Evolve: Two Minute Wisdom

by Radhanath Swami

The same drop of water which could shrink the leaf of a ‘touch-me-not’ plant, does not even stay on the surface of a lotus leaf. The drop immediately slides down the leaf. The flow of water does not even leave a scar on the leaf, as if the water never even fell on the leaf.

Real self-confidence is not based on our achievements or our successes in this world but it is based on the fulfillment of who we are, what our purpose is, and what we represent to ourselves, to our families, and to the world around us.

To fail is not much of a loss, to lose one's character and integrity is a major loss to our inner life.

Low self-esteem really means a lack of real contentment within one's inner life. People with low self-esteem like to gossip. Why? Because that’s what gives them pleasure. They do not have any substance inside. On the other hand, self-confident people speak of their ideals in life and not of the faults of others.

But integrity means we understand what is right and we do it—even if people criticize us, even if people make jokes or laugh at us. Eventually those same people will come to us when they are in trouble, because they understand that here is a person with integrity.

What is jealousy? That means we are so hollow, so empty within, there is so much lack of fulfillment about our worth, our value, and who we are, that we actually have to feel a type of hatred and jealousy towards others who appears to be better.

important to understand that it is better to fail in the eyes of the world and protect the integrity of your character and the ideals that you hold sacred in your life. That itself is victory.

One of the greatest problems we face in life is that we all want to be in control of our destiny, today and tomorrow, but we are not in control. We lose our beauty, we lose our money, and we lose our physical capacities. It is a humbling experience to live in this world because we are not the controllers.

Religion is supposed to create a sense of seeing every living being with an equal vision. It is supposed to bring a spirit of compassion and love for everyone. If you don’t love everyone, you cannot love God. However, religion has the very opposite effect when, it creates sectarianism, bigotry, and hatred toward others. What does that mean? It is an inability to tolerate the envy in our heart in the name of God.