== EXAMPLES OF USEFUL & HARMFUL EMOTION ==
Namaskar,
Emotion plays a huge part in our human life. Without emotion, human
beings do not take action, no matter how much knowledge they have.
For instance, a mother may have all the facts and figures about the
dangers of war, but she will not actively protest against it until her
own son is drafted into the army. Propelled by that emotional feeling,
she will engage in all kinds of activities in order to stop the war.
If you take a moment to think, I am sure you can come up with many
examples in your own life wherein you had the adequate knowledge but did
not act until you developed an emotional link with that particular issue
or practice.
So emotion has a huge impact in our human activity. And that emotion can
drive us in diametrically opposite directions.
Blind emotion will hasten one into all kinds of degrading vices and
harmful dogmas; whereas emotion supported by rationality will thrust one
forward onto the path of dharma.
There are so many present-day examples of how emotion shapes human
activity: Everything from the recent oil spill tragedy in the Gulf of
Mexico to taking tantric initiation, and everything in between. In all
such circumstances, emotion plays a critical role.
As Ananda Margiis, we should be pointedly aware of this, both in
analysing our own actions and in understanding those of others.
BLIND EMOTION IN THE WEST
Currently in the west, although, much of the population is literate and
educated in the worldly sense, many, many fall into various dogmas due
to their emotional attachment.
For instance, romance is a huge aspect of life in the materialistic
nations. With crude romance comes heartbreak - for any number of
reasons. Today, many of the people who have been heartbroken or hurt in
a romantic relationship are now sharing their woes with Juliet - as if
Juliet can empathize and solve their problems.
Now the first thing you may be thinking is: Who is Juliet?
Well, Juliet is one of the main fictitious characters in Shakespeare's
tragedy: "Romeo and Juliet". In that drama, written 450+ years ago, the
young couple in love are embattled by family disputes and ultimately die
a most tragic death, without ever being able to express their love for
one another. It is the quintessential tragedy of western literature. And
it is totally fictional - these characters are 100% imaginary - Mr
Shakespeare merely invented them in his own mind.
Yet today, a Juliet website has been devised, and people from far and
wide write in seeking solace about their romantic woes. Because of their
deep emotional link with the female character Juliet - who never even
existed in real life - people are writing to Juliet and pouring their
heart. If they deem their romance to be similar in any way to that of
Romeo and Juliet - i.e. if they are getting tormented by friends and
family - then they write to Juliet and ask for her grace and promise
that, "Just as you died for your lover, I shall do the same." Juliet
does not even exist, yet they are taking this fictional character to be
their guide.
It is just like if Indian people started writing to Laela'.
Such is what happens when people are consumed by blind emotion. In this
way the educated elite in the west get caught up in praying to dogma,
revering the fictional icons of pseudo-culture.
It is not just limited to their fascination with Juliet, but also Harry
Potter, Luke Skywalker, Rocky Balboa and all kinds of fictional heroes
from the world of pop pseudo-culture. People are enthralled by such
characters and aim to emulate them in all kinds of ways. They dress,
talk, act, and behave like them; they idolize them. They think that such
characters will grant them strength, or fortune, or love, or whatever it
is that they desire. They even name their children after such fictional
characters.
Such are the ways of emotional attachment. The people have the knowledge
that such characters are purely fictional, but even then they are drawn
to them in such a poignant manner.
Now, we must recall that there are positive ways in which emotion can be
used - namely when it is guided by rationality - and that will be
discussed further down in this mailing.
BLIND EMOTION IN THE EAST
Although the east is quickly moving towards western pseudo-culture, and
even their own form of pseudo-culture, the classic example of blind
emotion in India is idol worship. Due to their blind emotional
attachment to various deities, worshipers pray to a piece of stone,
thinking it to be a god. This is the way it unfolds with so many
deities. People ask and pray to their chosen deity for everything, only
because, devoid of a rational outlook, their emotion draws them to this
dogmatic style of worship.
Then of course there is this example from the Sati temple. The imaginary
mother goddess Sati jumped on the funeral pyre of her husband. So
females pray to this goddess because they think that by this way they
will not lose their husband to an early death - rather due to the boon
of mother goddess Sati, they will love together forever with their spouse.
This, and many other examples like it in India, demonstrate how people
become totally blinded by their emotional fervor.
Here again the point is that if people exercise their sense of
rationality, they will easily understand that such deities are imaginary
and cannot help them, however, members of the public become blinded by
their emotion and will even cry at the feet of such deities.
EMOTION AND ITS ROLE IN ATROCITIES AGAINST HUMANITY
AND THE ENVIRONMENT (Part 1)
The field of emotional attachment is not limited to fictional
pseudo-culture characters and / or dogmatic deities.
In real life events, people are swayed or apathetic due to their
emotional attachment to the topic. That covers up their sense of
rationality.
For example, people have knowledge about so many atrocities on this
earth. Years ago in the Vietnam war, American forces used "agent orange"
or dioxin as a means of chemical warfare. Some reports estimate 19
millions gallons was airdropped. Decades later still innocent Vietnamese
families are suffering the effects of those past misdeeds, and the land
became barren and dead. See the images for yourself on-line: Babies are
born with two heads and no legs, the landscape has been permanently
damaged- indeed thousands and thousands of gruesome tales can be told
about the ill-effects of agent orange.
Yet the American public is mostly unmoved. They have the knowledge that
this was going on, but they are not emotionally attached with those
events. Hence those tragedies remain mostly ignored. Those sufferers
needed medical attention but the US government did not even consider
that any injustice was done. So there was no question of compensation -
neither in the form of medical care nor money.
Today however, when a huge oil spill has taken place off the southern
shores of the USA, in the gulf of Mexico, the entire American populace
is in an uproar. Because they are emotionally attached with their
beaches, waters and natural wildlife. While far worse environmental
tragedies have happened elsewhere but due to a lack of emotional
attachment those things go quietly.
No doubt it is good that the US populace is taking a stand against the
oil spill, the irony is that had they taken an equally strong stand
against such disasters elsewhere, then this tragedy could verily have
been averted.
The key point to remember in all of this is that: When emotion is moving
in a haphazard manner - i.e. devoid of rationality - then so many
degrading and dogmatic things will occur, and so many good opportunities
will be missed. Whereas when it is supported by rationality then great
works can be done.
EMOTION AND ITS ROLE IN ATROCITIES AGAINST HUMANITY
AND THE ENVIRONMENT (Part 2)
Here are many more examples of how emotion gets misused in society - it
becomes a blind force that allows people to both unleash terror and
overlook horror.
Here it should be noted that, there are positive ways that emotion is
used and that will be outlined further down in this letter.
1. At present, all the terrorists groups rely on blind emotion to
recruit youths and blind supporter to commit all sorts of crimes like
car bombings, machine gun attacks, and other heinous crimes. The youths
lose all sense of rationality and are just stirred up into an emotional
fervor wherein they will do anything, totally blinded by their emotions.
2. In the west, bound by their blind emotion, people spend huge money on
their pets and will even kiss their cat or dog; they talk and share
their feelings with their dog. they are totally emotionally attached.
Yet they will overlook the cries of starving humanity. Devoid of any
rational approach, people can overlook the pain of a suffering child or
fallen man, but they will give their wholehearted love and attention to
their cat.
3. Similarly, people will watch after their pets with extreme care yet
when it comes time to sit down for dinner, they will cut into a steak
(slaughtered cow) without thinking a second thought. Their lack of
rationality and huge emotional attachment allows them to indulge in such
duplicitous behaviour.
4. And of course in our Marga there are numerous ways in which emotion
blinds people - especially in the case of our present group clashes.
People get attached with a particular group or leader and then justify
all the misdeeds of that group. Most recently this happened with SS
Goenka. On the one hand blinded by his own attachment Goenkaji is
calling B group the Pandavas, and side by side this is the same group
that struck down Abhipremanandji to his bloody death. Plus there are
so many instances wherein people express their support for H group
or EC - once again we know that this is just their emotional blindness,
nothing more, since these groups are also guided by selfishness etc.
Ours is the path of rationality and dharma, not any group sentiment.
Thus, emotion by itself is a blind force and is bound to lead humanity
down the wrong road. When emotion is moving in haphazard way - i.e.
devoid of rationality - then so many degrading and dogmatic things will
occur.
EMOTION AS A POSITIVE FORCE
By Baba's grace, emotion can also be used in a positive manner when in
coordination with rationality.
When a person thinks, "I should do something - I should follow dharma",
and when this is done with their emotional force, then good things happen.
For instance, many have entered AM and taken diiksa based on this
emotional propulsion guided by rationality. In the same way, others have
served as LFT's, WT's, etc. Without that emotional-cum-rational feeling
they would not have been moved into action. They may have had knowledge
of Ananda Marga and dharma, but without that close emotional and
rational link they would not have done anything.
So in these positive cases, one's emotional flow is not haphazard,
rather it is guided by rationality.
Similarly, with their emotional and rational attachment to Baba, i.e.
devotion to Baba, many have given their lives for the great cause and
others have stood up to fight dogma and oppose injustice. Even they have
given up all their friends and faced all kinds of opposition due to
their emotional-cum-rational attachment to Baba's teachings.
So emotion need not always be a liability. When linked with rationality
it can lift one onto the field of dharma.
SUMMARY
So long as one's emotions are not guided by rationality, regardless of
how well educated they are, there are bound to problems - problems of
epic proportions. This is one idea.
Secondly, if people have knowledge, they will not do anything until they
have an emotional link to the situation at hand. If that emotional link
is blind they will fall prey to dogma and misdeeds and if combinded with
rationality that person can do great things for humanity.
Thirdly, emotion should always be guided by a mind open in 360 degrees,
and not be linked with any selfishness or group agenda.
Fourthly, because of emotion, people often do not do what they should
do, or do what they should not do. So it is a tricky force. Even
educated people commonly fall into this trap.
Fifth, the only answer is neo-humanistic education and AM spiritual
practices. Buoyed by these rational and devotional forces, one emotional
feeling will be used in solely for positive endeavours.
Finally, when standing alone the emotional mind moves towards dogma and
when guided by rationality that mind becomes a strong and dharmic force.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace He has blessed us with all the proper teachings to
succeed in life and not be blinded by the haphazard flow of emotion. The
Juliet story - wherein people share their heartfelt feelings due to
their emotional link with a fictitious character - is but an example of
how blind the human personae can become when goaded haphazardly by emotion.
We should all take proper care to ensure we are always moving along the
methodical path of emotion known as devotion. Then great works can and
will be done on this earth and the sadhaka will attain the Supreme stance.
Baba says, "Now, even those who are advocates of devotional or emotional
faculties say that people get propensive propulsion from devotion or
emotion. When the mind moves along a particular track or follows a
particular discipline in a methodical way, this is called “devotion” or
bhakti; but when it does not follow a particular method, when it moves
haphazardly, swept away by whim, it is called “emotion”. This is the
fundamental difference between devotion and emotion. You must know this
clear-cut silver line of demarcation between devotion and emotion." (YP)
Baba says, "Those who adhere to this cult of pinnacled order know that
there must be a happy blending amongst intellectual-cum-intuitional
faculty, actional faculty and devotional-cum-emotional faculty. None of
these is unimportant, all are of equal importance, but the finality
comes in devotion. That is, the final outcome or resultant of
intellectual-cum-intuitional faculty and actional faculty is devotion,
not emotion." (YP)
Baba says, "If one wants to realize an entity, does one realize it only
through knowledge? No, certainly not. To realize an entity, one must
possess a loving heart, a sweet intellect, and a free flow of emotion...
I said a little earlier that by merging one’s individual sweetness into
the sweetest entity, the realization, “You exist, only You exist,”
becomes firmly established. One becomes finally ensconced in that
Supreme Entity. There is no other way. And this self-knowledge is the
sweetest essence of the devotional feeling of one’s heart." (NSS, Disc: 12)
Namaskar,
Gautam
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Like New Born Baby and Mother
Baba says, "It is a law of nature that nature provides a mother with
sufficient breast milk to feed her newly-born baby. In the same way, nature
provides sufficient resources like food and other essential requirements
for all human beings. Human beings need only utilize these resources in a
proper way. Shortages of food and space cannot be blamed on nature. These
problems have been artificially created by the folly of human beings."
(PNS-13, p.45)
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