What are you worth?

Gauracandra · January 25, 2004

[Voiceover] What are you worth? Are you handsome, strong, sexy? Do you have a prestigious degree? Are you young, attractive, cool? Do people look up to you? In our modern materialistic society a person’s value is based on their ability to engage in material acquisition. In this episode, Srila Siddhaswarupananda discusses the real value of each of us.

Srila Siddhaswarupananda: Who in this room can identify with what we were talking about in the first part of this lecture? Anyone? Ok, Pete. Where’s the microphone. Ok, Pete, you’re a college graduate and all you do is surf [laughter]

Audience Member [Pete] – I have a college degree in biology but can’t make a great living with it.

Srila Siddhaswarupananda: Why did you study all of those bugs and amoebas if you can’t make money? You could go into genetic engineering and make lots of money. Sit down, you’re a loser [laughter]

Anyone else?

Audience Member [Female] – Oh, my story. I’m an amputee. People will look at my missing foot and ask “Are you ok?” Like I’m 3/4th of a person.

Srila Siddhaswarupananda: Who are you? Are you an amputee? It’s a mechanistic philosophy that you are a machine. So since you are missing part of your body, you are an incomplete person.

Let’s here some more stories. Anyone else?

You, you sit down. You’re successful. We want losers.

Anyone else?

Audience Member [Female] – In high school I got good grades and my parents thought I’d do really well. But then I got married and had a baby. Now my parents are always asking if I have any money.

Srila Siddhaswarupananda: Oh, you’re a malfunctioning daughter.

When I was a kid there was a show called “Queen for a day”. It was a contest to get the person who was the lowest in value. Then the audience would cheer “I hope she wins. Then she’ll have self-esteem.” But it only lasts for one day.

No winners here? From the other angle? Lets hear the story.

Audience Member [Female] – I barely made it through high school. Now I’m a nutritionist and am doing well. I have 4 great children, and have been married for years.

Srila Siddhaswarupananda: So who thinks you are a success?

Audience Member [Female] – I guess I do.

Srila Siddhaswarupananda: You’re an outstanding member of the community. What are you doing here? Did you walk into the wrong room? [laughter] This show is only for losers. [laughter]

You can be a success. You may think you are a big lawyer, or a successful actor. But this is not your real identity. This may give you some feeling of value but it pales in comparison to the value you’ll really feel when you realize you are not your body. There is no big problem in feeling valuable. But ultimately it is insignificant when put in perspective.

Everyone knows they are trying to conjure up an image. They are trying to project a certain image. But you know your limits, you can’t control everything.

Even for those who are successful, all this false pride. “I’m a good man. I please society”. Such people are headed for a breakdown. Maybe it won’t come till the time of death, when all that stuff goes out the window. What do you mean you’re a lawyer? You body is dead, and the false identity leaves with you.

If you don’t know your real value as an eternal spirit soul, this will all leave you. I’m eternal not temporary.

You will experience humbleness. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said you can experience the highest bliss by chanting the Holy Name and feeling lower than straw in the street. Never expecting or desiring respect. Then you link up in union with the Supreme Lord. This is more happiness than sensual pleasure, mystic powers, or merging into the Brahman.

Don’t be hung up on a lack of bodily successes. “I’m so ugly” This is not humility. Humbleness in ignorance is of no value. Humility must be in knowledge, spiritual humility. The humbleness being referred to is based on the wisdom that you are spirit not matter. You are eternal. No one can cut you, or burn you.

You are a child of God. You can’t be moaning and groaning. This is not humility. Humbleness is based on wisdom. It is combined in knowing I’m a spark in this material world with no love for God. I’m still caught by lust, greed, no love and no shelter. Therefore I fall down and cry out “My dear Lord, please give me shelter. I only have shelter in you.” You crawl on the ground with straw in your teeth asking the Lord to please accept you as His servant.

With the greatest self-esteem simultaneously he experiences great humility. He feels he has no love for God and no love for others. This is one who is spiritually perfect. So we’ll leave it there.