QUESTION & ANSWERS
expressing your emotions, then also you will
be in trouble and you will also put others
in trouble. That’s why emotions should be
streamlined through wisdom. When there
is wisdom then you know which emotion
should be expressed and which should not
be expressed. When and where you should
express, and should not. Suppose you are at
a funeral service, then you can’t say, “Oh, I
am so happy’, and keep jumping! People will
feel like slapping you. You may be happy but
you cannot express it.Similarly, if you are sad and there is a wedding
party or reception happening, you can’t go
and say, “I am so sad.” People would not like
to see a sad face, when they are celebrating.
You will spoil the whole atmosphere. So, you
have to use your discrimination on where,
when and how you should express your
emotions and where not to.Gurudev, how to be humble, yet
authoritative at work?Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That is
a skill that you have to cultivate. You have
to be humble and yet, firm. It is easy to
be strict and arrogant, and it is easy to be
humble and weak. Humility with weakness
is no good. Strength with humility is the
most appreciable quality. Arrogance with
authority is very easy, but authority and
humility together is something that is worth
having. And, if you can manage to master
that, you have succeeded in life. Similarly,
it is easy to give up things in anger and
frustration, but letting go of them with a
fullness of contentment and happiness, is a
skill.How can we drop the Ego?
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Why do
you want to drop the Ego? Just keep it aside
and do not struggle with it. Often, we want to
get rid of the Ego because it brings pain. But,
this desire to be free from the Ego magnifies
the Ego even more. Being natural is the
simplest way to overcome the Ego. Just take
it for granted that everyone belongs to you. I
travel to so many countries. Wherever I have
gone, I have not met one single person who
I felt, was a stranger to me.
When we read about the bad deeds of
people in the newspaper, can it also
affect our karma?
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: No, you
should read it lightly. If you take them too
much on to yourself, yes, it affects your
mind. Otherwise, it won’t affect anything
else. Read lightly and forget about it. It is all
part of the Universe.
Gurudev, I am at a phase where I am
allowing my emotions to take over, and I
am aware of this. Otherwise, I feel they
get suppressed. Am I on the right path?
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Emotions
are such that sometimes you should abstain
from them, and sometimes you should
express them. You can’t take extreme views
here. You cannot always suppress your
emotions and you cannot always keep
expressing your emotions. Both will bring
you difficulty and trouble.
If you always suppress your emotions
you will be in trouble. If you always keep