Jonathan Swift said: “When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.” It has been my observation that when anyone begins to follow a right course of action, whatever area in life it may involve, he is immediately challenged by one or more dunces about it.
On the other hand, if he decides to do something completely meaningless or foolish, usually no one has any objection at all. Consequently, by the time I reached my teen years I judged my ideas and actions by who, and how many, disapproved of them. The more opposition I got from the dunces, the more on target I knew I was. This was especially so in regard to spiritual life.
When I became a yogi I was continually amazed at the number of people–mostly strangers who had only heard about my “kookiness”–who felt I was obliged to defend myself against their ignorance and prejudice. They would be outraged when I would explain politely that I had the right to think and do as I thought best and so did they. It did not bother me that they thought yoga was idiotic or “of the devil,” and it need not bother them that I thought otherwise.
My challengers were never people with real principles or purposes, but those who lived in a muddle of discontent and meaninglessness. Intuitively aware that I was going to “ruin the curve” by escaping from the hamster wheel they considered life, they were infuriated by my daring to imply that their way of life was not worth living. They would eventually subside into resentful silence, comforting themselves with the thought that eventually I would realize I was a fool and give up yoga, or go crazy and be locked up, or continue and be damned forever at the Judgement Day.
Anyone who embarks on the path to higher consciousness should be prepared for this phenomenon, and secure enough in his decision to not be bothered by it. Especially he must never think that there is any use in responding to these people–there can only be harm.
Sri Ramakrishna said: “Worldly people say all kinds of things about the spiritually minded. But look here! When an elephant moves along the street, any number of curs and other small animals may bark and cry after it; but the elephant doesn’t even look back at them.…God dwells in all beings. But you may be intimate only with good people; you must keep away from the evil-minded. God is even in the tiger; but you cannot embrace the tiger on that account.”
More Hidden Gems:
- How to Become a Sage
- 51 Points on Meditation
- A Matter of Perspective
- Who is God? The Yogi’s Viewpoint
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