Perfecting Youth

Author(s): Udayvallabhvijay
Publisher: Samkit Yuvak Mandal

Page 23

There is a difference in two emotions:
1. Feeling someone as the other.
2. Having feelings for others. "The feeling of othernesses makes you unconcerned, leaving you in a least bothering state, eliminating the sense of humanity from your mind and behavior. "The feeling for others' gives your existence a human touch.
"I have an Axe, to chop the tree down is not a big deal”, the first one said. “Why go for such a big job? Just chopping the big branches will do", the second one corrected.
While having a meal, we never think about our servant as he is 'other', but a mother shall never have a meal until her son has had it, because she is a 'mother'.
"No need for that too, cutting down the smaller ones can serve the purpose", the third one negotiated.
Our consumption pattern has lost its "mother touch' and has been cursed with the 'other touch'.
A story from Jain scriptures stands exemplary to explain the different consumption patterns.
“Cutting the branches is unnecessary for us. It will deprive the birds from their home. We can do just with plucking the bunches”, the fourth one justified his view.
Six hungry men were passing through a jungle. Exhausted, they went searching if they could find something to eat. They came across a Jamun Tree with bunch full of purple Jamuns. Wow!!! What a timely source for satisfying hunger! One exclaimed, now how shall we 'download' the Jamuns from the 'Server' he asked humorously. Everyone voiced their opinions to get hold of the Jamuns. Let's go through them:
"Take care! Not all the bunches, just a few jamuns will do". The fifth one said expressing his concern for the other people who can get the rest. "Haven't you noticed so many Jamuns lying on the ground? When what we want is just handy, no need to go for the source of supply (Jamun tree). We are gifted with rich resource, but, mind you,
PERFECTING YOUTH