STRESS EQUALITY AND NAMASMARAN: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

When we see inequality in the form utterly miserable living conditions on the one hand and extremely luxurious life style on the other; we almost instantly feel the need for equality.

This is so, especially if we are not used to, habituated to; or addicted to; luxurious life style or miserable poverty; because such addiction makes us callous and insensitive; or helpless and moribund; respectively!

The innate urge for equality is actually due to the humane feeling that we all (and not just few) should get food, shelter and other pleasures of life. This noble pursuit of equality is thus due to our high emotional quotient and being one with the aspirations of millions! The urge for equality is born out of our sensitivity; whether we belong to the class of luxurious life style, middle class or utter poverty and socio-economic exploitation.

Thus Gautam Buddha was a king; Karl Marx was born in middle class; while Dr. Ambedkar was born in socio-economically exploited class, but the revolutionary idea of equality was articulated by all three; as a vitally important value and was upheld by millions.

But the noble vision of Buddha, Karl Marx and Dr. Ambedkar; which we seemed to share once; are far from being realized. The aspirations of millions are still being throttled in the abysmal and miserable living conditions. Even as the slogan of “equality” has stayed in the forefront; it has hardly made any difference in the life of millions.

Why is this so?

Why have we failed to bring the dream of equality in reality?

Why do we still suffer from the STRESS of inhuman inequality, disparity and discrimination in and around?

Have we failed to understand the essence of the teachings of Buddha, Marx and Dr. Ambedkar?

Have we failed to rise above our subjectivity and pettiness and to help ourselves and our brothers in getting empowered?

Are we knowingly or unknowingly trapped in the semantics?

Are we playing with the words?

Are we indulging in slogan mongering for the sake of our petty gains and vested interests?

Are we shackled (and opted to be shackled) in illusory, sectarian and ineffective “solutions” such as favors, subsidies and reservations?

Have we knowingly or unknowingly; “misused” the slogan of “equality” for getting blind followers and building sociopolitical clouts; for our ulterior motives?

The answer is:
We have not understood, appreciated and internalized the spirit underlying the concept of equality. We have also not realized the immaculate and impeccable essence the element of complementarity inherent and integral to our dream of equality. Our sublime emotion associated with the urge of equality; is not enriched by the wisdom of appreciation of the complementarities; and has therefore remained naive and in restrictive shackle; that is hampering our blossoming!

We would continue to fail in absence of the wisdom of appreciating complementarity inherent to the concept of equality! In fact; if we go on insisting on unrealistic and impossible equality; it would indirectly and unknowingly help the spirit of exploitative inequality amongst us!

Insistence of mere superficial or external aspects of equality in terms of similar food, similar clothes, similar houses, and similar behavior is obviously fanatic and coercive! It throttles our blossoming of all species! This is because; the spirit of equality embodies complementarity and freedom of growth and blossoming of everyone! This spirit of equality gets jeopardized by insistence of superficial or external aspects of equality!

Let us see; how in the following instances; mere insistence of superficial or external aspects of equality; harms and does gross injustice!

An infant without teeth should get milk or other liquids, a grown up person with good teeth should get food that can chewed and eaten and an old person with dentures should get food that could be easily chewed with dentures.

The children should get toys and blessings, grown up people should get scope for fulfilling their creativity and productivity according to their aptitudes; and elderly should get rest, respect and opportunity to advise, pamper and bless the youngsters!

An ailing individual should get care and a healer should get freedom to deliver the care! A mother should get the freedom to breast feed and a new born to suckle!

We differ in our constitutions, capabilities, strengths and weaknesses and hence should have a provision for being groomed to fulfill our selves and contribute to the blossoming of society.

But apart from this ineffective and counterproductive fanatic and coercive insistence of superficial and external equality; many of us insist on more sophisticated equality of opportunity or material abundance. They feel that material abundance would nullify all the inequality and injustice.

This is also not true. If I am provided with all the abundance; without wisdom; then in all probability I am likely to misuse it to my own and others’ detriment.

Conversely; vain glory of spiritual equality; without consideration to material conditions; is certainly; a cruel mockery of the concept of equality. It blatantly supports and strengthens the spirit of exploitative inequality.

Thus, distributing pamphlets of “spiritual wisdom” to those amongst us who are “equally and uniformly starved”; or “are equally diseased” as in epidemics; is callous humiliation of the complementarity inherent to the true spirit of equality.

It is necessary to understand that equality in its true spirit is actually; commonality that runs through not only all human beings; but also through other species. Hence appreciation of this commonality is true spirit of equality; and most justifiably upholds with utmost intensity; the provision of everything that is required for the blossoming of all the individuals and the species!

This value of provision of everything for the total blossoming of one and all; is magnanimous, insuperable, invincible and essential. It helps everyone to ascend from; getting all the optimal material provisions; to the ultimate aspiration of realization of the eternal bliss.

Based on this holistic perspective; we can evolve and practice international policies, plans, programs, laws, conventions, national constitutions, local laws/rules essential for realizing the visions of Buddha, Marx and Dr. Ambedkar! This is Total Stress Management i.e. blossoming of one and all!

It is said by the saints; that; for the true equality to materialize; it is urgent and essential that; in addition to the billions of people practicing NAMASMARAN; many more billions; in every nook and corner of the world; have to practice NAMASMARAN; with far greater intensity and selflessness.