Monday, July 30, 2012


The other day I googled and read something and was fairly troubled. If you place someone on a pedestal, admire their spiritual accomplishments, read and savor their words with patience and respect—and then learn something to the contrary, a blemish, a major character fault—it is upsetting, disconcerting to say the least.
No smoke without fire. If that makes me a nasty bitch, so be it.
And like Caesar’s wife, I expect someone to be purer than driven snow.
You may have once held my respect. Once.
But I’m afraid I don’t give away my discrimination. I will not. Not this or any other lifetime.
There was so much that one had conquered, so much merit that one had earned, why would someone operating on a presumably higher plane throw it all away for mortal ties? Biology? 
But at a stage as advanced, and a path as arduous but known since several centuries to be demanding—have the baser instincts not been burnt out, conquered to a meaningless state long long ago? Isnt this basic?
Is my filter wrong, am I judging too harshly, and who am I to judge?
If this is true and not the handiwork of a posse of deranged women, what else is true, and what is not true?
Why would someone throw away the earning of several lifetimes?
I’m calmer after watching the forest yesterday, the play of light and the cycle of destruction and new life.
The take home?
Better recognition of the pitfalls.
An increased sense of wariness.
A refusal to be “influenced” blindly—if this is ego, so be it.
Let me remember, even the sage Vishwamitra had been waylaid.

7 comments:

Shruthi said...

I'm glad you have the courage to face the likelihood - and say that "perhaps" this is wrong. I know so many people who know about the wrongdoings of the people they follow and worship - and they turn a blind eye, and worse - try to justify it.

norrbu said...

we judge others for ourselves - record keeping, just in case. Of times, we judge people by how they are to us - which is not correct - I would have him be himself to all and then judge based on that - am I being too specific?

Anonymous said...

All I know is that man is man. We are no gods. Every human being is weak, sand.
A pedestal is no good place, not for the one who is put on one, and not for the one who has to look up to it.
I have no idea who the person is you talk about, but it makes no difference: Even the most spiritually advanced human being stays a human being - with its good parts, and with its all too human parts. It only can be minimized, but not be rooted out.


Besides this unworhy splash of wannabewisdom I just dripped on your blog, I have to make a serious excuse and have to beg for your pardon for not reading you as constantly as I used and liked and love to do. All I can say is that I can not explain why I read and follow blogs at times more or less. I think it goes in waves, and believe that it is (as everything) a kind of spiral, definitely a circular movement. Excuse me for blabbing please.
The rhythm of my life changed a bit here, so did reading time, working time, you get the idea. I Hope it is all a bit more steady now, and more and more regular visits to your blog are threatening.

austere said...

Thank you for reading and all your comments.

Arunima said...

Nithya?

austere said...

No, someone venerated and not flashy at all.

PQ said...

Well if one is put on a pedestal and that person accepts all that goes with being put there, then one has an obligation towards that position. One is definitely answerable to all those following.

So what if Vishwamitra was waylaid, do all of these automatically get a license? Its totally ok for you to have expectations from that person and feel disappointed. You do have the right to judge, don't defend that person. We all are human and make mistakes but also need to take responsibility for our actions and wrongdoings.