Children, knowingly or unknowingly, many of us harbour prejudices about others. Our preconceptions do not allow us to understand them properly. A man wearing yellow-tinted glasses will see everything as yellow. We must be ready to remove the spectacles of preconceived notions before looking at the world.
Even if we go to the same tailor regularly, he will take our measurements anew whenever we visit. A good tailor will never stitch new clothes using old measurements because he knows that our size might have changed since the last measurement. But we do not realise that our views about others might have also become obsolete. We must adopt the tailor’s perspective in our daily life.
Many problems arise when our interactions with others are prejudiced. There is no reason why a thief cannot turn over a new leaf. Pingalā, a prostitute, became an ardent devotee. Ratnākaran, the notorious dacoit, was transformed into the venerable Sage Vālmiki. If we can interact with others without preconceptions, we can discover newness in the same individuals.
A case was being heard in court. The lawyers for both the plaintiff and defendant were arguing heatedly, but the judge was sitting with his eyes closed, not paying particular attention to either of them. After some time, he fell asleep.
Seeing this, the clerk said, “Your Honour, you’re falling asleep. You’re not listening to either lawyer.” The judge retorted, “Don’t worry. I’ve already decided the verdict!” He then went back to sleep.
If we behave like the judge in this story, ie. with preconceived notions, justice and truth will be forfeited. A few individuals will receive undeserved concessions while a few others will face unjustifiable distress.
As a result of our own prejudices, we stand to lose those who could be our friends and helpers. Sometimes, these prejudices might even betray us. Sometimes, we become the victims of our own prejudices. We might strongly believe that we cannot do certain things. We might, however, actually be able to do it if we persevered.
Such preconceptions reflect a lack of self-confidence, which is as dangerous as an inflated sense of our abilities. Prejudices enslave us only because we give undue importance to the past. We must learn to live in the present moment always and strive to keep our heart and head free and efficient.
If you don’t have faith in yourself, then there is not much to gain even if you believe in God. Faith in God is to strengthen your faith in you, the faith in your own self. This is, in other words, called self-confidence––confidence in your own self. If it is not there you cannot succeed in life, whatever your field may be. Self-confidence is nothing but mental balance, courage and control over your own mind to confront the problems of life.
When we see a blooming flower swaying in the wind, spreading fragrance, we fail to recognise that it represents the last stage of the transition of the flower bud from darkness into light. Inside the flower bud, there was darkness. From that darkness, it slowly bloomed into the light.
Similarly, this is our journey of blossoming from the darkness of lower emotions in the light of pure love. It’s only when we reach that final destination that we experience real celebration and joy. If we carry the light of knowledge, we will be able to move forward without letting darkness conquer us. The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian