I joined Bhagavat Asraya prabhu on his Gita Vani Radio Show again this week. We continued our discussion on varnasrama-dharma. This time talking about one type of asuric varnasrama-dharma, the kind where activities are aligned with the nature of the body and mind, but without an understanding of the spiritual aspect of existence, including the principle of service to the Supreme.
Bhagavat Asraya mentioned one book he had read "How to Spot a Psychopath in the Workplace", which describes people who misuse this knowledge, and I mentioned "Who Moved My Blackberry?", a satirical parody of the modern business environment which is a study in the thinking of just such a person.
Here you can find more links on psychopaths in the workplace:
Yes, we even have such psychopaths in ISKCON. My policy is to offer respect from a distance, and keep away from them as much as possible. And try not to be one myself (since I don't have a soul or a conscience, luckily Krishna sent my dear godbrother Ekendra das to be one for me).
Here's the show:
an apology
"Yes, we even have such psychopaths in ISKCON. My policy is to offer respect from a distance, and keep away from them as much as possible. And try not to be one myself (since I don't have a soul or a conscience, luckily Krishna sent my dear godbrother Ekendra das to be one for me)."
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American Heritage Dictionary:
psy·cho·path (sī'kə-păth') pronunciation - n. - A person with an antisocial personality disorder, manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse.
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It sounds like this sort of description is what you are hurling at me. I won't disagree with you entirely here but I think you'd need to know me a bit better before you publicly assassinate my character.
Sounds like you are hurt by something I said or did to you. It was never my intention to hurt your feelings. Obviously it seems we aren't going to agree on lots of issues at present but I've never entertained any urge to slander your character publicly as you've done here.
So please forgive my offense for tactlessly posting a quote from Srila Prabhupada that, admittedly, was intended to discourage you from writing your own commentary on Gita. Why not just write your own book? Why use Krishna's purposeful message as a medium to broadcast your own thinking (however well intended)? Isn't the descending process of knowledge delivered the other way around as Srila Prabhupada explained in the quotation I posted (without added bolding this time)? What kind of example are you setting for others? Should we all just follow your example and write commentaries on Gita to suit our own fancy? That's the example you are setting with your own leadership.
This is all well-intended criticism (although it certainly isn't well received judging by your caustic reaction). I never called you a sociopath or a crackpot or any other sort of slanderous words - I don't think I could ever be so intentionally ugly or offensive to anyone - what to speak of someone who is in the same boat as me - struggling to make something useful of my otherwise worthless life by serving Srila Prabhupada's mission.
So, as your unappreciated but supportive friend, I am concerned about what you are saying now and what you are doing now as it will directly impact a future that, like it or not, we share. That's why I read your blog postings as they come through on planetiskcon.com. That's why every so often I make an honest comment knowing that you most likely will not immediately appreciate it. In this case, I just happened to come across this brilliant excerpt from Srila Prabhupada's lecture and thought of your efforts to comment on Gita from an angle of your own perhaps divinely inspired will? I thought you might be receptive considering the sound vibration came unedited from the mouth of the Founder Acarya of the mission whose future we are both concerned with.
"But according to Bhagavad-gītā, all these six hundred editions in different, studied from different angle of vision, they are all absurd and nonsense. It is very difficult. People have been misled by the so-called commentaries. There is no need of unnecessarily commenting on certain things. There is no necessity. Commentary or interpretation required when things are not very clear. Then you can suggest, "The meaning may be like this." But when the things are clear, why should you comment? There is no necessity of comment." (Srila Prabhupada)
and ok ... like every other living entity you are entitled to your freedom of thought and expression - but so am I. Does it make me a psychopath to express my disagreement though? I could just as easily turn the argument back on you and erroneously present you to the world as a psychopath. I don't, however, want to be unfair - and I'd fear the reaction for having offended you. In fact, the whole purpose of this message is to try to clear my offenses to you by explaining my motivation. I hope it worked. Please let me know if it didn't and I will discuss at length any particular point here or any area of concern you may have about anything else under the sun.
As I've said and written to you several times before: "I'm not your enemy".
... falling face first and flat into the dust of your feet ...
Your servant,
Ekendra das
http://www.gopala.org/
:-) No need to go
:-) No need to go on the defense, my dear prabhu.
I can't really speak to the dictionary definition that you've introduced.
Please do read the linked articles about psychopaths in the workplace to understand what's being discussed. The articles are quite interesting, and I know people both within and without ISKCON who are like that. I wasn't thinking of you at all when I mentioned that point.
But now I'm thinking, as Brother Tony Evans says: "If it doesn't apply to you, let it pass by. But if you're feeling it right now - it probably applies to you."
[Take the bait if you must... ;-)]
Please read what I wrote again. Of course I don't think you're a psychopath, and please note carefully that I never said I did. I don't really think that I am one either, which is what I actually implied. But then again, it does say that psychopaths don't think they are psychopaths...
Sincerely: thank you for your association. Keep on keepin' on! :-)
The penny drops
I just had someone else read what I wrote originally and I can see that it might be misread, depending on your understanding of the author's intent. My apologies for any unintended misunderstanding.
Purport
Generally speaking, and specifically in this verse, the pronoun "one" is to be understood to refer to the immediately preceding impersonal noun, thus the first occurrence refers to "psychopath" and the second occurrence refers to "conscience", not "psychopath".
The second occurrence could be understood to also apply the noun "psychopath", but acaryas have explained that this understanding introduces the fault of rasabhasa, due to the juxtaposition of the terms "dear godbrother", and "lucklily".
Thus this verse should be understood as:
"And try not to be a psychopath myself (since I don't have a soul or a conscience, luckily Krishna sent my dear godbrother Ekendra das to be a conscience for me)"
the truth comes out
fact is, prabhu, that I felt awkward with you ever since i put that heavy quote underneath your Gita commentary. I thought it was a pretty confrontational and tactless thing to do - I considered this after I'd already enthusiastically posted it that is.
So that had me sort of just nervously expecting a spicy response that i read into your comment above.
anyways, i fully enjoy our dialogues and they help keep my brain stimulated - albeit sometimes in ways i'd prefer not to be.
This latest stuff on 'Keep it real' is right on brother. tell it like it is!
what if by nature you're just a jerk though? should someone just go on being the jerk that comes most naturally to them?
sorry for any troubles.
Your jerk servant,
Ekendra das
http://www.gopala.org/
Check out
Check out www.hellomynameisscott.com.
I read one of his free ebooks the other day and it had something that really spoke to me:
"Never Apologise for who you are".
Word. :-)
(and I don't agree with your statement that you're a jerk)