and it will show. If an organisation gets such a manager, it is a true blessing. They are very rare in today’s world that teaches competition and supremacy. Even though it is difficult to see such people, it is never impossible.
We should feel. We should be sensitive towards ourselves and all others. Our progress and happiness should not be the only priority. Others should also be happy. Happiness if shared, multiplies. Sorrow, if shared, decreases. Hence, both need to be shared. Express benevolence unconditionally, without expectations. It is worth it. Trust me.
God bless all,
I love you,
M
