FORMS OF EGO
Ego is the characteristic of humans. It has
different forms in different human beings. Our consciousness about our gender,
social status, physical beauty, psychological traits, mental capabilities,
spiritual aspirations, our achievements in worldly life form our ego. Ego is an
essential ingredient of human mental make-up. It inspires us to be lively and
sometimes causes inconveniences to our near and dear and others. The thoughts
“I”, “me” “mine” arise in us making us joyful and also sad depending on the
event, person, and our perception and understanding of them.
Writers, singers, dancers, actors, sports
persons and the rest of us identify ourselves with our profession and feel
egoistic. Our achievements in our professions make us confident and sometimes
arrogant. The term “egoistic” is not always negative. But is used in that sense
and cultivated. Most of our achievements we ascribe to our capabilities and
failures to the deficiencies of others around us and blame them for the fiasco
when it happens. We gladly take responsibility for our successes and refuse to
take same responsibility in failures. This is one form of ego.
Persons in authority own all pleasant
happenings and blame the opposition for the uncomfortable incidents. They feel
themselves invincible and indispensable. They will be under the illusion that
it is their greatness and capability that runs the show and delude the citizens
about their indispensability for the welfare of the people. It is the ego of
the rulers that has brought and is bringing untold sufferings to the ruled.
This form of ego in rulers is head-ache to democratic functioning.
We have great human-beings who achieved
much in their respective chosen fields and professions. Definitely they are
great but their greatness is made up of their parents, teachers, their near and
dear who keep them always cheerful and hence enhance their creative abilities
through their help and cooperation and also because of the audience, stalwarts
in the field and rasikas, who recognize them and their talents with their
aesthetic sensitivities and sensibilities, intellectual abilities and applaud,
admire and appreciate their creations, them and build them. But most of the
times many of the popular and great achievers believe they are in that position
solely because of their eminence. This is another form of ego.
We have herds of commercial spiritual gurus
today. They are so concerned about us that they dedicated their lives for our
and our welfare’s sake. They are building financial and commercial empires to
enlighten and liberate us. They indulge in all the house-holder’s activities
still shun us if we live as a house-holder. Our ignorance, innocence and blind
submission are both their strength and ego. They go to the extent of believing
that they are Gods and Goddesses themselves and exhibit high form of ego, when
in spirituality the essential criterion and requirement is shedding of ego. We
should not feel “I am this”, “I am that” etc., and thoughts about us should not
remain. When we question ourselves “Who am I?” and the reply is silence we are
spiritual beings. No sense, thought or utterance about individual will be
present and the ego will be absorbed in the Divinity in us and we will be
peaceful and blissful always. Our mental awareness will be vacated by
self-consciousness and will be filled with Divine Consciousness. This must
happen to the commercial spiritual gurus also. It will not happen and they
exhibit this kind of peculiar form of ego. Ego is part and parcel of the individual
rather the individual itself and has as many forms as the individuals and their
illusions. We must enjoy this variety of egos and silently observe their
owners. This helps us to shape ourselves and have an ego special and specific
to us. No one can shed ego easily. We can change it if we want. Changed and
transformed ego leads us to Divinity. We become ego-less rather transcend our
ego and be one with Divinity.
ENTERTAINMENT AND ENLIGHTENMENT
Human beings need both entertainment and
enlightenment. Getting entertained like, eating hot idlis and getting
enlightened is like, possessing invaluable gems. But now- a- days it appears
that we are having a heavy dose of entertainment. We are having access to
entertainment through multimedia. Cinema, sports, music, dance etc., are being
showcased to attract us. We are lured to spend money and time on these. TV and
new channels are competing to entertain us more than enlighten us. Everything
is programmed to attract more advertisements and of course to provide
entertainment to us. Radio is also not lagging behind and scores of FM channels
are in entertainment business presently. We are easily entertained. No effort
from our side is needed to get entertained. It is enough if we spare our time.
Our senses are designed to get entertained. It is easy and joyful to enjoy
entertainment. All of us are having not much leisure and whatever free time we
have, we are spending for entertainment.
Poetry and literature also can entertain us
together with other fine arts like painting, sculpting etc., It was a fashion
and practice to mix entertainment and religion. Entertainment media were and
are used to spread religions and ideologies also. It is believed that one can
appeal to humans through entertainment easily. Drama was playing a great role
earlier. Its place is taken by movies and TV programs now. Recreation after a
heavy schedule of daily professional engagements is a welcome relief. But heavy
dose of or non-aesthetic entertainment does more harm than benefit. Mind gets
addicted to entertainment of base forms. It will be more like a vice than
relief. One must be very careful in choosing ways to get entertained.
Entertainment is not capable of reviving a
grief-stricken heart. In human life, which is not a bed of roses but also of
thorns, entertainment has limited role in human consumption. Enlightenment is a
must for maintaining a healthy mind. Else we are easily stressed and strained by
vicissitudes of life. A broken heart or a disturbed heart is comforted by
enlightenment and entertainment can not do anything here. It is a healthy
practice to know the ways of getting enlightened together with the ways of
getting entertained right from the childhood. Parents play a prominent role in
this regard. But how far present day parents are able, capable and interested
to discharge their duties in this aspect is doubtful. They themselves are
choosing dubious commercial spiritual gurus for enlightenment and are more
entertained by these self-aggrandizing individuals and enlightenment received
is less or almost nil.
Reading good literature, listening to good soothing
music and the like which comfort rather than incite mind are to be practiced
consciously. We have to take equal care and spend equal amount of time and
money to get enlightened as we spend to get entertained. One can get
enlightened in many ways. Faith plays a prominent role here; one must note that
it is faith and not blind faith. Faith in tradition, culture and elders and
their pronouncements play a predominant and useful role in our attempts to get
enlightened. The sign that we are in the right path of enlightenment is, we
experience peace of mind and our mind is more relaxed than excited.
Entertainment gives excitement. Enlightenment gives comfort, peace and bliss.
Entertainment is joyful, enlightenment is serenity. Enlightenment is
self-reliance; entertainment is dependence.
Ageing process makes us less enthusiastic about
entertainment and only if we possess enlightenment we are joyful which
transcends sense gratification. Body withers and all youthful capabilities will
be on the wane. In such times, and even earlier, enlightenment lights up life.
Enlightenment is wisdom. Wisdom is not only possessing right knowledge but also
using it at the right time. Wisdom is ninety percent timely action and one
percent possessing right knowledge. It is intelligence to use entertainment to
get enlightened.
THE EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL NEEDS OF HUMANS
Human-beings have both emotional and
intellectual needs. Human-beings are essentially emotional beings. Though they
have intellectual needs also, emotional needs dominate the living. All most all
human-beings crave for emotional fulfillment in lives. Very few people have
intellectual needs. For most human-beings if emotions are taken care of, they
do not bother for anything else. But some human beings need intellectual
fulfillment also in life. They will be engaged in research, literary pursuits,
reading, commenting, philosophical discussions, debates and deductions. A
human-being feels void in life when either or both of the needs, the emotional
and intellectual, are not fulfilled. They feel complete only when both the
needs are fulfilled. Sex is normally considered as a physical need; but it is
essentially and equally a psychological and emotional need and satisfaction
too.
Emotions also include, longing to love and
be loved; have bonds of affection with fellow human-beings who are near and
dear. Though marriage is expected to take care of most of emotional needs,
incompatibility or different tastes, likes and dislikes give a feeling of
emotional void. A human-being can live comfortably if emotional needs are taken
care of and intellectual needs are not necessarily taken care of. But a human
being whose intellectual needs are taken care of but not the emotional needs,
one feels miserable. Craving for emotional fulfillment drives humans
instinctively and sometimes societal restrictions and expectations are ignored
in the fulfillment of emotions. Some cultivate platonic relationships for
emotional fulfillment. Even great intellectuals, who include scientists,
philosophers, authors, musicians, and the like, gave and give importance to
rewarding emotional tie-ups and bonds. Such rewarding relationships enhance
their creative abilities. Both men and women are contented in emotionally
fulfilling companionships. It is not wise to neglect or ignore emotional needs.
There is a possibility that such negligence leads to psychological problems in
men and women.
Emotions are basically animal natures.
Every living being, from minor organisms to humans, is sustained by emotional
bonds and instinctive affectionate concerns shown, shared, exhibited and
fulfilled. The emotion of mother towards the welfare and well-being of the
off-spring is instinctive. Instincts are not ruled by reason or logic. They
cannot be understood by intellectual probes and discussions. They are the
creations of the nature for survival of organisms. Though mother animal does
not take care of its off-spring after a period, it completely involves itself
in the upbringing of the off-spring in the initial stages. It teaches the
off-spring how to earn food, protect from predators, and in case of wild
animals like tigers, lions etc., how to hunt the prey and eat it.
Such care is involved in emotion.
Emotionless people are burden to themselves and their kith and kin, near and
dear. Emotion takes care of and concerns itself with the well-being of near and
dear. In the absence of show and share of emotions, human beings risk the
danger of being and becoming insane. Loving and affectionate words, deeds, and
the like preserve the psychological wellness and well-being of humans. It is
essential that emotions are shared and fulfilled. Intellectual exchanges, Meditations,
spiritual exercises, meta-scientific discussions are poor substitutes for love
and affection from near and dear. In the absence of giving and taking love and
affection, a million number of meditative techniques or commercial spiritual
gurus or intellectual discussions will not be beneficial and effective. In the
presence of fulfilling emotional tie-up, all these are not necessary. Love and
affection for Divinity, near and dear is essential requirement for emotional
fulfillment. It is always advisable to love ourselves, our selves and the
selves that reflect us for our emotional well-being.
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