Gopal’s latest post has acted as a stimulant for this piece. I can see him all over the post. I staunchly disagree with anyone who accuses Gopal, for one, among all the contributors of not expressing truly. The latest from his pen, I believe was only a glimpse of the man who has chartered his own course in life, no strings attached, beyond material gratification.
I revere Gopal’s views in reaching an egoless state and agree the path leading to it is thorny and uneven.
Ego, such a lot of negativity attached to this term. I for one believe it is the driving force of your existence. It should be always in you like a tamed tiger, ferocious yet inconspicuous. I always thought it has been misinterpreted literally as some inflated feeling of pride or a sense of hollow superiority. I have imbibed it in me as an inbuilt real time self check apparatus, which pushes me, prods me, reassures and reaffirms the potential I hold in engaging life.
It’s a measure of one’s self worth, the value you attribute to your beliefs. It’s a potent mixture of values, upbringing, culture and a no nonsense attitude. A good filling of this potion in any human being would have an aura and the world around him would take him and his work seriously. The demeanour of a confident and self assured person cautions his opponents and apportions him the respect he deserves. It’s your strongest offence and your mightiest defence.
One person who comes to mind who domesticated the tiger in him and channelled it positively is Mahatma Gandhi. I consider him the most egoist person the world has ever seen. The perspective he gave to this important personality trait is unparallel. He taught to the world that if you bend then they would break you. The frail body had the strongest shoulders on which rested a sterner head.
A person having his ego at the right place would ask questions, seek answers, and never submit to any dictation. Acceptance of any unjust convention laid down by authorities is nothing but mortgaging self respect. Attempts to drive in any ulterior motives should be thwarted tooth and nail. Believe me they are the most insecure, weak kneed, timid kind you would come across and if inobedience is blatantly expressed you would see them leaving, tails between their legs.
It helps you to introspect and revalue one’s self worth and pushes the ribbons further every time you breast it. It helps you not to succumb to mediocrity and prostrate to pseudo achievers with myopic vision. It stops you from adhering to feudal diktats..
Nurture that tiger in you.
Dear Arun,
ReplyDeleteAs rightly pointed out by you ‘Ego’ is the root cause of one’s existence one’s individuality. To lose this ego is the quintessence goal of human beings. It is this egoless state I referred to in my post.