Pride

You might have heard a lot of people tell you (including your parents & BOSS) to take pride in what you do. Till the pay cut was announced & some who lost their jobs, took pride in what they did. Let us go look at the genesis of the statement – Take pride in your work.

Pride begets perseverance. This quality is the most desirable to the society in general. Beware again – Pride is split into 2 categories – Authentic- flowing from accomplishments that are dear to them, or which further their self actualization goals (remember Maslow). The other being out of Hubris, this is based out of sheer arrogance & has no substantial foundation. It is pertinent to note that we need both in the right dose to survive /negotiate in today’s world. You with me :) on this.

Let me digress a little. Today is the eve of Mahavira Jayanti. Let us peruse through the 3 cardinal principles of Jainism. Ahimsa, aparigraha, & Syavad meaning Non-Violence, non- possession & Truth. I am NOT getting into a scholarly debate on this. From where I see its relevance in today’s thinking is :

• Non violence – let us not hurt ourselves by being over critical about what we do, where we are & where we are headed. Let us be still for a moment & not hurt our own self respect. This would allow us to have stillness of thoughts & be able to see our selves from a third party perspective, leading to greater awareness & eventually initiate a process of change/ evolution. Further, this would lead us to understand our own potential & encourage creativity. But beware, I am not against constructive criticism (this leads to breaking down of false ego & allow us to be grounded at all times) J

• Non possession: does this mean that I donate all and leave a life of asetic? Its an EMPHATIC NO. Well I think the spirit of this is in the word CURRENCY. Do not stop the flow of wealth (Emotianal & Material) by hoarding. Else it is going to be like today’s financial crisis. The flow of credit has frozen the real economy. As a true business man you would not like this to happen. Do not hanker for what is more than what you need. Make donation a part of your lifestyle & develop a practice of gratitude. Gratitude!!!!!! Well that is the problem today. We do not appreciate the simple & most important things in life that are given free to us and do not thank nature or individuals for that.

• Syavad: what do I have to say about this? This is very relative or to say one of the best way to analyze – compare & Contrast. Compare yourself against yourself and contrast as to what you were to what you are. I think we get a lot of insights. This is missing.

Ok now let me combine these today. From the point of mundane material existence PRIDE IS ALL WHAT WE HAVE LEFT WITH to fight for our existence & we need to wear this mask. At the same time it is imperative that we feed our souls with the results of contemplation to avoid – like you say VOLATILITY.

Lets get back our stillness, silence & solitude, buddy. We are born to be achievers & not CONQUERORS. So lets get clarity on where we are headed & have PRIDE in what we do.