Your money is my money?

There are these times when a philosopher's advice seems so attractive to you merely because it allows you to interpret it to suit yourself. The true meaning of what he said may actually be unpalatable to you but who cares about true meanings? It is enough that you can quote the guy to support your own point.

Thus, when Tiru says this...

Vaanigam seyvaarkku vaanigam penip piravum thamapol seyin - Tirukkural

To deal with other people's things/money with the same care as for your own is the mark of a good merchant - Loose Translation

You see, as usual, some things are only implicit in the Kural. Like, this can be translated as  'To deal with other people's things like your own..' which seems like an open invitation to treat the things or money entrusted to you as your own. Whereas, what Tiru actually wants you to do is to live up to the trust by expending the same effort to safeguard and grow it as you would with your own.

Like, if you are entrusted with the job of selling a friend's house, you are not expected to sell it and keep the proceeds. Nor are you supposed to sell at less than market and split the difference with the buyer to line your pockets. Nor are you expected to sell it at rockbottom prices just to be rid of the job. This, then, is what he means by 'treating as your own' which is a far cry from the meanings that will have you cartwheeling down the streets in joy. But, then, to be considered a 'good' merchant is tough, no? 

Oh, the whole problem is that the definition of a 'good merchant' has changed radically. I mean, just think of a guy who actually does not maximise his profits! Could he be a good merchant? But you will probably align with Tiru if you think of who is a 'good merchant' to whom you can entrust the sale of YOUR house; not whether you'd consider someone a good merchant by assessing how he has dealt with some third party's house.

The thing, though, is that treating other's things with the same care as you treat yours is still no guarantee of earning a good name. I mean, I may actually NOT actually be good enough a negotiator to get the best possible price and would actually settle for a lower price even if I am selling my own house. I may be a risk taker when investing my own money whereas the other guys may prefer not to lose his money in a stock market crash.

There are these things which Tiru probably assumes that 'merchant' will cover. The competence and inclination to get the best possible deal; the understanding of the risk averseness of the other guy so that you either refuse to take on the job OR work on it differently than your own money. (As in, the CARE you take will be the same in trying to fulfill the goals of the investment. The GOALS of the investment, though, will align with the other guy's mindset and not yours.) So, if I am a merchant, I am supposed to have these de minimis qualifications; and to be a 'good' merchant, I must take as much care as I would do with my own.

All this really does not lead to happy acceptance among us guys. But, who really thinks of all of that. You simply use this kural to mean 'Your money is my money' and happily move on. C'est la vie.

To see through

There are these things that are told over and over again, so much so that you dismiss them as cliches. Apparently Goebbels said (AND thereby fathered propaganda or so I have been told) that if you keep repeating a lie it will get established as the truth. Whether or not such is the case (AND it probably IS going by all those things that Social media has established as incontrovetible truths), it IS true that all that is needed to make people dismiss a genuine piece of advice as trash IS to repeat it often enough for people to call it a cliche.

And, yet, I call attention to what Tiru said...and long enough back that it has probably not become a cliche then...

Epporul eththanmaith thaayinum apporul meipporul kaanbadharivu - Tirukkural

No matter how a thing seems, it is wise to look through to the true nature of that thing - Loose Translation

By the way, those who know these kurals will know that there is that other 'Epporul yaar yaar vai ketpinum apporul meipporul kaan badharivu' which says that 'No matter who said a thing, it is wise to try to understand the truth of what is told'. Looks like Tiru decided to economise on trying to build new couplets by using broadly the same construct again.

This one has so many equivalents that it is not funny. You could say that it is the same as 'Do not judge a book by its cover' which IS one truth that you can glean from this Kural. How the book looks is not necessarily a good indicator of how the book reads. Which is used for people to be told that you should not judge things from their appearance. If you want another metaphor, you can always take 'All that glitters is not gold'. That, again, talks of the problem of judging product quality from its appearance.

But, like many things Indian, this Kural cannot be restricted to these meanings. I mean, those metaphors still allow you to see a spoon as a spoon. They only ask you not to assume the quality of the spoon from the way it looks. They do not say, like that Matrix child says in one scene, "The truth is that there is no spoon". Now, this Kural ALSO can mean that. THAT when you look through to the truth, it may well be that there IS no spoon.

So, yes, from judging products to judging people to judging concepts to judging the Universe, you can apply this Kural to get various learnings.

Or, like me, you could say, 'Ho hum' and turn to your OTT channels for stimulation and WhatsApp university for enlightenment.

Knowing limits

There are times when you need to be told the most obvious things. Advice is not always the esoteric or the deep things that only the wise may know. Sometimes, wisdom lies merely in applying that most uncommon of things - commonsense.

Like, this advice by Tiru would seem almost silly, except if you think back on how often you have failed to live by it.

Peelipey saakaatum acchirum appandam saala miguththup peyin - Tirukkural

Light though the peacock feather is, loading too many of them can break the axle of a cart - Loose Translation

Think of it how you will. I mean, like, you can think of the jobs that you can do in a jiffy without any feeling of strain. Even such jobs, when you take on too many of them to be done day in day out can cause you insurmountable stress. You know that tale about the last straw that breaks a camel's back? This Kural talks of very much that thing...only it uses peacock feathers instead of straws. So, yes, each individual job may cause no great pressure but if you keep piling them on, you WILL hit your breaking point.

Or, you could think in terms of alienating people. You may be strong and each individual enemy you make may be just a peacock feather. Make enough of them and the sum total of them all may prove to be strong enough to destroy you.

You can consider the applicability in a variety of ways. Like not engaging with a friend for a day...no big deal. Allow the days to pile up and you'll hit a point when the friendship has ceased to exist. And so on...

You CAN take things lightly when they come singly. But allowing them to accumulate...THAT's a problem. (AH, that reminds me of another application of this kural. In my procrastinating days, postponing one small job was no big deal. It would only add 15 minutes to the next day's work. But when the postponed jobs keep adding up...) AND, yes, it is oh so easy to keep accumulating those peacock feathers.

So, there. Even if it is peacock feathers, keep a count of how much you are accumulating so that you keep it within limits. Else they could end up breaking your back.

Fortune magnet?

Who does not want to attract good fortune? It is all fine to tout the merits of sacrifice and the benefits of renjunciation. BUT, even when it comes to that, you prefer that you have it first and renounce it yourself; not to never have it OR have it snatched from you. So, yes, you do prefer to have the good fortune of possessing things and of having the choice to hold to them or renounce them.

AND Tiru says this about how to attract good fortune

Aakkam adharvinaaych chellum asaivilaa ookka mudaiyaa nuzhai - Tirukkural

Good fortune seeks out the man of unfailing enthusiasm/unflagging energy - Loose Translation

There ARE these words which can mean two things. Ookkam is one of them, which could either connote enthusiasm or energy depending on context and, here, it could mean either OR both. Essentially, what Tiru seeks to describe is one of your eager-beavers who not only are full of enthusiasm but are also always active.

We tend to understand such things in snapshots and as manifestations of how people behave. Like, at the moment, the chap seems abuzz with both ideas and energy and you just see him that way. But remember those words 'unfailing' and 'unflagging'. AND then delve a bit deeper into that eager-beaver.

To have unfailing enthusiasm is easy when you meet with success all the way. IS that how life is, though? What if this chap is still trying to succeed and has only met with multiple failures so far? You see his enthusiasm and energy of the day in a different way, now, don't you? The character of a man who can still maintain his enthusiasm after multiple failures...THAT's what attracts good fortune eventually.

To have that unflagging energy, you need to have self-belief; you need also to have passion for your goals; and you need to have the perseverance to keep up the pursuit of your goals regardless of stumbling blocks. With all these, it is unlikely that you will be frittering away your energy uselessly. Your passion for your goals will ensure that your energy is targeted in the right direction.

AND, thus, good fortune shall come eventually to he whose enthusiasm is unfailing and whose energy does not flag. To the others, like me, come OTT series and french fries!