EQUANIMITY
Our
world view undergoes changes depending on several factors. In an agreeable
climate, it is more positive. When we have no worries, we look at the world
more generously. Grief clouds our perception. Thus, we vacillate in our
opinions based on external and internal conditions. The conditions are:
State
of weather: cold and heat
Result
of action: success and failure
State
of mind: happiness and sorrow.
Obviously,
the world is virtually the same, but our views alternate. If there is an
objective view, it eludes us. This calls for being on guard and taking a
balanced view.
But
for a handful, being unaffected at all by the above conditions is impossible. A
balanced view lets us adjust quickly with minimum collateral damage. Being stoic
in all situations is neither feasible nor may be appropriate. Arjuna is as
affected by sorrow as any ordinary individual when he loses his son,
notwithstanding being the first person to be taught Gita. But, he quickly turns
his attention to the next step in war. The idea of inserting Gita in the midst
of a story is to draw proper practical lessons.
The
message of Gita is moderation and action.
Richter
(from a book of quotations): Only actions give life its strength, as only
moderation gives it its charm.
October 26, 2014 ·
Hawking: Quiet people have the loudest minds.
My reaction:
Quietude of mind is a debatable point. Is Hawking's mind quiet? It is not. We say it is logical. Is it a logical mind that comprehends the truth? Science will be affirmative on this. But, the matter may not rest there. It assumes, without any authority, that logic is the holistic way to truth and that human mind has conquered its frontiers. Even a layman can see that there are things that lie outside mere logic, that engage our attention and point to the truth. Now, is a silent man the most turbulent within himself, granted he is not an idiot? We have instances of people who chose to talk selectively and have not exhibited any symptom of a raging mind. The quietness of such minds, I would presume, does not relate to total absence of noise (thought), but it does not feed on the fodder others relish. Of course, I have far less insight to anyone else's mind than what I am ready to cede to Hawking, but notwithstanding his genius, his experience with people whose silence instructed other minds perhaps like a laser beam cuts cataract, must be zero. Even if he had such experience, he is no authority on others' minds. A catchy saying may not necessarily be true.
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