We all want to become something…

We all want to become something:

A pacifist,

a war hero,

a millionaire,

a virtuous man,

or what you will.

The very desire to become something involves conflict,

and that conflict produces war.

There is peace only when there is no desire to become something,

and that is the only true state, because in that state alone

there is creation, there is reality.

But that is completely foreign to the whole

structure of society,

which is the projection of yourself.

You worship success.

Your God is success,

the giver of titles, degrees, positions and authority.

There is a constant battle within yourself,

the struggle to achieve what you want.

You never have a peaceful moment,

there is never peace in your heart because

You are always striving to become something,

to progress.

Do not be misled by the word “progress”.

Mechanical things progress,

but thought can never progress

except in terms of its own becoming.

                                                                       ——— Krishnamurti  (from Collected Works, Vol. 6)

Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895 – 1986) was an Indian philosopher, public speaker and a very eminent writer.  His talks on philosophical and spiritual issues, psychological revolution and nature of human mind, consciousness, meditation and relationships have been published worldwide. He is also famous for his books The First and Last Freedom (1954), Commentaries of Living (1956-1960), Freedom from the Known (1969).

Krishnamurti was always against following any doctrines, religious beliefs, discipline, teacher, guru or even himself. Born in Madanapalle in Madras Presidency (Andhra Pradesh), Krishnamurti travelled to the US and finally settled in Ojai, California. He was adopted by the members of the Theosophical traditions as a child by likes of Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater, but once he grew up, he distanced himself from this religious movement. He believed that “truth is a pathless land” and emphasized on topics such as choiceless awareness, psychological inquiry, and freedom from all kinds of religious or cultural conditioning.

Author: Pearl Jasra