Wisdom

"Ignorance is seeing
The impermanent as permanent,
The impure as pure,
The painful as pleasure
and the non-self as self."

Patanjali(Yoga Sutras 11.5 )

This is one of the most self-explanatory verses we can find. Patanjali has put in essence what this world needs. The world, meaning people like us need. We need to see the impermanent as impermanent, the impure as impure, the painful as painful and the non-self as the non-self. How close can we get to reality. All the confusion happening around the world is due to the ignorance of the human mind.

The priorities that we place on wrong things, make it harder for us to come to terms with reality. The whole world is rushing in madness,trying to catch the impossible. What dramas we humans enact -all the developed by this human mind ! The hatred which is created by us when there are differences.

From childhood, kids are told about us versus them. This attitude is carried forward from family to community to race to religion to language to nation to ...... ? If we don't call this ignorance, then what else can be called ignorance. Our children need to unlearn many things. They need to have their priorities put in order. As my Teacher says we are taught the differences and not the similarities.

The differences are highlighted even as a child. They are taught the differences in the the colors of the skin. When in school children are already aware that the other child is of a different color, race, religion and so on. No one attempts to teach the similarities because no one has been trained or taught to look at the similarities.

How will we be able to unite as a world ? Hatred is instilled in a young mind when he sees the differences in the others. Parents, teachers, friends and the society as a whole teach the child that whatever is different is not to be trusted. Society teaches the child that we are different from the others. Do we even get along with the so called "we". I don't think so. We have our differences even in our own homes and families.

Who is responsible in bringing about wisdom when there is so much of ignorance.
Who is responsible for this education. I strongly believe that the parents play the primary role. The ex-president of India Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam says that the 2 most important people in a child's life are it's parents and primary school teachers. They are the first pair of hands that shape the child. They play THE most important role in the child's life.

I remember as a child of 5 yrs , my mother telling us stories from the ancient scriptures. Every day we, my siblings and I were told moral stories which were so interesting that we used to keep asking her for more. She kept stressing on the moral values in each story and instilled in us a strong sense of values.

My parents were strict disciplinarians which was very difficult to digest at that age. But now looking back, I feel that our strength comes from all the discipline and moral values instilled at that tender age. Today we find so much of importance given to very superficial things in life. Values are not taught and practiced. Many parents feel that if they teach their children to be "successful" then their children will be happy. What is success if even with all the education, money and status you are still a miserable and unhappy person.

I have seen many kids who are jealous and show hatred towards their classmates if the others perform better then them. The child learns by emulating their parents and by learning from them. A mango seed produces only a mango tree not a coconut tree. So whatever we as parents behave or teach is what the child is going to learn.

They are at a vulnerable stage of live where anything and everything will get impressed on their minds. Here parents and teachers play a pivotal role in teaching and instilling good moral values in the child.

Ignorance is when we see the impermanent as permanent. The child needs to be taught that, all his classmates and peers are also travelers in the same journey of life. They are our co-passengers and we need not fear their success. If we can make them understand that they will never take away what is supposed to be theirs, then the child will develop a sense of self-confidence. They will understand that they have nothing to fear from the others.

Similarly, we can gently make our children understand that ignorance is also seeing the painful as pleasure. Our kids get into many habits which may look pleasurable but end up in pain. If only we as parents and teachers can teach our children what these ancients scriptures have taught us and to apply these values in our lives, I am sure we can bring about positive change in the world around us.

These characteristics develop and as the child grows into an adult they carry forward all these habits. Then we see the same drama unfold in the work place, in the family and in the society as well. Negative values and behavior bring about negative results and likewise when positive habits are developed, then we find positive, uplifting, wholesome people who are able to bring about peace and love around them.

So much of terror is created by man to destroy the other man in the name of justice. What an irony !
Anger which leads to hatred which in turn leads to revenge can be reversed if only we can apply good moral values, not only in our children but in our lives too. This world will become a more peaceful place. Once a wise man said "Life is measured not by the number of days you have lived, but by the number of lives you have touched."

"So wisdom is recognizing
The permanent as permanent,
The pure as pure,
The pleasure as pleasure - and
The Self as the Self."