“I am the master of my fate

I am the captain of my soul”

-From Invictus by William Ernest Henley

For a good half a million years, we hunted animals and gathered fruits. All this time we were nourished on a steady diet of fears and myths born of those fears. Floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, famines, diseases and all other phenomenon over which we had no control or could make no sense of- they commanded our dread; and we revered what we feared, and we tried to placate and appease all that we revered and feared. These mysterious forces, we invented sounds for them, over a period we put a face to them. Slowly as time progressed, we processed the unknown in the shape of our aspirations and dreams and desires. We projected on to them what we could not be. We called them the Elements, Forces, Principles, Gods. Yes! We created those Gods, and like an acquired taste we started invoking them for all reasons big and small.

This was our first brush with Greatness. We had created a pecking order, in which we were somewhere in the middle, with supernatural forces (created by us) at the top of the continuum, and all birds and beasts and flora at the bottom. We invented elaborate rituals to keep the Gods happy. Thus, we acknowledged Greatness. We personified it. We worshipped it. We bestowed upon it the title of “Creator” and gave it irrevocable rights and powers and control over the Universe and everything that lived on it, including us. We perceived Greatness as something on the outside, something that is present everywhere, knows everything and is all powerful. Until one day, some of us decided that we wanted a smidgen from that infinite reservoir of power. We invented rituals for that too. Rituals that would make the Gods see us in a favourable light and grant us boon and powers. We were not happy worshipping Gods, we wanted to become one too. The lesser ambitious ones decided they will be the mediums between the Gods and the masses. These thoughts were the birthplace of Shamans and mystics and priests; and Messiahs!

The locus of greatness had shifted from the Outside to the Inside. In a very rudimentary sense of the world- The Great self was born for the first time. It was born out of the wedlock of Myths and Fears. The mind that wanted to believe that the Earth is at the centre of the universe and the sun moves around it, also wanted to believe that inside of us is a blueprint for Greatness. Greatness was no longer the turf of size or physical strength, or the presence of mind required in killing woolly mammoths or sabre tooth tigers. Greatness was something innate, it was the desire to become our most powerful dreams. We feared fire, we revered it, worshipped it for ages, until one day some amongst us with the chutzpah, found that fire can be harnessed to stay warm or to barbeque some mammoth (well done!). In small ways the Greatness blueprint inside us had started to mutate. The gestalt was slowly shifting from fear to making sense of the fear. The wicked old hag of myth no more looked like a wicked old hag, but rather a beautiful maiden of logic and evidence. From controlling fire to declaring that the Earth is not at the centre of the universe and diseases are not a scourge of god, we have come a long way in pushing the unknown into a corner (although it is still a huge corner which fights back, we shall come to that later).

The Great self was born for the second time. This time it was the progeny of Logic and Empirical Evidence. The Renaissance period gave birth to art of grandiose proportions and also witnessed a quantum leap in scientific pursuits. The epicentre had shifted from the hereafter to the here and now. Unknown forces no longer instilled angst in the masses, rather they were a subject of scientific scrutiny and philosophical inquiry. Diseases were no longer a scourge of the gods but aberrations in health that could be treated and cured. This was the age of inquiry and reason. This was the age that ushered in a remarkable work ethic that promised to vanquish the ills induced by weather, diseases or lack of proper education. The indomitable human spirit is best ensconced in the marvels of engineering and architecture, the painstakingly created and breathtakingly magnificent Art and literature, scientific inventions and medical breakthroughs. The Great self was making its presence felt in the collective consciousness of the rational human beings.

Today, we are living in an era which according to the famous author Steven Pinker in his book “The better angels of our nature” is the most peaceful era of all times. We have freedom like we never had before (in most parts of the world). We have the technology and the resources at our behest, needed to eke out a comfortable life. The medical science has bestowed us with longevity. The world has become a small place that can be fit into our smartphones. And yet with all this cornucopia, this abundance of everything, we are unhappy. We are happy and yet we are unhappy. The reason- we are not wired for complacency. We are meant to become what we can be. We are meant to express ourselves to the fullest of our potentials. If this world is a cocktail then we are a steady mix of Intuition and rationality. We have to make the most of it. All of you who are now reading this book, have that hunger inside of you to not just be happy, you have this insatiable desire to settle for nothing less than being great.

The Great self is waiting to be born the third time. This time it will be the offspring of Enlightenment and Energy. The Great self will be beyond the shackles of dogmatism, caste, class, creed, religion, even science. The Great self will rise and soar high, dynamic, reverberating with enthusiasm and power. The Great self will be more than the sum total of its parts – beliefs handed down to us through the ages, that give us a context and keep us rooted and the spirit of free inquiry which is so vital and paramount to our growth. We as human beings have this uncanny ability to conform and be subversive at the same time. The Great self, thrives on this juxtaposition. The Great self is waiting to be manifested as you and me.

As we proceed along the book, we are going to learn that Greatness is a state of being. We have to imbibe it and make it our lifestyle, our philosophy. Allow greatness to dig its roots deep inside you such that it becomes your involuntary reflex. As Douglas Adams says in his book “The Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy” Flying is all about throwing yourself at the ground and missing it”. In the same vein , being great is all about taking the plunge into the debris of mediocrity and complacency, shooting right through, and emerging on the other side, victorious, jubilant, throbbing and pulsating with energy, and GREAT.

This soliloquy from one of my movies “Gladiator” has stayed with me-

My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.

The movie is well known for its grandiose sets and robust fight scenes. But this scene stayed with me for another reason. The character played by Russell Crowe is making a point. He does not need to raise his voice till his carotid artery juts out of his jugular. There is no shrieking, there is no shouting and yet he is making one of the most vehement statements that has become immortalized in the annals of celluloid history. Why? The answer is Energy. His demeanour and his composure along with the words he chooses exudes immense energy. Energy reflects power, energy reflects control, energy reflects the inner mettle, and energy reflects the courage on one’s convictions. Energy is at the core, at the nucleus of the atom that is Greatness. Why is energy so important?

In the universe that we inhabit, there is something called Entropy. Also known as the arrow of time, entropy is the progression from the state of order to disorder or chaos. Entropy is the reason why building a house of cards and putting that last one up there, gives you the jitters, but collapsing it is just a huff and puff. Entropy is the reason why your car gets old, as does your house and so do you. Amongst the fundamental laws of physics that govern our universe, Entropy sits there right at the top. Entropy, also known as the “Dance of Shiva” is taking the world towards chaos. There is not much you can do about it. But what we can do is we can counter Entropy to the best of our abilities.

As the poet Dylan Thomas puts it across so succinctly in his poem-

“Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light”

We are all going to die someday. But we are here now and we are here for a purpose. The purpose is to maximise our potential, the purpose is to make the most of our sapient life to lead a fulfilling existence. Opinions are divided over whether life has any meaning or purpose. Most of the organised religions have some meaning making process embedded into their workings. Hinduism says that Existence is Leela or the act of God. But if we ask questions like “What is in it for God?” and “if he is complete unto himself, why this whole charade of creating a universe? “Mostly we will be asked to hush our questions, but more important than that no one has the answer. Once after a talk by some famous atheist, an old lady came up to him, brandishing her stick in defiance and all belligerent and said “Sir, what all you have said is rot!, I know that this Earth is flat and it sits on the top of four elephants” The speaker was amused, he asked “and what do the Elephants stand upon” to this came an impatient quip “Upon a Giant Turtle!” He further persevered to ask her “ And what does the turtle stand upon” Came the reply of a lady who now clearly sounded like a Sunday school teacher who had lost it with a kid who had forgotten to learn his catechisms “ What do you mean by that? Everyone knows it is turtles all the way down!”

So yes most of our myths are like turtles all the way down. Then there are others like the existentialists who believe that life inherently has no meaning. It is through our actions that we give meaning. Though I am not subscribing to any of the doctrines or “isms” let us stick to this definition, clearly because it is simple and stripped of all unnecessary baggage. We need to strip all our baggage, our indoctrination can shackle us to the terra firma of conformity and dogmatism. We need to be sprightly and buoyant all the time. For us to be great, our nucleus should reverberate with energy. Only then we can help others to be great. For all of us frequent and not so frequent flyers, we have to go through the necessary but vapid rigmarole of safety instructions demonstrated by beautiful looking people with wooden faces. I find this part absolutely important. It is like a gospel truth. “In case of fall in air pressure, oxygen masks will pop down, make sure to wear your own mask first, before trying to help others. Always assist yourself first before helping others.” Golden words! Always remember it is absolutely important to be selfish, only then can you be of value to others. Ramakrishna Paramhansa the great mystic of India and the Guru of Swami Vivekananda used to say “God is not for the hungry and the starved” It is important to LOVE yourself. Only then will you endeavour for the greatest in life.

We have to be selfish, hungry and greedy. We have to be greedy for knowledge. We have to be greedy towards improving ourselves every day. We have to learn to live each day without languor, without sloth, without complacency, without mediocrity, without doing things that fritter away energy in meaningless pursuits like gossip and quarrels. There are things money cannot buy, but perhaps it can buy some amount of happiness through creature comforts and luxuries. And yet these things wear us down very soon. We have more than two hundred Television channels and we are not happy. That is because “The Greatness Blueprint” inside of us craves action, it craves ambition, it craves Self-Actualization” Greatness has to become a journey, a relentless pursuit. It has to become a reflex action. Greatness has to become our threshold for life. Greatness has to become our lower meniscus. Low hanging fruits are dangerous, they make us stoop and they make our ambitions droop and wilt away. We have to aim high and we have to soar high, we must grow our own wings and the energy must come from within.

To quote the great philosopher and mystic Jalaluddin Rumi-

“Do not raise your voice, raise your words, It is not thunder that grows flowers”

We must raise our words, we must raise our thoughts and we must raise our feelings. We must raise our actions to create something enormously significant and beautiful. We must raise ourselves to the levels of loftiness that our great self deserves. We must become the “Mahatman” or the Great Self. Across cultures I have come across sentiments where people talk about “waiting for the Messiah” or “waiting for the Christ” The Hindus talk about “waiting for Kalki- the tenth incarnation of Vishnu.” We have to wait for no one. We have to be the Messiah, the Christ and the Kalki we have been waiting for. We have to be the Robinson Crusoe of our life and we have to be our own Man Friday. We have to be our own Mahatman.

And while we raise ourselves to the epitome of our best versions, let us get a bird’s eye view about some of the important precepts of Mahatman philosophy-

We must seek power and not peace– We are already in peace. That is our natural state. We are rooted in peace. That is why when anyone is angry we say “calm down”. We are bringing that person down to the roots that is Peace. Therefore we need not strive for what we already have. We must seek power. We must be ambitious and hungry and greedy and unapologetic about aspiring for anything and everything that makes us powerful and great. This does not mean we should seek power without paying heed to our conscience. Our conscience is the “Chitragupt” or the “Saint Peter” who sits at every fork of a choice and we must listen to its voice. We must empower our conscience to make decisions from a position of strength and not from a position of weakness. On our shoulders we carry a halo on one side and a pitchfork on the other. We must succumb neither to the halo nor to the pitchfork but carve our own path of greatness.

We must seek greatness and not happiness– There is an old proverb which says “A happy man wears no shirt” But I ask you, really how many of you wish for a life like that. Happiness is our natural state of existence. Look at the animals around you, and the birds, and butterflies, they are all happy and carefree. But that is what sets us apart from the rest of the creatures. There is a blueprint for greatness inside each one of us, which yearns and craves for scaling the zenith of our potential. Happiness will makes us all feel hunky dory, but sooner or later we will all languish into complacency. At all times we must avoid the garden of low hanging fruits. We must choose what must be done over what makes us happy. We have to push our limits and make some tough choices. That is how we shall all turn into indomitable forces of greatness. There is a beautiful movie by the name “Hurricane” about a former middleweight boxer who was wrongly convicted for a triple murder in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey. I love a statement made by the eponymous Rubin Hurricane Carter- “I will always be the Hurricane and the Hurricane is beautiful” We must all strive to raise a storm of greatness in this happy life of ours. We must be great.

We must seek Actualization and not Enlightenment– We are called the Homo Sapien Sapien for a reason. We are not just the human, we are a wise human. Apart from everything else that separates us from birds and beasts is our ability to think about what we think. We are born enlightened. We are born realized. Let us not swoon over a red herring that is dangled in front of us by many self-proclaimed Gurus, Swamis and Evangelists. Let us not get lured by promises of a fantastic afterlife redolent with all the opulence you could ever imagine. We have to create our Shangri-La on this very planet. This planet is our Inferno, and this planet is our Purgatory and we have to take massive action to transform our planet into a Paradise of great people. We have to climb the beanstalk of Actualization to find the kingdom of greatness that is already within us. We must pursue our heart’s calling, pursue it tenaciously and relentlessly and not stop till we paint the most mesmerizing picture or write the most evocative poetry or do research worthy of a Nobel. Our aim is to Actualize and become the greatest and most fulfilled version of ourselves.

We must seek Compassion and not love – Philosopher Erich Fromm says in his book “The Art of Loving” – “There is hardly any activity, any enterprise, which is started with such tremendous hopes and expectations, and yet, which fails so regularly, as love.” He further says “Most people see the problem of love primarily as that of being loved, rather than that of loving, of one’s capacity to love.” If we want to be great all the time, we must learn the art of being compassionate. We should be able to be compassionate from a position of strength, from a position of greatness. We should be compassionate without the expectation of getting requited. Poetic though this may sound, this is the mantra for great living. And how do we become compassionate from a position of strength? We do that by loving ourselves more than anything else in the world. If we get that clear in our heads, we will be able to avoid all the pitfalls that come with the craving for being loved. Like the great Mystic and Philosopher Rumi says “Be forgiving like the fragrance that flowers give when they are crushed”. Only I would say you do not need to be crushed, just give yourself an enormous amount of compassion, such that when you filter yourself through the vicissitudes of life, the residue that remains shall be forgiveness. Be compassionate like a Master and stay great.