Recently a veteran actor from the Indian film industry was given the highest civilian award for his contribution towards spreading cultural values across the globe. We all have experienced this euphoria in theatres while a heroic character makes an entry on screen, there are loud cheers, whistles, applause and more. The beauty of his performance lies in his ability to internalise the character to the extent that he and his role seem one to his fans. Hence, his greatness lies only in playing the role to the best of his capability. It is this element of detachment from the different roles he plays that allows him to progress, play multiple roles simultaneously with clarity and then return to his personal life at the end of the day.
Not many of us know that the world cycle is very much similar to this drama in which all of us are actors with unique parts. Everyone is the protagonist in his/her life and can become a hero who draws applause. However, today we find that there is widespread chaos with actors criticising each other’s performances instead of theirs. The reason for this trouble is that most of us act without the knowledge that the earth is a stage and we have all come here to play our individual roles. Secondly, each actor's role is unique and pre-scripted and hence trying to match it with anybody else's is futile. In the absence of this understanding or its consciousness, we get attached to our roles, forget to change our costumes and make-up and lose the flexibility to adapt to each part.
Take a simple example of a person who plays several roles at the same time. Now! if he remains stuck up in the consciousness of being a male, he could dominate his wife at home or look down upon his female staff at office. On the other hand, if he is conscious that he is an actor and must like a hero to win everyone’s hearts, then he would understand the requirements of his role and become active, accurate and attractive at whatever he does. Similarly, if we become detached to the roles we play and keep faith in the eternal law that the drama has been scripted for universal benefit, the feeling of loss and gain, comfort and pain would begin to dissolve and our mind would stop to question the developments in every scene and a peaceful equanimity will begin to settle in our mind, helping us to enjoy the drama, review our performance and be patient and forgiving towards others.
The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal and the UK. He can be contacted at nikunjji@gmail.com / www.brahmakumaris.com
