"Acting wholeheartedly with wisdom means appreciating the relationships and interactions between ourselves and others," say Joseph O'Connor and John Seymour in their book on NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). (The above illustration is taken from that book.)
You can't really conquer peaks of success all alone simply because everything around you is linked to you. With an invisible string.
When you think you are conquering the peak alone, with no rival beneath you because the sole rival in sight is about to fall off, remember that his fall may mean your fall too.
Why do people actually want to push others down to the bottom?
Helplessness, I think. Inability to manage others. Sheer inability.
Weakness makes us aggressive?
But is it only weakness? Can aggression be fun?
I was watching a young boy playing a race game on computer. Whenever he came across a rival in the game he would do something like hit the rival on his head or kick his bike so that he would be out of the game for a long while. But the game was programmed in such a way that the rival would soon recover and come back with vengeance. So I asked the boy, "Can't you win the race without harming the rivals?"
"The fun lies in the hits." he said.
I can't understand that kind of fun.
I still look forward to a game where we don't have to kick others down in order to win. I am a Romantic, it seems.
Computer games... I am away from them, but as you said, weird one has to hit the rival to win. Wrong message there.
ReplyDeleteMay be offer a rose and distract?
Indrani, I took the computer game merely as an example of the general attitude of people. The young boy was not old enough to understand the intricacies of what he was doing. But why do adults do the same thing?
DeleteIn my experience, aggression is a sign of insecurity, incapability etc in the corporate world.
ReplyDeleteAlso remember the statement from Mahabharatha that always try to win the war with your strength and not by exploiting your opponent's weakness, the same that Gandhiji tried to put in practice as well. Only a noble mind can think so, on keeping fairness even in a gruesome battle.
Thank you, Santhosh. I agree with you entirely. I admire Gandhi too.
DeleteMy understanding is also the same: aggression is a sign of insecurity, weakness, and incapability.
I'm alarmed also by the increasing fascination of the young generation with aggression merely for the sake of fun.
"You can't really conquer peaks of success all alone simply because everything around you is linked to you. With an invisible string."
ReplyDeleteThis is the mantra in Life...hope people understand this!
From school, to college, office, in daily life I've come across instances where people take pleasure in others failure, Why??, I don't understand. Sometimes they give the impression that other failure pleases them more over their own success!! Pathetic state of mind!
This is something that I don't understand either, Aditi. There are far too many people who are thrilled by the failures of other people than their own successes!
DeleteCould it simply be a trait of mediocrity as suggested by some writer whose name I can't recall?
Justified! we live in a cynical world!
ReplyDeletePity!
DeleteHis words reflect the truth..In today's world we really enjoy hurting others,that the we live..Humans have become so obsessed with winning the race that they forget to feel the pain of others,What are we doing Racing against others or Racing against time?
ReplyDeleteWinning is not enough. Aggression is required for the victory to become sweet! Rather odd, isn't it?
DeleteIts funny sometimes that many examples like in (games, leadership books, self motivation sessions, etc) leads our mind to think that the best way to stay ahead is to knock down your rival/opponents in any form depending upon the situation ! But this could lead minds to a destructive way to win or stay ahead ! debatable point ! Well illustrated Sir !
ReplyDeleteIn the olden days people followed certain rules even in wars. For example, calling off the war at sunset and not making any attack until sunrise next morning.
DeleteNow even competitions don't follow rules, instead winning by hook or by crook is all that matters!
Folks! Who wrote this blog? A Genius? Well... who is a genius? Our strength rises from the weaknesses of others. Genius is only a comparative term.
ReplyDeleteA doctoral degree scholar can look at the sweeper and wonder whether he is a genius in doing that job so well. Mediocrity makes a man censure others and find a reason for his own fall. Fall does not refer to the fall in worldly matters but a fall from the sincere and loving hearts.
The author of this blog is no genius, wings, but the humble me, a mediocre individual with pretensions to greatness. This would be the last of all blogs of mine that I would showcase to prove those pretensions as truths :)
DeleteThe profession of any individual is no indicator of his or her 'geniusness'. A sweeper may have more wisdom than a doctoral degree scholar! But then wisdom has never been the prerogative of geniuses either.
The fall of every genius is a cause for celebration for the mediocre. Have you ever wondered why mediocre journos come up with such headlines as "The last of musical geniuses passes away" or "An era comes to an end with the demise of ..."? There's an undertone of joy there. "We are glad to be rid of the genius so that our mediocrity will face less censure" is what they mean.
Yes...unfortunately people are more concerned about who are their rivals and potential rivals. Poor state of mind, I say.
ReplyDeleteThere's no life without some string pulling - that's my experience.
DeleteThere's no life without some string pulling - that's my experience.
DeleteTo be honest, I am least concerned who pulls whom :D I would rather enjoy my life without any hitch. :D
Delete