Finding greater ideals is an ongoing effort; it needs search, vigilance, and constant forward movement. Some times, one would be surprised to discover that the places and beliefs wherein one had discovered great ideals a while ago become barren and has no traces of the ideal or attributes of god. Matthew 13: 44-46 tells us about a framer who digs in a farm and finds a treasure, goes back sells all he has, and goes and buys that farm. Or again, it tells about a trader who goes in search of fine pearls; when he finds one he goes and sells all he has, and goes and buys that pearl of great value.
The smoothness and confidence in which they carried out the transactions, I would imagine that it is not the first time they have found a treasure, or fine pearls respectively and have sold everything that they thought precious so far and took possession of the treasure or fine pearls. And I am sure they will sell this treasure, or this fine pearl to buy still greater treasure or still finer pearls in the future. Spirituality is one’s capacity to make these choices, and move forward, or make such transitions, repeatedly. For most, buying a treasure or pearl of great value is easy; but letting go or selling off the petty pearls and trivial treasures is difficult, thus they get lost in between what they were and a possible rebirth or greater newer self. They end up idolising the petty, trivial, old pearls and treasuries.
There is an interesting poem by Vyloppilli Sreedara Menon (1911-1985), called, Ennapuzhukkal. It begins with a young boy’s instinctual desire to kill a little worm that was passing by. Seeing his desire to kill and destroy his mother tells him, “Appu, dhrohikkarithu”, do not hurt, and do not kill it. Appu looked at her with questioning eyes, why? Mother had to give an answer. So she said that the worm is going with oil for gods to apply and take bath. Hearing of worms’ relation to gods, the little boy never hurt or killed any worms thereafter. Years passed, the boy became a man, and in the process, he loses his faith in gods, and understands that worms do not carry oil for the bathing of gods. And these are just simple worms. Now he had no reason not to kill. But by then he had found sense in the words of his mother that told him, “Appu dhrohikkaruthu”, do not hurt, do not kill, had engrained into his character. He had moved to a greater sense of ethics, a greater compass of spirituality. And he would not hurt or kill, not only worms, but also any creatures. He moved on from 'killing' to 'do not kill because of gods' to 'do not kill because of mother', to 'do not kill'.
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