You Are Beautiful When You Don't Hide

Acharya Prashant

7 min
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You Are Beautiful When You Don't Hide

Acharya Prashant: There was this man who was known for his hidden riches. And the entire city used to be envious of him. It was said that in his lockers there were huge bricks of pure gold; the man otherwise lived quite an average, almost pedestrian life.

He would say that, “It is very important to live with frugality and simplicity; I don’t want to be ostentatious. But obviously, I have a huge treasure.” And the entire city would accord and respect him. And his words were given a lot of weightage within the family. It was being seen that he appeared like living a fulfilling life.

When he was about to die, he called his son. The son said, “Father, now that you are about to depart, kindly hand over to me that prized treasure.” The father said, “Alright, yes of course!” So, he gave him the keys.

The son went to the vault, opened it and rushed back shouting and crying. He said, “Father, there has been a big theft, somebody has taken away all the gold and replaced it with ordinary bricks.” The father lay expressionless, motionless. The son said, “Father, do you know what? Your savings of an entire lifetime are gone; all we have there are these ordinary bricks. The father said, “What do you think, I don’t know? Obviously I have always known. Even my father knew!”

Now the son is perplexed. He said, “What do you mean? Is it being going on since generations?” Father said, “Now you too must know, that these are bricks of gold! It will help you lead a satisfied life, and you will get a lot. A lot of respect, consideration; you will be feared.”

Often we do not want to admit; often we have a stake in labelling the worthless as extremely worthy. Because, even worthless brings certain benefits, if labelled as worthy. You see how we are living? Deep within, we very well know that what we have is worthless. But, just labelling it worthy, brings us so many benefits. Imagine what would happen if one day, the father or the son really come out with the facts. The lenders and the debtors would both change their mind.

Somebody was about to lend them money; now he won’t lend them money anymore, now there is no collateral to offer. Somebody was about to return the money and settle the debt, would no more return the money. Because, now they are exposed as having no power.

No power to extract or collect. So the entire world of lies would come crashing down. Better than that, let’s continue with the story! If I admit in public that I really do not have anything; then even the standing that I have in the eyes of the public would be gone! So, it would be a double loss!

I have already admitted that I really have nothing. And that, which I have, really was other’s thought that I have something; that too would be gone! That was dependent on the golden bricks. Once it is exposed that the bricks are not golden, then all that which came to me because others assumed that I had golden bricks, too would be lost. So, the bricks continue!

What kind of life do you think that the father, and his father, and his father would have lived? Really satisfied? Or all the time, worried and wondering? Tell me. They have a secret; they must keep it under wraps.

You have something of which you cannot talk even to your own son, what kind of life is that? Even to your own son, you can talk of it only at the moment of departure. Otherwise you cannot talk, because, even the son would stop valuing you! And the son says, “I have a rich dad.” So, he is prepared to listen to you! Had you told him that you only have a miniature piece of real estate material in your locker, what kind of respect would he give you? May be he would bang your head with the same brick! Please, face this so called shame! Please, pass through it! Kindly admit!

We have a great sense of pretending. Our pretenses know no end. Don’t you see how it becomes even more important in front of others to show that you and your husband have the most romantic relationship?

Especially if it’s your friends from your college days. In front of them you must show that you have the wife of their dreams! And she will cooperate! She will say, “Jaanu, you have this cut on your forehead. Here is this lotion, kindly apply.” And then, a small kiss on the forehead! Only you and the wife know how you got the cut!

We must live up to the ideal of the happy couple, right? Even photographers know how to click couples. They know what a happy couple should look like; what is the normal version of the happy couple. True or not? Tell me? Have you not been to weddings?

Listener: They are supposed to smile!

Acharya Prashant: The happy couple must keep smiling. What if that exposes your missing tooth?

Honesty means not acting like the kid who doesn’t want to show his report-card to his parents. “I am so ashamed; how do I show where I stand? I know where I stand; but I cannot show.” Honesty is just about showing that you are anyway knowing. Showing later on to others, first of all to yourself. Our suppressions are so deep that forget about admitting to others; we don’t even admit to ourselves.

And that is why when you are with me, and I ask you to write reflections, newcomers face a huge block. How do I admit what is going on in my mind? Reflections involve simply writing down what is going on, those who have freshly arrived, find that very difficult.

“How do I admit? I have been wearing this smile, how to I write of the sobs within? How? I have been pretending to be one modern cosmopolitan educated and liberated girl. How do I admit what kind of relationship I have with my parents, what kind of perpetual fears I live in, how do I admit?”

“What will happen to the mask of this cool emancipated girl? What will happen? What will happen to all my fluent English? What will happen to the accents that I wear?”

“I talk about everything under the Sun, I have an opinion on the Russian president, I have an opinion on the refugee crisis. I can sit at the United Nations and take care of all the world problems.”

“How do I tell them that I have no voice in front of authority? How do I tell them that if I do not return home by two minutes past ten, I start getting palpitations, because somebody else is having palpitations?”

We are desperately clutching to something, all of us. We don’t want to lose it. You are mortally afraid. Faith is about being able to relax your grip. Kindly don’t be so afraid dear kid, you are, you will be, even without that which you consider so very important. In fact, letting it go will only leave you lighter, freer and more beautiful. Don’t hide, don’t be ashamed, have faith!

This article has been created by volunteers of the PrashantAdvait Foundation from transcriptions of sessions by Acharya Prashant
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