Be Good, Be Free
A SRINIVAS
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Who is a good human being?
A good human being is honest to himself and sensitive to the needs of others. An emotionally honest person is a product of an upbringing that infuses a sense of self-worth. People can lack self-worth because of a Freudian rejection in their infancy . To overcome their feeling of smallness or insecurity , they control, even with good intentions, those emotionally or socially weaker than them.The good individual stands liberated from the control chain, from thought systems that divide people. He tends to be free of malice, fear, and inner turmoil -all of which arise from carrying the burden of the past. The past can be overcome only by coming to terms with it. Here, Freud's contribution to the betterment of the human condition is invaluable.
The good individual is an ardhanarishwar, possessing the traditional masculine attributes of fearlessness and direction and the feminine traits of compassion and accommodation. But to have the right instincts all through life and avoid attrition of inner strength, he needs a supportive social order. When Rabindranath Tagore said ekla chalo re, he wanted individuals to be free when they negotiated with society .
The free individual needs to engage with society to maintain his freedom. The flux in this negotiation -`neither this nor that' -in Upanishadic terms embodies the richness of existence. No wonder Kabir fused individual goodness with social emancipation. Renunciation should not be confused with running away .
A good human being is honest to himself and sensitive to the needs of others. An emotionally honest person is a product of an upbringing that infuses a sense of self-worth. People can lack self-worth because of a Freudian rejection in their infancy . To overcome their feeling of smallness or insecurity , they control, even with good intentions, those emotionally or socially weaker than them.The good individual stands liberated from the control chain, from thought systems that divide people. He tends to be free of malice, fear, and inner turmoil -all of which arise from carrying the burden of the past. The past can be overcome only by coming to terms with it. Here, Freud's contribution to the betterment of the human condition is invaluable.
The good individual is an ardhanarishwar, possessing the traditional masculine attributes of fearlessness and direction and the feminine traits of compassion and accommodation. But to have the right instincts all through life and avoid attrition of inner strength, he needs a supportive social order. When Rabindranath Tagore said ekla chalo re, he wanted individuals to be free when they negotiated with society .
The free individual needs to engage with society to maintain his freedom. The flux in this negotiation -`neither this nor that' -in Upanishadic terms embodies the richness of existence. No wonder Kabir fused individual goodness with social emancipation. Renunciation should not be confused with running away .
