I am quite often reminded of a piece of narration from a book titled as “Elements of
Psychology” by Krech & Crutchfield, perhaps, while explaining about human
personality. Here below I will try to narrate it in my own words.
“Please think of bulb onion or common
onion, a shortened compressed underground stem surrounded by fleshy modified
scale (leaves) and imagine a soft spoken, gentle and highly educated successful
businessman. This businessman, let’s call him David, lives in a palatial house;
has a beautiful, intelligent and loving wife; is respected by his financiers,
customers, his staff and workers, his neighbors; and, even by his competitors.
For some reason his business began to
encounter some rough weather. His sales figures underwent a declining trend
despite considerable efforts of promotion. He started losing and his financiers
started withdrawing their support gradually. His creditors initially started
delaying the payments due to him and then even avoided paying him. The lending
institutions became panicky and started pressing him for repayments. To regain
his commanding position in business he decided to sell-off his palatial house
to become cash rich. But, this sent an adverse message to all concern. He was
deeper in trouble. The outer layers of the onion were peeled off. He was no
more a successful businessman, but a businessman who had failed. He started
losing his confidence and displayed an irritating character. He could never
realize that he was, then, being viewed as a devastated heavy drunkard who
boasted a lot. To get the money he started selling his personal assets. After
losing many more layers of his personality, he no longer looked like an attractive
onion any more. His wife left him to marry someone else; the lending
institutions attached his business assets and filed suits for recovery of the
balance. There were no more leaves to be peeled off. The hero of this story
became an indecent pauper; a repulsive rascal.”
This was Sansarik Manita;
money, education, the qualities to attract the people around, position, power,
race, caste, external behavior etc. and a desire to be honored by the outside
world.
Similarly, there is Parmarthik
Manita; being somewhat elated to have achieved rare qualities with
great efforts and after having made many sacrifices of worldly pleasures for
moving a little farther than others in the path of selflessness and
spirituality.
PROMOD KUMAR SHARMA
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