STRESS AND

SELFISHNESS

DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

If we study the Total Stress Management and various philosophical and spiritual issues related to it; such as elfishness; then we are left with following questions in mind!

1. Do we understand the difference between “self” and “Self” or “true self”?

2. Do we practice; Self exploration, Self introspection?

3. Do we understand the signals of Self; constituting the agony or the satisfaction; generated from within?

4. Do we spend time to understand the propulsive, inspiring or motivating impulses or signals; coming from the Self i.e. from within? Do we practice Self expression, Self assertion and Self satisfaction?

5. Don’t we suffer from Self pity, Self abnegation, Self ridicule, Self deride and Self guilt?

The answers to these questions are:

1. We do not understand the nature of true self or Self.

One of the most important and logical proof of this is that; most of the times; we are merely elated or

depressed; but never happy. We never experience fulfillment. Our life may be apparently beneficial or troublesome to others. But it lacks the element of simultaneous blossoming of one and all, which is possible only through “True Selfishness (not petty selfishness)”

2. We do not practice Self exploration and Self introspection adequately.

3. We do not understand the signals from within as we do not introspect Self adequately.

4. We do not express or assert our Self adequately and are not satisfied adequately.

5. We suffer from Self pity, Self abnegation, Self ridicule, Self deride and Self guilt.

This is because;

Our education system is heavily influenced and governed by the Self ignorance, fragmented, superficial and petty perspective, reductionist and sectarian thinking, misguided motives, and inappropriate aims, objectives, ideals and protocols! This leads to individualistic but anti Self pursuits. Our whole life is

drained in the anti Self petty pursuits instead of Self exploration, Self knowledge, Self realization and Self expression.

Besides education system and the curriculums, all the fields of life such as laws, health care, agriculture, industry, trade, entertainment and even our belief systems, which constitute informal and extracurricular education; are also; heavily vitiated by the ignorance of Self.

Hence our curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular education is unable to train and inspire us for Self exploration and Self realization.

Hence we do not know and are not on the way to explore, understand and realize the true Self.

We are guided by darkness and grope in the wilderness of degradation, degeneration and destruction of ourselves and the others; and hence in true sense; we are Self less or Self traitors or suicidal!

We can be Selfish; involving simultaneous blossoming of one and all; through NAMASMARAN; the vital heritage and crucial legacy; that has come from the seers; through millennia. This valuable treasure has

come to us in a noble and sublime manner; through supertransactions and superliving; by virtue of being; beyond commercial, professional and charitable perspectives!

Total Stress Management (the core of which is NAMASMARAN); is being truly Selfish; through Self introspection, Self exploration, Self knowledge, Self realization, Self assertion and Self expression by conquering the petty self within us and within the society we live in!