Is a Value driven life Possible?
If I adhere to my values and principles, then there are times when I lose because others don’t seem to have any scruples at all. How will I win in this manner? Are values that important? Or is winning more important?
This is a daily dilemma many people live with today. Consequently, We are witnessing a rapid decline of values and this has become a vicious cycle of ever falling values and morality.
What shall One do?
Krishna put it very elegantly in Mahabharat where during the war he asked Yudhishtir to lie in order to kill Dronacharya. When questioned about morality, Krishna replied that you lie when you have either fear or greed or lust. The sacrifice of value for the sake of winning is always rooted in fear, greed or lust.
Deprived of these 3, you will never have a loss of values or moralities. You will do what is required to be done in order to get the right result for the larger good.
There are many who are Unaware. They suffer endlessly and have little hope of overcoming their suffering till they start becoming aware.
The biggest Value is awareness. Once we are aware that we function out of fear, greed or lust, we can choose. Unaware, we remain compulsive.
Once you are aware but cannot overcome your compulsiveness, you suffer even more. I know of many people who are aware that they have fear of heights. They are aware. Now they suffer their awareness. They become fearful even at the thought of heights. I met some aware people who knew that they get angry and that their anger is uncontrollable. They warn everyone around them of their anger. Then there was this person who knew fully well that he is attracted to other women and ends up cheating on whoever he is committed to. But his helplessness makes him suffer even more.
Compulsiveness leads to downfall. Drop the Compulsiveness of fear, greed, and lust and there shall be no dilemma!! The Biggest Virtue is the act of overcoming Compulsiveness. It is also called as Consciousness. Once I know that I have a fear of heights, I now need to overcome it. If I know that I compulsively lie, then I need to overcome it.
Those who live in such a dilemma only need to understand that it is their fear, greed or lust that is the root cause of their situation. Once resolved, there is only clarity. Yudhishtir lied if he was obsessive about winning. Yudhishtir did not lie if he was free of his obsessions because then he dealt with a strategy with a strategy.
Remove your dilemmas. Life is a living hell when lived in doubt. Have amazingly clear Life friends. I wish clarity for you all.
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Greed,fear,lust. All 3 can diiminished,depending on which of 3 are the biggest issues in one
PermalinkLust self-destructive to family life, and thus self. Needs strength from within. Or if sexaholics, then med treatment.
Fear then be of heights, claustrophobic, etc etc. Again needs inner strength and meditation, calmness during procedures or behind in divine/or in ones Guru
Greed has many faces. Immorality above excellence in product. Going against commitments and business ethic in business issues, against long term view of maintains good will. All harmful in long term.
All can be curbed, reduced slowly to reach goal. No need of any of the above to reach perfect set of values.
AWARENESS is set it it anything on the correction path. Next compassion, kindness and gentleness
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Hello Sir,
When we talk of values, we usually choose some and ‘brand’ ourselves accordingly. I think in the process we forget why we chose a certain value in that point of time. Taking another example from Mahabharat – Bhishma took a vow to serve the king of Hastinapur at all costs. However he got so engrossed in living that value that he lost the whole purpose of why he chose that value – to enable king to serve the people of kingdom better. So inspite of knowing he is not doing the right thing, he chose to follow his value, which ultimately led to downfall of Kauravas.
As per my experience, if we are conscious about the value we are living by and the real purpose behind that, we would be able to do the right thing to get the right results. However this requires amazing amount of clarity in ourselves, for which our practices are a must..
Thanks again for beautiful sharing 🙂
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