Vivekananda Mailing List-1/31/03

[Guest guest]

This world is like a dog's curly tail, and people have been striving to

straighten it out for hundreds of years; but when they let it go, it

has curled up again. How could it be otherwise? One must first know how

to work without attachment, then one will not be a fanatic. When we

know that this world is like a dog's curly tail and will never get

straightened, we shall not become fanatics. If there were no fanaticism

in the world, it would make much more progress than it does now. It is

a mistake to think that fanaticism can make for the progress of

mankind. On the contrary, it is a retarding element creating hatred and

anger, and causing people to fight each other, and making them

unsympathetic. We think that whatever we do or possess is the best in

the world, and what we do not do or possess is of no value. So, always

remember the instance of the curly tail of the dog whenever you have a

tendency to become a fanatic.