While reading Bhagavad-gita, there were many themes that stood out to me. One that particularly sparked my interest was the concept of selflessness. In the text, Krishna answers Arjuna’s question about the inner self and evil with a lesson on yoga ie. Meditation and self-control. He says, “Having abandoned all desires born to satisfy intentions, and having utterly restrained the many sense by the mind,” (1297) and “Constantly controlling himself, the yogi, freed from evil now, swiftly attains perpetual joy of contact here with Brahman.” (1297).

In other words, Krishna is claiming that in order to gain freedom from evil and attain good, one must engage in selflessness.

In my view, selflessness is an imbalanced way of life which leads one to avert from the human nature of having desires and needs. The way I see it, your body, family/friends, and the higher being all have rights over you. Worshipping the higher being should in balance with taking care of your body and being available for your loved ones. Evil is something that we are meant to be tested with and breaking free from it should be done all the time. Being selfless is almost like a cop out and quite selfish. Instead of being truly selfless by dispelling evil from society and from among one’s loved ones, it causes one to only remove evil from his/her life. By one’s good actions, they can actually bring people closer to the higher being ie. Good.

We see nuns and monks who give up their own physical and social needs to only focus on fulfilling the right of the higher being to be worshipped. But I believe that the higher being actually prefers balance. If you think about it, the world around us is all balanced. The earth is in balance with the stars and the planets; they haven’t ever collided with each other and never will and they’ve been out there for a very long time! The sun is just far enough from us so that we can benefit from it but far enough that we don’t get harmed by it.

I believe too much of anything is bad. We need to do everything in moderation in order to maintain peace and tranquility. Moderation keeps our lives, minds, and the world in balance.

What is the best way to dispel evil and attain good in your view – engaging in selflessness or maintaining balance in one’s life?