7/30/2019 Krishnamurti-this Matter of Culture Chapter 14
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THIS MATTER OF CULTURE CHAPTER 14part3
Krishnamurti: In other words, being envious, how can one be free
of envy withoutdiscipline? I think it is very important to
understand the question itself; because the answer is in the
question, it is not apart from the question.
Do you know what envy means? You are nice looking, you are
finely dressed,or wear a beautiful turban or sari, and I also want
to dress like that; but I cannot, so I am envious. I am envious
because I want what you have; I want to be different from what I
am.
I am envious because I want to be as beautiful as you are; I
want to have the fine clothes, the elegant house, the high position
that you have. Being dissatisfied with what I am, I want to be like
you; but, if I understood my dissatisfaction and its cause, then I
would not want to be like you or long for the things that you have.
In other words, if once I begin to understand what I am, then
Ishall never compare myself with another or be envious of anyone.
Envy arises because I want to change myself and become like
somebody else. But if I say, "Whatever I am, that I want to
understand", then envy is gone; then there is no needof discipline,
and out of the understanding of what I am comes integration.
Our education, our environment, our whole culture insists that
we must become something. Our philosophies, our religions and
sacred books all say the samething. But now I see that the very
process of becoming something implies envy, which means that I am
not satisfied with being what I am; and I want to understand what I
am, I want to find out why I am always comparing myself with
another, t
rying to become something; and in understanding what I am there
is no need for discipline. In the process of that understanding,
integration comes into being. The contradiction in me yields to the
understanding of myself, and this in turn brings an action which is
integral, whole. Questioner: What is power?
Krishnamurti: There is mechanical power, the power produced by
the internalcombustion engine, by steam, or by electricity. There
is the power that dwellsin a tree, that causes the sap to flow,
that creates the leaf. There is the power to think very clearly,
the power to love, the power to hate, the power of a dictator, the
power to exploit people in the name of God, in the name of the
Masters, in the name of a country. These are all forms of
power.
Now, power as electricity or light, atomic power, and so on -
all such forms of power are good in themselves, are they not? But
the power of the mind thatuses them for the purposes of aggression
and tyranny, to gain something for itse
lf - such power is evil under all circumstances. The head of any
society, churchor religious group who has power over other people
is an evil person, because he is controlling, shaping, guiding
others without knowing where he himself is going. This is true not
only of the big organizations, but of the little societiesall over
the world. The moment a person is clear, unconfused, he ceases to
be aleader and therefore he has no power.
So it is very important to understand why the human mind demands
to have power over others. The parents have power over their
children, the wife over the husband, or the husband over the wife.
Beginning in the small family, the evil extends until it becomes
the tyranny of governments, of political leaders and religious
interpreters. And can one live without this hunger for power,
without wanting to influence or exploit people, without wanting
power for oneself, or for agroup or a nation, or for a Master or a
saint? All such forms of power are destr
uctive, they bring misery to man. Whereas, to be really kind, to
be considerate,to love - this is a strange thing, it has its own
timeless effect. Love is itsown eternity, and where there is love
there is no evil power.
Questioner: Why do we seek fame?Krishnamurti: Have you ever
thought about it? We want to be famous as a wri
ter, as a poet, as a painter, as a politician, as a singer, or
what you will. Why? Because we really don't love what we are doing.
If you loved to sing, or to paint, or to write poems - if you
really loved it - you would not be concerned with whether you are
famous or not. To want to be famous is tawdry, trivial, stupid, it
has no meaning; but, because we don't love what we are doing, we
want to e
