Equanimity

Freedom from the pair of opposites is a phrase that resonates specifically through Indian philosophy. The most common opposites that are mentioned are Pleasure-Pain, Comfort-Discomfort, Victory-Defeat, Honor-Disgrace, Attachment-Aversion etc. AND, yes, to those who would contend that happiness IS a goal for humans, and to be indifferent to Joy and Sorrow is ceasing to really live, the reply is that the goal is Bliss in the form of Nirvana. Sort of like, if you had to give up the pleasure of drinking today in order to become the CEO tomorrow, what would you choose? (YOU could choose to drink. The point, as I have mentioned before, is that Philosophers guide you to what THEY think is the desirable goal.)

Try to understand what Tiru says, given this context...

Atremendru allaR padubavo petraemendru ombudhal thaetraa dhavar - Tirukkural

Would he who clung not to his wealth grieve if he lost it? - Loose Translation

Yeah, yeah, I can hear that jeering laugh. If you fail to cling to your wealth, obviously you are going to lose it to some Nigerian millionaire or digital arrest or some such. (These days, nobody considers the possibility that you may lose it because of your generosity. If I suggested it, I'd end up becoming the subject matter of memes.) Then what would be the point in grieving it?

Tiru, though, has other meanings for that 'clung not to his wealth'. What he means is that you have not made your wealth your identity; not made it the core of your self-respect; not surrounded yourself with only those who respect you for your wealth. In other words, if you had considered your wealth as merely a possession and not the core of your personality OR your social position, you'd not grieve the loss of your wealth.

Think of, say, an author or a composer or a painter or a sculptor...their art is their identity, not their wealth. AND, if such a person, embraced the act of creation as his identity and not the successes that come out of it...would losing wealth cause him grief?

Think, then, of wealth as a metaphor for anything external that earns you social position. Your official position, your professional popularity, whatever. As long as you keep that at arms length from your own sense of identity; as long as you can understand the difference between people who like and respect YOU and those who respect your POSITION and treat the latter as unimportant...THEN you can retire without feeling a vacuum; lose that popularity and still be happy.

THAT, then, is what Tiru means. True happiness lies within. To cling to what you get from the world leaves you open to the grief that inevitably follows when the world denies it to you.

Vanishing obstacles?

Sometimes, phlilosophers seem to attribute magical powers to character traits. It's as though they think that, say, perseverance is like a magic wand that can blaze a path to success; that politeness is a trick of mesmerism that will convert foes to friends; that...oh, well, I suppose you know all that. The fact that almost ALL philosophers do that leads you to think that there must be some method to this madness; some reason why it is done this way.

The thing is that, as I may have mentioned before in these annals, that there IS a certain element of exaggeration to philosophic advice. Like, for example, they seldom say that 'Hard work is ONE of the contributors to success'; they will always say 'Hard work is THE path to success'. THAT is not to say that they lie; they just know that you and I, given a list of traits that are needed for success, will see no harm in skipping a few of them if they seem too hard. We'd think that there is no harm in leaving out a couple when we are doing all the rest. Somehow, the thought that, though ONE of that list may not guarantee success, leaving out one of them can guarantee failure does not cross our minds. AND so, these wise men have to exaggerate every time.

So here Tiru goes...

VeLLath thanaiya idumbai arivudaiyaan uLLaththin uLLak kedum - Tirukkural

A tsunami of troubles vanish when a wise man resolutely assesses and faces them - Loose Translation

See what I mean? Miracles. You stand up to a tsunami of troubles and, presto, they vanish like the morning mist. Does that even seem credible?

Well, look at it this way. When troubles come at you from all fronts and you see them as a tsunami, you have put yourself in a state where you have already decided that they are insurmountable. So, you are not even seeking to find a solution for them. If, on the other hand, you face up to them with the resolution to solve them, you have ceased to see them as a tsunami and are rationally trying to analyse them and solve them. So, yes, in that sense, the tsunami has vanished leaving behind problem(s) to be sorted.

When you do analyze, you may find that there are multiple small problems to be sorted...not one giant tsunami which is drowning you. That leaves you with what you will see as several manageable issues that can be readily sorted. Which can relieve you of the stress that the 'tsunami' caused in your mind. Ergo, there never WAS a tsunami except what your own mind conceived.

AND, yes, there ARE times when what happens IS a tsunami. But facing it resolutely will ensure that you come through the other end without getting drowned. The tsunami would have vanished leaving you a stronger person in its wake.

THAT, then, makes it seem less like Tiru is promising miracles. He is only telling you that the easiest way to getting drowned in problems is to see them as a tsunami of obstacles. The best way to tackle them is to, first, APPROACH them as something to be tackled and not as a sea of troubles.

After all, there is such a thing as self-fulfilling prophecy.

'Motive' power?

The point of all philosophy is to motivate you in the right direction. (What is the right direction? The direction that the philosopher prefers, of course. I mean, really, do you expect a Karl Marx to teach you how to become a Warren Buffet?) Quite naturally, they have a very high opinion of motivation...as in, the importance of your being motivated to do what you set out OR what they push you to do.

And, thus, Tiru says...

Pariyadhu koornkottadhu aayinum yaanai verooum pulithaak kurin - Tirukkural

Despite its large body and sharp tusks, the elephant fears the attack of a tiger - Loose Translation

Despite its seeming advantages over a tiger in battle, the elephant fears the attack of the tiger because (and the because is implicit) the tiger is emboldened by its inner motivation (to eat? Yeah, that primarily). It is its motivation and, thus, its enthusiasm that makes it the stronger warrior than the seemingly invulnerable elephant.

In other words, if you can attack the obstacles in your route to success with unflagging enthusiasm, you will defeat them. No matter how insurmountable they appear when you first encounter them. And THAT unflagging enthusiam comes out of the strong motivation to reach your goals, no matter how difficult they seem at first. If, however, you slink away when you see the size of the elephant and the sharpness of its tusks...

So, you see, the extent of your motive power is determined by the power of your motivation.

Ship of destruction?

Like I keep lamenting, philosophers very seldom give pleasant advice. Much like dieticians. I mean, ever heard of a dietician tell you that the route to a size zero figure lies through a pastry shop? That gorging on cakes would help you to a slimmer future? Much like that, if you go to a philosopher hoping that he'd say that a 'eat, drink and be merry' lifestyle is the mantra for success, you are doomed to disappointment.

Tiru, unfortunately, is no exception. Here he says

Neduneer maravi madithuyil naangum keduneeraar kaamak kalan - Titukkural

Procrastination, forgetfulness, sloth and excessive sleep form the ship transporting those destined for ruin - Loose translation

You know, you actually can see why these habits will lead to destruction. To keep postponing vital jobs is a good way of inviting trouble on your head. To FORGET what needs doing is even worse...if a job done late creates problems, the same job not done at all could cause havoc. Laziness, the lack of any enthusiasm to do what needs doing...that ensures that the procrastination and the forgetfulness is not a one time aberration but a rule by which you lead your life. AND excessive sleep...well, if you have fewer waking hours, there is actually scant little that you can really do. Where is the time?

All these, though, are the outward manifestations of something that is lacking inside. A lack of enthusiasm, of inner motivation. I mean, let's get back to that dietician. IF, indeed, there existed such a dietician whose diet plan started with pastries...so you really see yourself procrastinating on starting that diet plan? The whole point about all this 'procrastination, forgetfulness, sloth and sleep' cycle IS the fact that you do not WANT to do what you NEED to do. Hence you postpone, thus you forget, therefore you avoid by laziness or sleep. The thing to do is to develop that enthusiasm...either for the job or for the fruits thereof.

What, then, if neither attracts you? Really? If neither attracts you, you'd not be hanging around here lamenting. You'd either be fast asleep or lolling in bed with a bowl of popcorn staring pop-eyed at the latest offering by Netflix. Get out of here.