Weapons Of Self-Destruction

Ganesh Pai explains how the ego, anger, and fear can sabotage our life and the world at large and why we need to triumph over them

- Ganesh Pai

Gently walking past a few short trees with leaves touching my face, I sat on the steps overlooking a quiet pool. Setting aside dry leaves lying around those steps, I was beginning to immerse in tranquillity. It was post-lunch free time in my spiritual retreat, where we would stroll around the resort to explore the greenery in all its abundance. Sitting there, I was observing a thought parade in my mind. That is the beauty of free time post the sessions. My guru, Mahatria, calls it ‘seep-in time,’ and rightly so. When learning meets our prior experience, profound wisdom emerges from this confluence. It was as if I was mimicking a stone statue of a man deep in thought right in front of me near the pool. I was experiencing one realisation after another, till the most profound one surfaced: it is easy to change the world but difficult to change myself.

The paradox that is man

Man is a mystery unto himself. He knows smoking is dangerous but still indulges in it. He is aware of the benefits of healthy living but still cannot embrace them. He wants to experience silence but still cannot make time for meditation. The problem is not ‘out there.’ It is ‘right within.’ I started dwelling a bit more and pushed myself to think of those negative emotions severely shrinking our potential. Why is it so difficult to change ourselves? How can we conquer these one at a time? Let us make a start.

Ego