Burning the Evil Within

The Demon and the God battle for supremacy. The good wins over the evil and the world celebrates the burning of evil. And the world is a better place to live till the evil face surfaces again…. The stories, the legends and the mythological representations of Evil and Good have had a deep impact on our growing up. But somewhere down the line we have forgotten the reason why these stories were born. The good and the evil, Ram and Ravan both exist within us. Within all of us no matter what we see ourselves as. Lets look at the ten faces of evil within all of us that need to be destroyed today 1. The evil face of fear: This face may look different to each one of us but we all have this evil face. We live with the constant fear of losing, could be money, could be life, could be loved one or could just be a game. Unfortunately this evil face does not motivate us it just makes us hide. Hide behind not trying , behind giving up and behind avoiding. The longer you avoid the larger the face becomes and then we cannot see anything beyond it. You can’t run away from your own face of fear. You will have to face it and the moment you look at fear in the eyes it disappears. Fear should be a motivator, a source of caution not of avoidance. Fear is putting seat belts on before driving not getting out of the car. So take out the arrow of trying and destroy this evil face.

2. The evil face of self doubt: This one is right next to the fear face. I am not good enough has caused more destruction than any weapon. What is enough? When do you become good enough at something? When you start doing it! No one was good enough to begin with. We eventually become better and better whether as a person or as a professional. I cannot sit in a place and wait to become ‘good enough’ and then do something. I need the arrow of ‘so what’ to destroy this evil face. So what if I am not good enough I have the scope to improve.

3. The evil face of comparison: From not good enough to not as good as. The next evil face. We spend our life in comparison. From comparing our marks to comparing our salaries. From comparing our looks to comparing the looks of our cars. Does this make me try harder? No it just makes me jealous and insecure and makes me make mistakes. How does it matter what the other person has or does. What matters is what I do. Comparing ourselves to people who have more to people who have less is not going to take me anywhere. I need the arrow of self believe. A belief that I can be where I want to be and I don’t need to be where someone else is.

4. The evil of face excuses: I can’t do it because….. We have so many reasons to explain why we did not get about doing our work. I don’t have time, money or there is too much pressure etc etc. One line from Shakespeare strikes the point here ‘To thine own self be true’. You are just lying to yourself when you make these excuses. So we need to shoot down the arrows of procrastination and laziness and start. There is no need to look for a perfect day to start.

5. The evil face of complacency: We often tend to relax or get comfortable when we achieve something or have a steady relationship. We start getting lazy and taking things for granted. When you roll an object uphill you need to continue to support by exerting pressure or it will roll back down. This simple rule applies to life too. When you try hard to reach a place we need to work to maintain balance. The arrows need to keep going. Never stop firing!

6. The evil face of dependence: We have a tendency to wait for the rescuer. We tend to wait for someone to come set things right. We want someone ‘to understand and support us’. Someone to motivate us or guide us. Why? We need the arrow of self reliance and self motivation. The best push is the push that comes from within. If I believe in myself and encourage myself I can conquer the world.

7. The evil face of extremes: We tend to divide the world into black and white. Either I try too hard and burn myself out or I don’t try at all. Either I am a health freak who can’t eat junk food even once or all I do is eat junk. We are humans and not pendulums. There is no need to sway from one extreme to another. We need the arrow of moderation. Doing things in limit and to enjoy things in moderation is what is required.

8. The evil face of ego: Ego is an overused and abused word. However we still do not know what ego means. When does pride and esteem become ego? The answer is simple when it stops you from changing. When it stop you from appreciating the other. When it stops you from learning. We need the arrow of humbleness. We need to understand that the knowledge that brought us to where we are is never ending. The thirst for knowledge is what makes life move forward but unless the knowledge is used for betterment of the society in general it is a failure.

9. The evil face of green grass: We think that the problem to our solution lies on the other side. The student believes that becoming an adult will solve his problems. An unmarried person believes marriage will change his life. A married person is desperate to be single again. We believe leaving the country will be less complicated. But the truth is that we can be successful anywhere. We need the arrow of trust. Trust in our own capacity to make things work no matter what the circumstances.

10. The evil face of perfection: Perfection is absolutely desirable except when it stops you from doing what you have to do. Many people give up because they don’t believe they can do it 100% perfectly. Imagine a batsman saying that he would not bat if he does not score hundred. A quick 50 runs can win the match instead of a long drawn hundred. Perfection is the ultimate motivator. It is something that can push us to better ourselves. We need the practice arrow because practice makes perfect. No one starts perfect! Let us aim to be our own Ram and destroy the evil faces that stop us from moving forward Let us burn our own demons.