Are you struggling in a world obsessed with full of comparison? – Karma yoga chapter 2

Many people don’t suffer in career because they are weak. They suffer because they are trying to shape their life to match societal standards. Overtime, they start feeling “not enough” and to escape that pain, they compare themselves with others. when that fails, anxiety takes over. This is the hidden truth that nobody talks.

Nothing is wrong with them. Everything is wrong with society who pushed them into that direction.

You are taught to – how to achieve, before you start to understand yourself. You run so hard even you don’t have enough time to think who are you? and what do you want?

It’s like Learning to climb a mountain before knowing the landscape, you start running, forgetting to pause and recognize the view of your own journey.

Stop living for approval – Start living for Clarity.

Don’t compare yourself to others. Actually, No role is superior. No duty is inferior. Greatness comes from how do you do your work with sincerity and clarity of mind. It’s not what work you do either big or small.

Vivekananda brilliantly immersed it in one sentence stating “Each is great in his own place”.

Understanding why all people behave differently – The three gunas

Vivekananda explains, people will all acts so differently because due to the influence of Three gunas – Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Which are fundamental qualities of nature(gunas) present in every human but in varying proportions. So, No one acts as same as others.

• Sattva represents balance and pure. They act with wisdom, calmness, kindness and selflessly.
• Rajas represents activity, passion and restlessness. They act with selfish, ambition, desire, power and often attached to results.
• Tamas represents inactivity and ignorance. They act with laziness, confused.

These gunas shapes our mental states and behaviour.

Vivekananda core teaching in Karma yoga is to aware of these gunas with one self and manage them consciously. It helps to do our work(karma) better.ramakrishnavivekananda.info

Generally, we can observe one of these gunas dominating in every person. sometimes Tamas prevails – we become inactive, lazy and dull. At other times Rajas prevails – we become active, power and when the sattva prevails balancing both action and inaction – we find calmness, gentleness.

So, your thoughts and currently dominating guna shapes your character.

Balancing the gunas:

From Tamas to Rajas: If you feel lazy or depression, do any activities (rajasic) like exercise, work or hunger for desire and just pull yourself out of stagnation.

From Rajas to Sattva: when you feel overly stressed due to rajasic activities then one should practice sattvic activities like meditation, serving others without expecting reward to find balance and clarity.

Here, balancing means not totally eliminating other gunas but adjusting them.

Self-awareness: The first step is to introspect and identify which guna is currently dominating one’s thoughts and action.

The ultimate goal is to act from sattvic state, using energy of rajas for greater good while not focussing on results.

Duty & Morality vary according to each person:

The duty and morality vary and relative to an individual’s specific circumstances, life stage and capacity. What is regarded as moral in one country, for other country same moral may seem immoral. So, there is no universally applicable standard for morality.

He illustrates his point with examples: In one country, marrying cousins is permitted. while men can wed their sisters-in-law in another. However, such practices viewed as immoral in different countries.

Additionally, in some cultures, individuals are expected to marry only once, while multiple marriages are common in others. This raises the question of how we can determine what is morally right or wrong.

In the same way, There is no single, universally applicable standard duty for everyone. What is right for one person might be wrong for other. Morality, duty are context dependent, so they are not same for everyone, everywhere.

Hence, he tries to explain, Perform your duty sincerely with highest morality and do not judge others by your standards.

Resist not evil:

“Resist not evil” (non-resistance or peace) is the highest moral ideal as we know. Let’s assume,If everyone practiced non-resistance. whole world will collapse due to bad men will take over our possession and lives easily. Is it really possible to follow?

He elucidates; Every man should understand that non-resistance is the highest ideal. But before reaching it, Every man’s duty is to resist evil. Practicing non-resistance is practically not always applicable for everyone at every moment. Sometimes resisting evil must be a part of one’s duty depending on role and situation.

Think of this way, If you do not resist because you are lazy and weak or incapable. It’s not true non-resistance, merely weakness or inability. But be a man, who can always resist or able to resist if he wishes. yet you must consciously chose peace.

For example,

 A beggar renouncing the world because he has nothing. and Buddha renouncing the world even though he could have ruled it – Who have the real strength then.

You are Not fighting because you are weak is not peace- It’s helplessness.

In the same way, If you desire for wealth, society will might judge you as selfish or bad. For this reason, if you hesitate to struggle for wealth. Then It’s a weak mindset- you must have the capacity to earn wealth and say “money is nothing. They are all very little things to desire.”

Each is great in his own place:

Everyone should focus on achieving their own path instead of trying to follow someone else. because trying to meet other’s expectations is often leads to failure and disappointment.

He illustrates with, we take a child and give him task of walking twenty miles. Either the little one dies or one in thousand crawls to reach end exhausted and half dead.

• Follow your own path
• Do your best with your own goals

Everyone has different abilities, capacities, and paths. So, why are you comparing with others; compare with your past self.

He illustrates with, An apple tree is great for being an apple tree, and an oak is great for being an oak. Neither should be judged by the other’s standard. You have no right to judge or mock other’s ideal, and they shouldn’t judge yours. Each is great in his own place.

• Don’t compare yourself to others
• Be judged by your own standards
• Focus on individual growth

So, It’s wrong to apply the same standards and ideals to everyone. It creates an “unnatural struggle” that can make people feel low and hate themselves.

Final Thoughts: