|
Main Index
|
| |
| |
|
| |
to hide nakedness. Suddenly Adam became different. He was not an animal.
Man is born like Adam and with Adam's shame; with Adam's feeling of shame, man is born. A child is not a man. He becomes a man only when he begins to feel himself separate, different from others -- when he becomes an ego. So, really, it is not religion which gives you the feeling of guilt, it is your ego. Religion exploits it; that is another matter. Every father exploits it; that, too. is another matter. Every father is saying to his son, "What are you doing, behaving like an animal? Do not laugh, do not cry; do not do this, do not do that; do not do this before others. What are you doing? -- behaving like an animal!" And if the child thinks that he is an animal, his ego is hurt. To fulfill his ego, he follows, he falls in line.
To be an animal is very blissful, because there is a freedom, a deep freedom, to move, to do. But it is painful to the ego, so one has to choose. If you choose freedom, then you will be like the animals -- condemned. In this world and in the other world, too, you will be condemned; you will be thrown into Hell by the society. So you must "Be a man; do not be like an animal!" Then the ego is fed.
One begins to live around the ego, then one begins to act according to what is ego fulfilling. But you cannot deny nature absolutely. It goes on affecting you. Then one begins to live two lives: one, the pre-Adam life; the other, the after-Adam life. One begins to live two lives; one begins to live a double-bind existence. Then a face is created to show to the society. One is a private face and one a public face. But you are your private face, and everyone is Adam -- naked, animal-like. But you cannot show it to the public. To the public you show the after-Adam face -- everything clean, everything fitted to the social norm. Everything you show to the other is not the real but the desired, not that which is but that which should be.
So everyone has to go continuously from one face to another. From private to public you are changing every moment. This is a great strain. This dissipates much energy. But I am not saying to be like an animal: now you
|
|
|
|
| |