Hari-kirtana is an author, mentor, and yoga teacher who shares his knowledge and experience of how the yoga wisdom tradition can guide us toward meaningful and transformative spiritual experiences.
Ask not, “What should I do?”
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Greetings Reader - I’m well past the stage of disbelief. Now I’m mad. And I want to do something. But what? So many awful things are happening so quickly that it’s hard to know what to do about any of it and easy to feel overwhelmed by all of it. Which is precisely the kind of incapacitation that this purposeful chaos is meant to induce. Grrr. Being transfixed by the daily details of decimated federal agencies, extra-judicial deportations, and national security nincompoopery can prevent us from keeping our eye on the big picture: the assault on the constitutional safeguards that are meant to protect America from authoritarianism. Zoom out a little further and we can see how some people's profound insecurity about their national, racial, and religious identity can lead them to think that erasing every historical fact that contradicts the myth of America’s glorious past is necessary for their survival. Zoom out far enough and we can see the afflictions from which all this chaos and conflict arises: avidyā, the darkness of ignorance, and asmitā, the delusional misidentification of the body as the self. Yoga wisdom provides a succinct description of those who are responsible for this sad state of affairs: “Self-absorbed, stubborn, filled with pride and the arrogance of wealth, their sacrificial performances are suffused with hypocrisy, without regard for established codes of proper conduct.” – Bhagavad-gita 16.17 When the depth of the illusion is so deep, the economic paradigm so entrenched, the need believe the myth so desperate, the disregard for the rule of law so brazen, the chaos so disorienting . . . What should we do? We should start by asking a different question. Instead of asking, “What should I do?” ask, “Who can I help?” Why? Because hiding beneath all of the delusion, inequity, falsehood, narcissism, and mayhem is a diseased condition of consciousness called Impersonalism. Impersonalism is the invalidation of personhood; a denial of individuality, human rights, and personal freedoms. Political impersonalism elevates the glory of the state above the needs of its citizens; when returning the nation to its former greatness becomes all-important, people become expendable. Economic impersonalism elevates profit over well-being, reducing people to commodities that exist for the sole purpose of making payouts to shareholders. Impersonalism makes people disappear, both figuratively and literally. The cure for Impersonalism is its opposite: Personalism Personalism centralizes personhood, affirms individuality, and expands personal freedom. Political personalism elevates the real needs of people over the fictional scaffolding of nationalistic fables. Economic personalism measures prosperity in terms of social well-being and the flourishing of nature, not by abstract metrics of consumer confidence and Gross Domestic Product. Personalism makes people visible, encourages solidarity, and calls us to live as much for others as for ourselves Personalism is a path that leads to the ultimate goals of yoga: “This supreme liberation is attained by those for whom impiety has been destroyed, for whom dualities arising from doubts have been severed, whose minds are engaged in self-realization, and who live for the welfare of all living beings.” – Bhagavad-gita 5.25 So instead of asking, “What should I do?” look for someone to help: support people who’ve been hurt, defend people who are being threatened, work with people who are organizing. Don’t get sucked into the impersonalism of raging against things; lean into the personalism of helping people. Because that's actually how things get done. Wishing you all good fortune, - Hari-k P.S.: Enrollment is open for Finding Your Dharma, my new course that will show you how to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of living the fully inspiring life you were meant for. You’ll learn practical, step-by-step strategies that will systematically reveal what your dharma really is and how to live in alignment with it. CLICK HERE for complete info and registration. |
Hari-kirtana das
Hari-kirtana is an author, mentor, and yoga teacher who shares his knowledge and experience of how the yoga wisdom tradition can guide us toward meaningful and transformative spiritual experiences.
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