COMPASSION, TOTAL DETACHMENT AND EGOISM

Compassion implies empathy. The capacity of a person to understand, feel and identify with another person's point of view. To put yourself in the shoes of the other person and view matters from their perspective. Compassion is also about kindness and respect for the feelings of other fellow-beings, human and otherwise. Our scriptures abound with narratives of the saathwick behaviour of kings, sages and ordinary mortals. All religions advocate compassion towards others and this goes a long way towards societal harmony. Most of the ills of Society can be traced back to a lack of understanding of the hardships and problems faced by our fellowmen. A helping hand at this juncture can heal much more than just a wound, physical or metaphorical, as it would change, irrevocably, the outlook of the recipient not to mention the mental satisfaction that it imparts to the benefactor. It will be very easy, and shortsighted, not to care about others, but, Man has always been a gregarious creature and mutual co-existence is always welcome. Situations are cyclic and positions tend to get reversed in the course of time. Do unto others as thou wouldst have others do unto you - as the Bible says.

Man, by nature, is possessive. Possessive, not as in a compulsive way but as in a way that there is reluctance to let go. All through life, Man goes about getting attached to material possessions, people and convictions that, at a certain stage, Man becomes a slave to attachment. And this leads to disappointments, disillusions and becoming despondent. Our scriptures, therefore, lay stress on total detachment from worldly things to ensure a happy and a contented life. Lead life like a water droplet on a lotus leaf is the analogy that is often quoted. Though the droplet stays on the leaf, it rolls off it without the slightest resistance and this is the quality that Man is advised to inculcate towards a harmonious life. It is the persistence of clinging on to possessions and people that is a major of discontentment and total detachment is the remedy. Detachment towards your loved ones also makes it easier for them to chart out and lead their own lives without feeling guilty or stifled.

Egoism is the feeling of I. Me. Mine. It is this Aham, as the ego is referred to in Sanskrit, that is the root cause for the attachment that has been spoken about. It is the clash of egos that is the root cause of interpersonal rifts and misunderstandings. It is this egoism - my possessions, my opinions, that causes the friction between persons, not permitting each other to concede to the other person's viewpoint in the mistaken impression that doing so would result in submission to the other's ego. Once a person is able to reach the level of emotional maturity, the capacity to view matters realistically and dispassionately comes automatically and this ensures that the ego does not unnecessarily play a part. To attain this frame of mind, our scriptures stress the fact that an individual's contribution to the Universe is so insignificant that it would be pompous to feel egoistic of one's achievements. A disciple once asked Sankaracharya, "I want peace". And the Sankaracharya replied, "Forget the first two words, 'I want', and the third word 'peace', will come by itself".

Compassion, Detachment and Egoism are interconnected and each has a bearing on the other two. Detachment comes from the absence of ego, as does compassion. Or, conversely, ego hampers detachment and, to a certain extent, compassion. Once the ego is curtailed, peace and contentment is assured.