Human beings try to solve psychological problems through analysis from within the content of the mind produced by several avenues of conditioning. This introduces serious limitations on the outcome. That is how the psychiatrists who try to solve the problems of their patients fall prey to similar psychological problems of their own! This does not mean that psychiatry is useless but that it is limited and cannot lead to progressive peace of mind through non-verbal insight into ourselves. The aphorism ‘Know thyself’ implies an inward awareness that goes beyond verbal analysis. Socrates is reported to have pointed out that the intended nature of the saying lay not in the words but in the self-reflection and self-referencing of the person thereof. Some esoteric questions can help us as catalysts in our taking the inward journey and bringing about the non-verbal clarity towards ‘Know thyself’. That clarity is a matter of inner transformation and not a result of accumulating knowledge. J. Krishnamurti asks this question: Can we be far away from this world and yet live in it? In short, it means that, while fulfilling our responsibilities, can we remain free of the society’s ways pushing us into mental turbulence. There are our demands for name and fame as also attachment to conclusions. There is the tendency to belong to a group, religious or otherwise, and develop the associated fanaticism. Getting involved in political and social controversies is one of the sure ways of letting the society in. The tendency to participate in social mud-slinging is yet another poison. Emotional attachment to people, things or ideas is a sure factor. ‘Know thyself’ is a matter of understanding how our minds get trapped into the psychological fabric of society by the above causes.
Imagine as follows: The left hand is put out with the palm facing the front and its fingers spread out. Let the right palm clasp the left palm from behind, by inserting its fingers. Now, in that situation, if the right palm tries to release itself from the left palm, it won’t be possible. We ask: Is this due to the left palm’s obstruction or the right palm’s clasping? The moment the right palm spreads its fingers, it can release itself even though the left palm remains unchanged. The meaning of this metaphor is clear when we see the left palm as the world condition (the society) and the right palm as our mental stance. We see then that the world may remain what it is but we can be free of it by bringing about a transformation in our minds.
The above should not be taken to mean that we become insensitive to the world. We can fulfill our responsibilities to the society, to the family and to oneself while not letting in the poison of society. In fact, we would only discharge those responsibilities better because of a calm and composed mind, unaffected by social turbulence. Learning how to do this arises out of the understanding as to how the self-importance and other aspects of habitual neurology cause the threading of ourselves into the mental fabric of society.
Living on the earth with the inner freedom mentioned above, we can appreciate Nature better as also the cosmological context in which we live. This means we can live on earth enjoying its beauty but far away from it in terms of freedom from the poison of society.
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