STRESS

APPEAREANCES
AND

REALITY

DR.
SHRINIWAS
KASHALIKAR
Since it is human to err, often our education and
acculturation are restricted to superficial and peripheral
aspects of life and are rendered somewhat deceptive.
When superficial and petty propaganda becomes
dominant it can suppress the inner voice and conscience
and create STRESS.

As a result of such education and acculturation; we are

attracted by the royalty and repelled by the poverty;
tempted by the riches and repelled by the ashes; excited
by the abundance and indulgence and depressed by the
paucity and abstinence! This happens because the
undercurrents beyond the appearances are often beyond
the “normal” or “physiological” human grasp and
comprehension! The depiction of saints is also usually
deceptive. Thus it is sympathogenic (one that generates
sympathy in our mind). The display of the life of the film
stars, the political leaders and other celebrities; on the
contrary; is deceptively euphoriogenic (one that leads to
euphoria and pleasant and grandiose excitement)!

However, our education and acculturation has several

merits also. Our education and acculturation; are often
influenced by the genius of the particular period
reaching the root of apparent phenomena; and hence our
values are not entirely and blatantly superficial, shallow,
and petty or mean.

Our yardsticks for idolization and idealization are

therefore NOT uniform or “monolithic” but
multifarious. They are NOT simple and straightforward.
They are subconsciously evolved and mysteriously
shaped! They are obscure and intriguing.

Hence; strange it may appear; but our idols do not

merely conform to our temptations and repulsions; based
on our superficial perception! Our idols and ideals are
determined by several factors such as our individual
constitutions, moods and even whims and fancies!

Thus our idols are violent (war heroes such as Chatrapati

Shivaji), nonviolent (Buddha, Gandhi, Mahavir, Jesus
Christ), economically rich (Bill Gates), economically poor
(Vinoba Bhave), physically strong (Mohammed Ali, Dara
Singh), physically weak (Srinivas Ramanujam, yogis
(Patanjali) and indulgent (kings) and those who fought
during Indian freedom struggle as British army men and
those, who fought against the British; and so on!
If we carefully study (and ought to study for overcoming
confusion and developing conceptual clarity) our value
system; then it would be clear that the differences
amongst the idols and ideals are only apparent ones!

Inspite of apparent variations; our idols and our ideals

had one thing in common! They were “larger than life”
i.e. larger routinely perceived concept of individual life.
They usually manifested the vision and actions (although
at times contradictorily); involving the well being of a
large section or whole society and/or they transcended
the usual human capacity, in their respective fields!
Somewhere in the depth our hearts it was appreciated
that the saints have been the source of enlightenment,
elegance, empowerment and emancipation; and the
glamour and glitter of the so called celebrities; are hollow
and pathetic (unless the celebrities are also saints)!

Our real “idol/ideal” is the “larger than life” TRUTH,

irrespective of the field of life we belong to; and can be
realized through NAMASMARAN; which involves
blossoming of perspective, policies, plans, programs and
their implementation at individual and global levels.
Even as our real ideal/idol becomes clear to us; we tend
to continuously see and feel restless as if something is
wrong somewhere. We are not able to pinpoint, the
cause; but we keep on coming to some ad hoc conclusion
and keep giving our solutions!

We tend to feel that our solutions are final, exclusive and

can bring about permanent and everlasting haven in our
personal life or on earth. We are all the times harping on
appearances and not the root!

Can really a permanent haven come in personal life or on

earth? What would be the nature of such a haven? Are
our claims realistic or true in view of millions of
generations of various living forms to come, live and
perish? Are they going to conform to our ideas?

Moreover; we tend to exclude ourselves from the rest of

the world. We tend to provide answers; while forgetting
or ignoring from time to time; the biological limitations
of us and the others! Is it sensible; toarbitrarily impose
one thing or another; on ourselves or others; in some
subjective hope of haven?
Falling prey to the confusion created by appearances;
and creating a value system, ideals, idols, education and
various doctrines; in accordance; are human follies
common to all of us to a greater or lesser extent!

In such situation we may think that the alternative is; “to

accept everything as it is and never think of any change”.
But that is a kind of death.

The solution; though very difficult is; “to accept

everything as it is; but as appearances” whether “right”
or “wrong” and “see” that it is outside as well as inside
us. Once we see; through NAMASMARAN; everything
as “apparent”; we transcend the STRESS caused by it!

We can practice NAMASMARAN that blossoms and

empowers us to understand that the supreme TRUTH
beyond “everything apparent”; is here and right now,
which we unknowingly ignored so far; but can realize,
manifest and thus; conquer the STRESS of the apparent!

You may think over and decide if this makes sense!