May 23 2014 : The Economic Times (Delhi)
Avatar is no Superhero
Expansion of capability transforms the hero into superhero, says Devdutt Pattanaik
There is a fundamental dif ference between the words `superhero' and `avatar' and it is critical to understand this if one hopes to be a good leader.
Unfortunately, today, no thanks to videogames and Hollywood, the two words are used synonymously. The inability of those who understand Hinduism to explain the difference has further contributed to this miscommunication.In the beginning, in Europe, there were no superheroes. There were masked crusaders though, like Zorro and Scarlet Pimpernel, men who pretended to be ordinary but secretly displayed their extraordinary talents only to help the helpless. Hiding their talent was necessary so that they could mingle with ordinary folk, and unsuspecting villains. In other words, they were skilled and clever.
The extraordinary became the fantastic in an America spellbound by outer space, radioactivity and modern technology. There was Superman who came from outerspace and so had X-ray vision and superhuman strength.
There was Spiderman who was bitten by a mutant bug that enabled him to create spider webs. And there was Batman who used his wealth to create fantastic gadgets like the Batmobile. All of them hid their true capabilities and lived unremarkable lives as Clark Kent, Peter Parker and Bruce Wayne.
Both the European and the Amercian characters were like Greek heroes standing up against cruel authority (the supervillains) on behalf of ordinary folk.
But that is not an avatar. The word avatar is derived from another word `avatarana' to come down. This word is commonly associated with Vishnu, the preserver of the cosmos. From his abode, Vaikuntha, Vishnu watches over the world. And from time to time he descends either as animal or human to set things right.
At face value, it seems exactly the same. So what is the difference?
Both help the helpless. But in the case of the superhero, the hero has to secretly unleash his extraordinariness to solve the problem. But in case of the avatar, Vishnu has to make himself less divine, more mortal, to solve the problem.
Expansion of capability transforms the hero into superhero. Compression of capability transforms Vishnu into avatar.
Vishnu `comes down' in not to save people from supervillains as many cartoon versions of Krishna seems to suggest; he `comes down' to uplift or do `uddhar'.
Ram may fight Ravana, but he does not seek to destroy Ravan; he seeks to enable Ravan to discover his divine potential, his ability to outgrow the animal instinct to grab and dominate.
In the superhero's story, the people around him stay the same. In the avatar's story, the people around him are hope fully transformed. In the superhero's story, the world becomes a bet ter place thanks to the superhero's intervention. In the avatar's story, the world remains as it was hurtling to wards pralaya, the end of the world, which is unavoidable but hopefully people are wiser and see the world dif ferently. The superhero's world is physical, tangible, measurable. The avatar's world is psychological, intangible, notmeasurable. Superheros save the world.
Avatar seeks to provoke wisdom about the nature of the world and humanity, knowing fully well he may not succeed.
At work, leaders often exhort their teams to become superheroes, solve problems that no one else can by discovering latent extraordinariness. That is the purpose of motivational speeches and pep talks and role models and success stories.
The burden of transformation rests with the followers. If the leader takes the burden of transformation upon himself, he then becomes the innovator, the saviour who tides over a crisis.
But to be avatar means working with people who are not as capable or skilled as you are, but who you know can be much better, within their parameters, if they try. It is about being able to go down to their level and helping them break free from their limitations. The trick is not to intimidate them or make them feel insecure for not being as smart as you are. It is about making them comfortable with who they are and creating an ecosystem where everyone feels they matter. This is not easy, for the temptation to be condescending is difficult to resist.
The superhero hides his extraordinariness so that those around him do not feel threatened. An avatar who is aware of his divine potential strives hard as fish, turtle, priest, king and cowherd to reveal the divine potential in those around him. The superhero seeks to solve the problems of the world. The avatar seeks to help people appreciate dharma, their human potential to cope with a world that resists all attempts to control it. The superhero gaze is on that elusive target. The avatar's gaze is on the happiness of the employee. The former does not include the latter; the latter includes the former. CD The word avatar is derived from another word `avatarana' to come down. This word is commonly associated with Vishnu, the preserver of the cosmos An avatar who is aware of his divine potential strives hard as fish, turtle, priest, king and cowherd to reveal the divine potential in those around him le The superhero's world is physical, tangible, measurable. The avatar's world is psychological, e intangible, not-measurable
Unfortunately, today, no thanks to videogames and Hollywood, the two words are used synonymously. The inability of those who understand Hinduism to explain the difference has further contributed to this miscommunication.In the beginning, in Europe, there were no superheroes. There were masked crusaders though, like Zorro and Scarlet Pimpernel, men who pretended to be ordinary but secretly displayed their extraordinary talents only to help the helpless. Hiding their talent was necessary so that they could mingle with ordinary folk, and unsuspecting villains. In other words, they were skilled and clever.
The extraordinary became the fantastic in an America spellbound by outer space, radioactivity and modern technology. There was Superman who came from outerspace and so had X-ray vision and superhuman strength.
There was Spiderman who was bitten by a mutant bug that enabled him to create spider webs. And there was Batman who used his wealth to create fantastic gadgets like the Batmobile. All of them hid their true capabilities and lived unremarkable lives as Clark Kent, Peter Parker and Bruce Wayne.
Both the European and the Amercian characters were like Greek heroes standing up against cruel authority (the supervillains) on behalf of ordinary folk.
But that is not an avatar. The word avatar is derived from another word `avatarana' to come down. This word is commonly associated with Vishnu, the preserver of the cosmos. From his abode, Vaikuntha, Vishnu watches over the world. And from time to time he descends either as animal or human to set things right.
At face value, it seems exactly the same. So what is the difference?
Both help the helpless. But in the case of the superhero, the hero has to secretly unleash his extraordinariness to solve the problem. But in case of the avatar, Vishnu has to make himself less divine, more mortal, to solve the problem.
Expansion of capability transforms the hero into superhero. Compression of capability transforms Vishnu into avatar.
Vishnu `comes down' in not to save people from supervillains as many cartoon versions of Krishna seems to suggest; he `comes down' to uplift or do `uddhar'.
Ram may fight Ravana, but he does not seek to destroy Ravan; he seeks to enable Ravan to discover his divine potential, his ability to outgrow the animal instinct to grab and dominate.
In the superhero's story, the people around him stay the same. In the avatar's story, the people around him are hope fully transformed. In the superhero's story, the world becomes a bet ter place thanks to the superhero's intervention. In the avatar's story, the world remains as it was hurtling to wards pralaya, the end of the world, which is unavoidable but hopefully people are wiser and see the world dif ferently. The superhero's world is physical, tangible, measurable. The avatar's world is psychological, intangible, notmeasurable. Superheros save the world.
Avatar seeks to provoke wisdom about the nature of the world and humanity, knowing fully well he may not succeed.
At work, leaders often exhort their teams to become superheroes, solve problems that no one else can by discovering latent extraordinariness. That is the purpose of motivational speeches and pep talks and role models and success stories.
The burden of transformation rests with the followers. If the leader takes the burden of transformation upon himself, he then becomes the innovator, the saviour who tides over a crisis.
But to be avatar means working with people who are not as capable or skilled as you are, but who you know can be much better, within their parameters, if they try. It is about being able to go down to their level and helping them break free from their limitations. The trick is not to intimidate them or make them feel insecure for not being as smart as you are. It is about making them comfortable with who they are and creating an ecosystem where everyone feels they matter. This is not easy, for the temptation to be condescending is difficult to resist.
The superhero hides his extraordinariness so that those around him do not feel threatened. An avatar who is aware of his divine potential strives hard as fish, turtle, priest, king and cowherd to reveal the divine potential in those around him. The superhero seeks to solve the problems of the world. The avatar seeks to help people appreciate dharma, their human potential to cope with a world that resists all attempts to control it. The superhero gaze is on that elusive target. The avatar's gaze is on the happiness of the employee. The former does not include the latter; the latter includes the former. CD The word avatar is derived from another word `avatarana' to come down. This word is commonly associated with Vishnu, the preserver of the cosmos An avatar who is aware of his divine potential strives hard as fish, turtle, priest, king and cowherd to reveal the divine potential in those around him le The superhero's world is physical, tangible, measurable. The avatar's world is psychological, e intangible, not-measurable
