The Path of Self-Renewal

There are turbulent times. These are competitive times. These are disturbing times. These are changing times. And the pace of change is very fast. By the time one is able to adapt to the change, the scenario has changed. Naturally, the one thing that is available for a high premium is tranquillity of mind. Man is not at peace with himself. In fact, philosophically speaking, he is not at pace with himself as there is a competition between his inner self, the core, and the outer self, the periphery, which is the significant other. Significant because though ephemeral in nature, it is an entity that impacts man significantly. But pause for a moment. Is this a new phenomenon? Think deeply and you will realise it is not. It was always there. Times were disturbing, turbulent and competitive. Changes were taking place. But still that tranquillity and peace, that seem to slip away from the hand like an eel, was not all that elusive. Why it is that tranquillity is difficult to achieve today? Because the nature of competition between the inner self and the outer self is different. It was competition of the inner self with the outer self. Today, it is the competition of the inner self against the outer self. The very nature of this competition is hostile and in any kind of hostility, peace is the first causality. But the most vital issue that arises is can this condition be changed? Is it an impossibility? With a little bit of insight and some sincere effort, the condition can be changed. The inner self needs to be explored, found and strengthened. And it is possible because people in the past could do it. They also had the outer and inner self. They also had the conflict between the two selves. But they could resolve that harmoniously, achieving peace and tranquillity in the process. The solution lies in reinventing the self. It is reinventing the self that will lead to increase in self-effectiveness that we are so desperately searching. But there is a process for reinventing the self. The process begins with self-introspection. The prescription is ‘find time for yourself’. Today the greatest difficulty is to find time for oneself. Technology has speeded up things, shortened distances, catalysed communication and supposedly increased leisure. But the paradoxical part is that this leisure finds you in far greater shortage of time. Swami Vivekananda had said that if you are not talking to yourself at least once a day, you are missing the opportunity of meeting an excellent person in this world. And rightly so. You are your best friend. You are your best enemy too. How you handle self will determine this. Learn to talk to yourself. It is an art. The art of self-introspection. From this will arise the means of self-renewal that will pave the path of reinventing self and finally lead to heightened self-effectiveness. The inner self is the pivot of self-renewal but is not given due importance. The outer self bags all our attention. The following words from Lord Rama may help in understanding the nature of outer self. After vanquishing demon king Ravana, the Lord reached Ayodhya. The people asked how he could slay the mighty Ravana. Lord Rama then said, “I didn’t kill Ravana. It is the ‘I’ who killed Ravana.” ‘I’ refers to Ravana’s ego.