How do you as an individual relate to the world?

Answer 1

The question can be interpreted in one of two ways: 1. How do you (as a specific individual) relate to the world?, and 2. How should an individual relate to the world? == == == == As far as the first interpretation is concerned, the answers, being personal, could be as many as the individuals trying to answer the query. == == == == I'll therefore focus on the second interpretation. In this context, we must first recognize the fact that by the very nature of things, human beings are social creatures and have to live with other human (and animal) beings. While this facilitates living, it also imposes a cost, viz., the need to adhere to society's laws, norms and conventions. Morality also demands that we abide by the norms. Of course one is free to avoid/ violate them, but then s(he) should be prepared to accept the consequences too. == == The second important thing seems to be to have one or more goals which one believes in and can live for. The goals could cover a wide canvas, from the most mundane to the most lofty ones. The goal(s) will help one decide the way one needs to relate to the world around oneself. The way an aspirant for a political post needs to engage with the world is, for example, very different from the way one aspiring for supreme peace needs to. If one wants a simple guide for general living, there is nothing like the Ten Commandments of The Bible. == == At a more sublime level, one can follow the Eastern philosophical exhortation to exist in the world like a lotus in a muddy pond: live in it, and yet remain free from the taint! The Bhagvad Gita of Hindus, for example, exhorts one to perform every action in the spirit of excellence but not get 'attached' to its results!! The Buddhists seek a state of mind in which one is established in 'equanimity' irrespective of the incessant changes going on in and outside the body-mind complex. == == == == The greater the goal, the greater the 'sacrifice' needed. Attainment of the highest goal requires a clear knowledge of the inherent impermanence of all existence, faith in the fact that one is more than a body and mind, and sterling qualities of mind and heart (including discipline, perseverance, and concern for all living beings). The end-result is however fully worth it.