Page 40 - NAMAH-Oct-2021

Namah Vol. 29, Issue 3, 15th October 2021

AAcaara Hugging each other with joy, Tamberi said,
“I still can’t believe it happened. Sharing with
This is the domain of our expressing ourselves a friend is even more beautiful. It was just
in the world within and outside. It represents magical’. And Barshim added, ‘For me, coming
our behaviour and actions in our everyday here, I know for a fact that for the performance I
living and our relationship with the self and did, I deserve that gold. He did the same thing,
others. It is the final amalgamation of our so I know he deserved that gold (5).”
thoughts and feelings into action. It is the sum
total of what values we have imbibed, the When we act for the welfare of others in the
meaning making that we have internalised eco-system, it adds a zest, purpose, a sense of
through the interactions and experiences fulfilment and satisfaction. This indicates that
manifested in our behaviour and actions. In striving for collective well-being enhances our
essence, it is the outward manifestation and personal well-being state in a manifold way.
expression of all that is inside of us. Sharing and contributing beyond self enables
an expansion, unity and abundance which
The question to ask now is, as individuals we have all experienced and can relate with.
are we always happy and satisfied when
our immediate expectations are met? Are we What should we focus upon?
selfish creatures to the core? Is the experience
of joy and sense of fulfilment lasting or The key therefore is going beyond the self,
transient? Is our sense of well-being and beyond the narrative of ‘I, me and mine’.
balance likely to increase if the environment If we are able to direct our mind for the
around us and all those closely associated betterment of the world, for the well-being
with us are also in a similar state? of all the stakeholders (humans, animals and
environment), we are in a position of creating
As much as we rationalise otherwise, hostility a collective positive state of well-being.
around us impacts us negatively and good This orientation is towards loksanngraha. This
cheer brings a spring and positivity in our simultaneously benefits the individual and
inner and outer being. Engaging in activities the collective. It helps bring people together
that are purely for self-gain are likely to cause and simultaneously integrate one’s own
discords in the eco-systems and do not allow good (aatmakalyanna) with the collective welfare
positive well-being experiences to flow deep (sarvakalyaanna). The Bhagvadgıitaa verses 3.20,
within. The fact of the matter is that we are 3.21, 3.25 clearly elucidate this. If loksanngraha
happy when people around us are happy. We becomes the goal, it would without doubt lead
are all social beings and happiness in isolation towards success and progress individually
is contradictory to human nature. The Tokyo and collectively. History provides evidence
Paralympics 2020, where two friends shared on societies that progressed and thrived on
the gold medal for the high jump, rather than the basis of a mind-set towards collective
going for a tie-breaker, is a beautiful example well-being and sustainability.
of this. Not just the two of them, the world
itself witnessed this and felt elevated in this Our conditioning is such that consumption is
experience. given a premium at the cost of contribution

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