A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

212 THE RfiAL AND THE APPARENT MAN.is the great mother of all misery, and this is the fundamental ignorance, to think that the Irninite weeps andcries, that He is finite, and this is the basis of all ignorance,,this we, the immortal, the ever pure, the perfect spirit,think that we are little minds, that we are little bodies ;this is the mother of all selfishness. As soon as I am alittle body I want to preserve it, to protect it, to keep itnice, at the expense of other bodies ; you and I have become separate. As soon as this idea of separation comes,it opens the door to all mischief and leads to all misery.This is the utility, that if a very small fractional part ofthe human beings livingto-day can put aside this idea ofselfishness and narrowness and littleness, this earth willbecome a paradise to-morrow, but with machines and improvements of material knowledgeit will never come. Itonly increases misery, as oil poured on fire increases theflame all the more. Without the knowledge of spirit,every bit of material knowledge is only adding fuel to fire,only givinginto the hands of selfish man one more instrument to take what belongs to others, to liveupon the lifeof others, instead of giving up one s life for others.Is it practical ? is another question. Can it be practised in modern society? Truth does not pay homage to anysociety, mode or ancient. Society has to pay homage totruth, or die. Societies and all beings are moulded upontruth, and truth has not to adjust itself to society. If suchnoble truth as unselfishness cannot be practised in society,better give up society and go into forests. That is thedaring man. There are two sorts of courage. The courage to jump at the mouth of a cannon. Tigers, in thathave been better than men and wolves also. Butcase,there is another sort of spiritual boldness. An invadingemperor went to India. His teacher told him to go and