The many. by andrea
Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, had ten heads. And all the heads agreed on everything.
In his youth, Ravana showed great learning and devotion to Brahma and was granted the gift of a wish. On the path to become the demon king, he asked for protection from destruction by the gods. All the ten heads of course agreed Ravana couldn’t be vanquished by lesser beings.
I’m glad there is only one me with one head. What if I went to a party and encountered a roomful of Andreas? Everyone with my ideas, habits, and preferences Yikes! In a moment of self-frustration, I once said to my husband, ”You can leave the room and get away from me. I can’t!” I wouldn’t want to be at that party!
Sameness and uniformity are actually positions of weakness. We see this in the natural world, and in our own bodies, where diverse elements create a web of beauty and delight.
Though Ravana triumphed and carried the scars from battles with various gods, it was a man and an army of monkeys that eventually destroyed him. Ravana’s downfall was his lack of dynamism.
So…. why is it that we seek for others to think and act like we do when the delight and balance in life is that they don’t?
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