Karma Yog – 5 : Every rock is not a Diamond. Find the diamond….

So, in continuing the notes on Karma Yoga, here comes the crux…the individuality.

We have been told that “EGO” is wrong and just suppress it or throw it out of the window…

The question is, is EGO (as in ARROGANCE), is it bad? The answer is YES. 

But the bigger question is, can one live without EGO? is it really possible not to have this component in our personality? The answer is NO.

This component known as ‘INDIVIDUALITY = SENSE OF SELF’ is as such very much needed even for spiritual growth through karma yoga.   

This ‘INDIVIDUALITY’, when it “grows oversized and gets out of head”, is bad and harmful. Visualize a person carrying a huge heavy “I” shaped rock boulder on his head while climbing the hill….he may it as his ‘social strength of power’ or ‘weight’ or his ‘achievements’….but, this heavy rock can crush him down and will also obstruct him in scaling heights…Carrying this boulder is a blunder.

But, the same energy of ‘INDIVIDUALITY’ in the form of a sense of self and respect for one’s consciousness, is contained in the heart as a ‘sense of self-esteem’, which is needed for us to be on the RIGHT PATH… It is this right individuality / self-esteem, which is like a ‘shining’ priceless diamond in the heart guiding on a growth path while preventing us from getting lost in the darkness of materialism, immorality, and general hopeless directionlessness.

Let’s know the difference between NOT NEEDED arrogance (“I” shaped heavy rock boulder we carry over our head) and MUCH NEEDED sense of self with right self-esteem (as a shining guiding diamond in the heart). 

Arrogance is the Art of Being perpetually suffering because of expectations, while Self-Esteem is the guiding light to bliss and freedom based on acceptance. 

Arrogance makes one deluded as if one is the center of the universe and dictates what everybody should do, while Self-Esteem sees oneself as a cog in the wheel and values one’s place and position respectfully while appreciating larger universal laws.

Arrogance makes one suffer from Narcissistic Blindness, while Self-Esteem opens visions through awareness.

Arrogance is a fault-finding Champion who feels superior by bullying, blaming, and belittling others and draws energy from conflicts, while Self-Esteem nurtures oneself and others through value-based empowerment and draws energy from synergic convergence and smoothens things.

Arrogance promotes lop-sided views/ rigidity of ‘my way or highway’ and promotes manipulative cunningness under the banner of practicality and smartness, while Self-Esteem views and says things objectively, and simply and strives for doing and saying what is right and discharging one’s duties with morality and fairness.

Arrogance says information is knowledge and controlling others is growth, while Self-Esteem grows higher by experiencing the essence of information, and feels larger by being aligned as a part of universal reality rather than controlling anybody or anything.

So if one objectively evaluates, the final technique of self-help through karma yoga is to find this diamond of “self-esteem” within the heart (become aware) rather than (rigidly remaining ignorant ) and getting crushed under the heavy rock of “I-sense-arrogance”. This will help us to find our place and position, understand that we can act and can’t control the outcome, and in turn, do our best, refrain from shortcuts and frustrating expectations… that is the practice of karma yoga…

With a big fat “I” rock on the head, one is a bhogi (sufferer) or rogi (diseased) ..but with a sweetly illuminating diamond in one’s heart, one is a yogi… a karma yogi…

-end of notes on karma yoga- enough of theory…😊 will deal with the next path from Bhagwadgita on the next page…