It’s not the first time the news is filled with outrage against ill-made remarks. What a sad state to be in – to think we pull ourselves up by putting others down. Prabhupada calls the kind of remarks made by Donald Sterling, symptomatic of ‘skin disease’, or identifying people based on their body, ignoring the spiritual reality.
The Gita says it is a fact that we are not this body; we are more than this body. We say ‘This is my hand’ or ‘this is my foot.’ so who is this I? To whom does the body belong?. “I think, therefore I am.” we quote Descartes blithely. But this thinking is consciousness, is atma, is the soul. We are a soul with a body, a skin.
But what a thin layer upon which to live our lives! What a waste of precious time. We spend our days grooming our skin, comparing ourselves to others, looking to be better. This skin disease is the cause of envy, hatred, murders, and wars. It breeds bitterness, fear, regret, and emptiness. It is a contagious epidemic that is so widespread it is accepted as normal, and we don’t even know we are sick.
By promoting a culture of wisdom we can move away from the bodily concept of life. By slowing down we can be introspective. By some common sense we can see all beings as one and different, one in our shared spirituality and humanity, and different in our unique individuality.
By calling out fools who put down others based on their body we can stand up for spirituality, for wisdom, for truth. Time to leave the body behind and speak out for who we are. Time to stand up for the soul.
Comments