Happiness is a hot Gun

[Guest guest]

Few days ago i did post to Visti about the trip we are told that smiles will bring happiness.

 

Here i am posting an interesting article written by Sudhir Maharaja.

 

It seems that the disciples of the objective culture are trying hard to sell us

their imperfect songs.

 

I did put in bold some interesting words.

 

Best wishes

Natabara Das

******

He writes:

 

Generally people are inclined to think that by the power of positive thinking,

creative visualization, self-affirmation—‘I adore myself’, they will achieve

success in life and realize their potential. We are told, “Believe in

yourself,” “Just Do It!” etc. But if the reins of self-restraint are unbridled

in the name of self-discovery, how far will the horse-like senses go? An ad a

few years back unashamedly suggested the bottom line: “Total indulgence—zero

guilt.”

 

In a New York Times article titled, The Trouble with Self-Esteem, Psychologist

Lauren Slater writes: “We have long held in this country the Byronic belief

that human nature is essentially good or graceful, that behind the sheath of

skin is a little globe of glow to be harnessed for creative uses.”

 

This system of thought, humanism, has become the advertising campaign for a

self-centered existence. Which is fine I suppose, if you are the center of

existence. If however, you are not the center of existence, it could be

problematic, especially, when the waves of one’s self-interest collide with the

egocentric waves of others who conceive of themselves as the center of

existence.

 

“Self-esteem, as a construct, as a quasi religion,” observes Slater, “is woven

into a tradition that both defines and confines us as Americans. If we were to

deconstruct self-esteem, to question its value, we would be, in a sense,

questioning who we are, nationally and individually. We would be threatening

our self-esteem.”

 

Confining? Yes, because one of the unintended consequences of this ethos is the

inability to recognize value or greatness in others, either individually, or

collectively, as in other cultures: what to speak of greatness ad

infinitum—Divinity.

 

Slater continues: “It has not been much disputed, until recently, that high

self-esteem—defined quite simply as liking yourself a lot, holding a positive

opinion of your actions and capacities—is essential to well-being and that its

opposite is responsible for crime and substance abuse and prostitution and

murder and rape and even terrorism.

 

“This all makes so much sense that we have not thought to question it. The less

confidence you have, the worse you do; the more confidence you have, the better

you do; and so the luminous loop goes round." But recently researchers have

begun “to consider the unexpected notion that self-esteem is overrated and to

suggest that it may even be a culprit, not a cure.

 

“Last year alone there were three withering studies of self-esteem released in

the United States, all of which had the same central message: people with high

self-esteem pose a greater threat to those around them than people with low

self-esteem…

 

“The research is original and compelling and lays the groundwork for a new,

important kind of narrative about what makes life worth living—if we choose to

listen, which might be hard. One of this country's most central tenets, after

all, is the pursuit of happiness, which has been strangely joined to the

pursuit of self-worth. Shifting a paradigm is never easy."

 

For prejudices to lift, we must be prepared to radically alter our thinking if

we are to perceive something like humility in relation to empowerment and not

debilitation. And this is especially true when applied to spiritual

realization.

 

Establishing perspective is the foundation of spiritual life [sambandha jñana].

We must objectively assess our self, our life situation, and our potential for

relation with others including divinity, from our present position in the

environment. A realistic appraisal establishes comparative importance: The

relative position of the Absolute. Once this is known adjustments can be made.

To rephrase this argument spiritually: What should be the conscious finite’s

attitude in relation to the SuperConscious Infinite? Humility is a good

starting point.

 

We could say that humility is the spiritual temperature conducive to divine

revelation and the cessation of karmic activity. You are ready to work on

behalf of the Other as represented by His own.

 

Proximity to greatness instills feelings of humility. Standing atop Everest

one’s identity is eclipsed by rapture. If one becomes overwhelmed in

appreciation of the creative flow of another it is not necessarily indicative

of low self-esteem.