NAMA, NAMASMARAN AND TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (PART 3) DR SHRINIWAS J. KASHALIKAR
Student: This was apparently because; you were still superficial. You had not gone to the depths. Oh! Do you think I am also superficial at present?
Teacher: Don’t feel bad! But it is natural to be superficial initially!
It is only later; that I began to get disturbed by poverty; and other miseries in the society; born out of it; besides of course; my own needs and wants, which were increasing as I was growing. Hence there was growing urge to help others; apart from petty pursuits!
I began to study and follow wherever feasible; the teachings of different thinkers and visionaries; in different fields of life; in addition to the curricular texts; so as to improve myself.
Around this time I also came across NAMASMARAN. But it appeared gullible or callous to me; to simply advocate NAMASMARAN for every problem, instead of actively helping the suffering people! Hence I found that one of the simplest, easiest and practical things; to improve myself was to try and be charitable.
Student: You must have tried it!
Teacher: Yes! I did. But through my experiences and observations over years; I found; that even as charity was necessary; as an immediate rescue and relief activity; on the long term basis; it proved to be insufficient; and at best; a palliative symptomatic treatment. It could not be a radical treatment of the root cause.
Student: Can you clarify? At least apparently; the charity in any form; is a very noble activity. It has a healing effect. It gives solace to millions.
Teacher: I will clarify what I mean. Charity is always nobler; as and when compared with total inaction, self centeredness, petty selfishness, profiteering or meanness. Charity does help in emergency situations. It is extremely valuable as a rehabilitatory activity. Moreover; it is also important in terms of satisfying our own innate need to help others! Actually in absence of charity all of us get suffocated, though most often we are not aware of this deep rooted suffocation due to being cut off from our own conscience!
But the reason I felt unsatisfied with charity; was because; barring emergency situations; often it was found to be misused. It led to perpetuation of irresponsibility, dependency, lethargy and parasitic tendencies; in those who were beneficiaries and it developed condescending attitude, arrogance; and even cheating and unabated exploitative behavior in those who practiced charity. Through introspection I found that charity did not eliminate the evils within me; whether I was a helping person or a helped one!