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Chapter 13
Distinction between The Self And The Not-Self
68. The Basic Foundation Of Betterment
6. When we fondly admire a child, we admire him in reference to the body and when we scold him, it too is in reference to the body. If a child has a running nose, we call him dirty. How greatly it hurts the child! How false the accusation is! It is true that the child’s nose is dirty and it is also true that it should be cleaned. But instead of cleaning the nose without making a fuss about it, the child is reproached. He cannot bear this. He feels miserable. When his heart and soul are full of purity and cleanliness, why this wrong accusation of dirtiness? The child is not really dirty; it is the Lord Himself in all His purity, beauty, love and holiness. It is a spark of the divine. Yet we call it dirty! Is the outward dirtiness so important? The child does not even understand what this is all about. He feels hurt. His mind gets disturbed and agitated; and such a state of mind stands in the way of improvement. We should therefore explain things properly and keep the child clean and tidy. 7. Instead of this, we impress on the child’s mind the idea that he is nothing but the body. It is an important pedagogical principle that the teacher should regard the pupil as faultless in every respect. If a pupil fails to solve a mathematical problem, the teacher slaps him. Now, what is the connection between the slap and the failure to solve a problem? Likewise, the pupils are thrashed if they are late to the school. Yes, the slap may cause blood to circulate faster, but how will it help in making them punctual? In fact, by such treatment, we only strengthen the animal in them. It hardens the pupil’s notion that he is nothing but the body. We thereby build his life on the foundation of fear. Real improvement can never be brought about through coercion and by strengthening identification with the body. It is possible only when one realises that one is distinct from the body. |
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