How to deal with limitations of those around you? || Acharya Prashant (2013)
Acharya Prashant: Shweta is saying we all are limited and we may have this interaction here but as I move into the world, the so-called real world. I only encounter limitations.
The help that we are talking of, is not always forthcoming. But then Shweta, why do I need to be dependent upon somebody else. We have said life itself is the biggest help.
Life itself is the biggest help.
Others are limited but it depends upon you, whether you allow others limitations to become your own limitations. We might be living in the world of the blinds but that does not mean that we too close our eyes. Yes, of course, there is great pressure upon us to do that.
You know there is a story. There was a village. And that village had only one well from where everyone drew water. Someone came, some mischievous fellow came and put a poisonous drug in that water and now that water became such, whosoever will drink it will go mad. Everybody in the village drank that water except for one man he looked at the people around, he looked at their insanity and he understood that drinking this water would make me insane. He said I will not drink this water.
But now everybody around him was made! Just as now you said Shweta, everybody around you is limited. All of the mad people would say, that we are fine and they made a society of normal people and of course, all these so-called normal people were mad. And this society declares there is only one mad person in the village and who is he? The fellow who did not drink the water and who was not mad.
Now, this sane fellow started facing a lot of difficulties because wherever he would go, all other madmen would treat him with disrespect and Life became very difficult for him. Life became very very difficult for him. What was the way remain in front of him? Yes…To himself drink the water. So one fine day he decided.
He said if I want to live then I have to become like them, mad. Because only a madman can survive in the society of madman. He said let me also become mad only then I can survive. So he decided that I will go the well and drink that water and become one like them.
So in the morning, he goes to that well. He draws water out and just as he was about to drink that water, the sun rises. It’s an early morning time, sunrises. The first rays of the sun illuminate the sky. It’s a beautiful morning. And he sees few birds flying away and something strikes him. He throws away the water and runs away from that village. Runs away never to return, runs away never to come back.
Tell me, what did he see? Why did he run away?
He ran away because he saw that existence has not imposed any limitations upon me. The sky is open and vast . The rays of the sun after everybody. And look at these innocent birds. How an entire sky belongs to them. They are not limited to one village. They have not said, Oh, we are bound to live in a society of mad people because it happens to be my society. It happens to be my family members. Then that sky is open for them. They fly away.
And that is why they are so happy and joyful . He throws away the water and he flies away. He runs away. And that helps him retain his sanity. We talked of life and its openness to help us at every time. The sun is prepared to help you. The sky is prepared to help you. The birds are prepared to help you. But are you prepared to get the help?
Everything is giving you a message but are you listening to that message? Life is an open book but are your eyes open to read it?
Yes, the world is limited. But then you choose your own world. What would be the society of terrorist to be liked? Would you find monks in the society of a terrorist? What would you find? Who would he sit with? Who would he drink and eat with? Yes, other terrorists, that is his world.
If you are a terrorist your world will be full of terrorist. If you are a monk your world will be full of monks. You change. Your world will change.
When you are prepared to fly you will find that the world is full of other free beings. But for that, you will have to first discover your own freedom .
The world is not full of only limited beings. There is not one world, there are multiple and multiple worlds. You choose which world do you want to live in and that choice depends on who you’ are. What your`self-concept’ is.
Are you getting it? Shweta.
Understand and change your self-concept. You are free. All your limitations are self-created. Imaginary. Just mental. Get rid of them.
Right?
