Know thy self?

If only I had a penny for every time some guru of success talks of 'Know Thy Self', I'd probably not need them...other than to tell me 'Know Thy Self' and adding a penny to my vast coffers. I mean, I rank this 'Know Thy Self' alongside 'Don't think of mangos'. Advice someone to do the impossible in order to achieve whatever and you can maintain your status as a guru indefinitely. After all, your advice would have made him the next Warren Buffet if only he could have avoided thinking of mangos or known himself or whatever.

I mean, come on! I cannot even tell you confidently that I had THIS haircut because I love my head half-shaved and NOT because of peer pressure alone. (Not ME you literal a******. Everyone knows that I need no barber's help to have a half-shaven head; So what if it is the wrong half for today's fashion?) AND you expect me to know things about myself that even my mom probably does not know.

And, yet, Tiru also wants the same. So, yeah, he is promising me that nothing will be impossible for me IF...I can achieve the impossible first and know my own self!

Olvadharivadhu arindhadhan kann thangich chelvaarkku selladhadhu il - Tirukkural

If someone, knowing what he can do and also the knowledge and tools needed to do that job, attempts diligently, there is nothing he cannot achieve - Loose Translation

Now, actually Tiru is not promising the impossible. I mean, yeah, he is promising that you will not fail at what you do but that comes with a precondition...that you will not attempt anything for which you lack the ability/power to do. So, within the limits of what you CAN do, nothing is impossible for you.

Which, yes, brings us to the first condition - that you should KNOW what your limits are. You may find some limits easy to identify - if you are a visual dud, you are hardly likely to think of yourself as the next Picasso or whatever. If you are tone-deaf, you do not aspire to the seat of Mozart.

The problem comes when you can do a bit of it. As in, if you are good enough as a bathroom singer, can you recognize that THAT is where your talent ends? That Hariharan or Sonu Nigam is not in danger of losing his place? Or recognize that a talent at fluently writing "In reply to..." may not suffice to win you the Booker Prize? I mean, you MAY not have sufficient talent OR, perhaps, it is just a matter of persistently honing it so that you can scale those heights. How are you to KNOW?

The second condition - of knowing what knowledge and tools are needed for the job AND the implicit statement that you need to acquire them - IS not merely doable but essential. I mean, it is all OK to sleep and dream of a princess falling into your lap and the king gifting you his kingdom but try PLANNING to have all that happen and you will either make it possible OR you will shift to more realistic dreams.

AND, yes, once you set out you need to have the patience, the diligence and the courage to persist with it despite the inevitable setbacks. Without all that, you will still not be sure of success.

But, yeah, it ALL starts with the impossible - KNOW THY SELF.

Crime and Punishment?

It's a funny thing about punishing crime and/or mistakes. Invariably, the one on the receiving end of the crime wants revenge. (AND if anyone is mealymouthed enough to say 'Oooh! THAT's bad. You ought not to seek revenge' it normally is someone who has not been a victim of a crime OR a victim of THAT crime) What of mistakes, then? Well, if you have had to suffer consequences arising out of that mistake, like your boss tearing strips off your favorite skin because of your subordinate mucking up the addition of two and two, it is inevitable that you would want to tear strips off your subordinate's skin in return. AND, yet, as I have parenthetically indicated earlier, there are virtue signalers who could go so far as to consider ANY punishment as vengeance-seeking.

Tiru, though, does not side them. Not in toto, that is.

Thakkaangu naadi thalaicchellaa vannatthaal otthaangu oruppadhu vendhu - Thirukkural

Only he, who neutrally judges a crime and metes appropriate punishment to ensure that the crime is nor repeated, is a fit leader - Loose translation

Yeah, yeah, Tiru said 'King' not 'Leader' but the fact is that, if he were around today, he would not pop up and scream that he meant it only for King Charles and not for Joe Biden OR Elon Musk or whoever. So, there! (In fact, he MAY probably say that he meant it more for Rishi Sunak and NOT for King Charles!)

The thing about both crime and mistakes is that, unless there are negative consequences, they tend to be repeated. After all, even with the Commandments, we are a species that say that the most important commandment is the Eleventh: 'Thou shalt not get caught'. Which, in effect, means that we fear not the sin, only the consequences. AND, thus, if you would drive behavior in desirable channels then you necessarily need to visit consequences upon those who commit undesirable acts.

The point also is that the punishment should be proportionate. Disproportionate punishment will not have desirable consequences. I mean, if someone steals a million dollars and your punishment is going to be 3 months community service, do you really feel that it will stop such crimes? On the other hand, if someone is caught in a minor traffic violation and the punishment is seven years hard labor, what do you think will happen to the automobile sales in that country? Would you get drivers for the public transport?

As would be the case in a company. Excessive punishment would lead to an exodus of employees; too lenient a punishment would lead to an inefficient operation.

Punishment is a form of feedback. Treat it as such and you'll know to measure it out appropriately. Give in to either your impulse to get your own back OR to think that ALL punishment is revenge, and you'll get a malfunctioning community.

Leads on to Good Fortune?

When it comes to destiny, people have all sorts of beliefs. Some believe that there is no such thing and everything that comes to you comes because of your own efforts. Others believe that you get only what you are destined to get and, thus, there is no point in your exerting yourself. Most of us, though, tend to shelve our belief in destiny for the once-in-a-lifetime type of things - a great spouse, ending up rich and famous etc. - but, on then day-to-day affairs you tend to place your belief in your efforts. Except, of course, to blame destiny when you fail to get that promotion or that bonus or...well, stuff like that.

But, Tiru...now, HE has his own take on destiny that does not vibe with that of mango people.

Aakoozhaal thondrum asaivinmai kaipporul pokoozhaal thyondrum madi - Tirukkural

The destiny to acquire wealth brings the power for untiring efforts; the destiny to lose wealth brings laziness - Loose Translation

Now THAT is a new twist on the tale. You cannot rest easy in the belief that your destiny will bring you success. According to Tiru, as long as you are inclined to rest easy, your destiny is to LOSE wealth and NOT to gain it. The moment your destiny changes to one of bringing you wealth, you shall spring and dash about hither and yon in the pursuit of wealth. So, there.

And, of course, you cannot say that there is no destiny, ONLY your effort. By Tiru's dictum, the very fact you are putting in efforts or not putting in efforts IS the working of destiny. When I used to think of this 'only my effort' school of thought, I was more put off it by the fact that, quite often, there are circumstances that mess you up...like, say, you invest your all in a travel start-up and Covid strikes within the month...things like that. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever consider the idea that my inclination to effort itself can be laid at the feet of destiny!

But, then, that IS also, in a way, one of those circumstances, isn't it? That you feel down in the dumps at times, upbeat at others. That if there is no positive feedback, someone to pick you up when you hit an emotional low, you could well stop dreaming and go looking for a stable mundane life? So, yeah, Tiru is not really positing something airy-fairy.

Me? Oh well, you see, I am lazing around because what can I do? My destiny has made me that way!

Worthy Success?

Whatever it is that you want out of life, the philosophers will tie it right back to your character. Irritating though it is to discover that they have no convenient instruction manual that helps you achieve success, say, in six easy steps, it is difficult to fault them for it. I mean, even if you DID have those six easy steps to success, it IS your character that will help you DO what is needed in those six steps. So, yeah, sad though it is to acknowledge, character sort of matters.

Tiru has his own list of characteristics that are required. In this Kural, it is not so much about what is needed to get success but what is needed to make it worthy.

Serukkunj Sinamum sirumaiyum illaar perukkam perumidha neertthu - Tirukkural

The success of only he, who lacks arrogance, anger and low desire, is considered of great worth - Loose Translation.

Well, well, well! I mean, really, what is the use of success then? Do you not chase success so that you can lord it over others? So that you have no need to rein in your temper now that the other guy cannot cause you harm? Because you can satisfy your every desire? Or does Tiru define success like these sages do...the only worthwhile success is in realizing the Almighty or some such?

Or, perhaps, it is just that he is worried about whether other people will consider you are worthy of respect. If you throw your weight around and indulge in all your desires, you will lose the respect of those around you and, thus, your success will be hollow. THAT, perhaps, though it is also a fact that the very fact of your being successful will cause people to start questioning your worth. Which is why, from the day after someone is declared an idol, people start hunting for clay in his feet.

All that, really, is twisting and turning to avoid the need to change your character! Yes, it is true that there WILL be people who will hate your success...but it is not for them that you need to not let success go to your head. It is for those who you care for and those who care for you...it is THEY who you can alienate, lose and never find again if you allow your success to make you arrogant, intemperate and hedonistic.

AND then, there IS this problem. For, as long as you keep throwing your weight around, you are also aware that, given a chance, those around you would want to turn the tables on you. Success, then, seems more like riding a tiger. You live in fear of being thrown off and getting mauled. Does that seem of great worth, then?

You know, these guys like Tiru...they make everything seem so difficult. Difficult to succeed, difficult to keep your success, need to control behavior no matter what your status...yuck! Hardly worth being alive, I tell you!