Self-centeredness – the seed of destruction

Every one of us want to be an object of love, affection and appreciation of someone. The more we have this experience we want it more. Therefore every one of us feel happy to be on the center stage. In fact it is our dream to be the richest person, the most beautiful, the most famous, the wisest or the most strongest. We are attracted to today’s celebrities – sports stars, film stars for the same reason, we want to become like them. Is it possible to be always on the center stage for all time to come with an ever expanding stage and ever increasing audience?

It seems to be impossible. In order to achieve this feat, we need to do three things. We need to attract everyone towards us. Different people get attracted by different things at different times. It is practically impossible to possess such resources. If not this, we need to force everyone to be attracted to us. We need to have inexhaustible strength to terrify everyone to get attracted to us. In fact with either of these strategies, we need to ensure that there will be no one who wants to rival us or who becomes a rival for us. This is an unending fight. In fact everyone wants to be on the stage. It seems our dream is bound to remain a dream. It happened to Duryodhana. He tried by all his means to maintain his position on the center stage. He failed ultimately. He was always in anxiety to safeguard his position. He was miserable throughout his life, met a miserable end and in course of this made many others miserable. This does not seem to be a good proposition. But this is not the end.

We can receive love from others in two ways – by selfishly trying to attract them towards us by various means or by trying to love them selflessly. If we give love we get love. In the first case, others love our riches, fame, beauty etc. not really us. In the second case, others will love us from their heart. Genuine love is an outcome of a selfless loving reciprocation. Just as a mother loves the child and the child loves the mother. Is it possible to love everyone or even one all the time? It is difficult because we are bound by several limitations of space, time, ability etc. to love. This cannot quench completely our thirst for love. Others also cannot reciprocate with us in equal terms because of the very same limitations. Have we reached a dead end ? No. We need a person whom we can love with our inherent limitations and who can love us completely to our heart’s content. God is the answer. God is not just the all powerful, all knowing master. But more than that He is supremely lovable and supremely loving. He accepts whatever love we can offer and reciprocates with unlimited love as described in Bhagavad Gita 9.26 and 9.29

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