Human life is too precious to be wasted in being human

“Human life is too precious to be wasted in being human.” The words came spontaneously from my mouth as I was speaking with a dynamic young man who had taken up responsibilities as a spiritual teacher and leader. He had worked hard to develop a center at a particular place and had played a pioneering role in its growth. But now, because of differences with the management and, as he perceived it, insecurity on the part of the leader there, he was being increasingly sidelined. He told me that he had tried his best to reason with his immediate leader, had taken the issue one rung higher to his leader’s authority, and had even tried mediation. But nothing had worked. He felt as if he was being systematically sidelined. One part of me was aware that I was hearing only his side of the story. But I also knew that this was often the way life was for me as a traveling speaker. I had to work with the information I had. After all, it was he who had come to ask me what he should do, not the other person in the conflict. From What Hurts Most to What Matters Most He stared at me, taken aback by my words, almost shocked. I tried to soften what I had just said. “When I said ‘being human,’ I meant being vulnerable to hurt, as all of us are—and then letting our hurts drive our actions. I know you are feeling hurt.” He interrupted me. “I am not just feeling hurt. I am feeling…” He paused. “I am feeling mistreated, exploited. It’s as if somebody has used me and now just wants to throw me away.” I nodded slowly. “Yes. That can be deeply painful. I am not denying or downplaying your pain. All I am saying is that in fighting the injustice that has been done to you, might you end up failing to do justice to what has been given to you? “You have substantial abilities as a teacher and a leader. You have told me that you have other options. I feel you can do so much more than fighting for your rights in this particular place. “I am certainly not saying, ‘Never fight injustice.’ I am asking: Is this fight your calling, or is it distracting you from your calling?” He paused, thinking. “But if I just leave this place, am I not running away from my duty?” “That’s possible,” I said. “But it’s also possible that you could be moving toward a bigger duty. Let me share with you an incident from the fourteenth day of the Mahabharata war. “Arjuna had taken a vow to kill Jayadratha before sunset. Jayadratha had played a critical role in trapping Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu inside the Chakravyuha the previous day, where Abhimanyu had eventually been killed. “Right at the start of the day, Arjuna was confronted by Dronacharya. As the two engaged in a fierce fight, Krishna spoke urgently to Arjuna: ‘The fight with Drona could go on all day. You don’t have time for that today.’ “Acknowledging Krishna’s words, Arjuna shot a sudden barrage of arrows that temporarily overwhelmed Drona, and Krishna raced the chariot past him. When Drona recovered, he called after Arjuna, taunting him: ‘Arjuna, have you become a coward? Why are you running away?’ “For a warrior of Arjuna’s stature, being called a coward by anyone, anywhere, would have been provocative. Being called a coward in the middle of a battlefield, within earshot of hundreds of soldiers, would have been even more provocative. And being called a coward by his own teacher, who was himself an authority on the warrior’s code, would have been the most provocative. “Yet Arjuna did not get provoked. He swallowed his pride, kept Krishna’s words in mind, and moved forward. Proving to Drona that he was not a coward was not as important as honoring his vow to kill Jayadratha.” He nodded slowly. “I think I get what you are trying to say.” I continued, “Arjuna’s example demonstrates what Krishna had taught him earlier in the Bhagavad-gita: be one-pointed—vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana (2.41). “Being one-pointed means focusing on the most important thing among many important things. Several of the choices before us may be legitimate, emotionally compelling, and even morally laudable. Yet we still need to decide what matters most at that particular time.” He was silent for a few moments. Then he said, “But it isn’t fair that I have to walk away from a project that I have worked so hard for.” “Yes, fairness is an important consideration. But is it the most important consideration? “Correcting injustice can also become the purpose of someone’s life. Sometimes the pain we experience can point us toward a purpose. So I am not saying that because you are hurt, you should simply walk away. The question is: what is your life’s calling? Is it centered on this project, or on correcting this kind of injustice?” “I’ll have to think about that,” he said after a brief pause. “Let me give you one more point to contemplate. While pain can point us toward our purpose, one danger I have seen with a pain-driven purpose is that the pain itself can become consuming. We start off intending to fight injustice. Soon, fighting that injustice can become our sole reason for being. And then, who we are fighting against can start controlling our consciousness far more than the One we are fighting for. “We may end up becoming vengeful—or, if not vengeful, at least bitter. And as our hearts become bitter, how can we offer them to Krishna? Offering ourselves fully to Krishna, so that we can ultimately reach Him, is life’s ultimate purpose. “That’s what I meant when I said, ‘Human life is too precious to be wasted in being human.’” He nodded thoughtfully and took his leave. From Human Vulnerability to Human Potentiality Later, when I reflected on the conversation, my thought went to the striking phrase that had popped out of me: “Human life is too precious to be wasted in being human.” It struck me that I had used the word human in two distinct senses: potentiality and vulnerability. When I spoke of “human life,” I was referring to human potentiality. Gita wisdom explains that in human life we have the rare capacity to direct our consciousness toward transcendence and seek life’s ultimate purpose in Krishna. And when I spoke of “being human,” I was referring to human vulnerability. Ordinarily, “being human” can suggest being humble, relatable, and kind. But I was using it here in a particular sense. As finite, fallible, fragile human beings, we are prone to getting entangled in grievances, hurt egos, petty politics, and the endless quest to settle scores. I felt that my original phrasing—“Human life is too precious to be wasted in being human”—was striking and could be provocatively illuminating, but it could also be jarring and potentially dehumanizing. I resolved that henceforth, whenever I used it, I would immediately clarify what I meant with an explanation along these lines: Human potentiality should not be held hostage by human vulnerability. That thought helped me come to peace with a similar, although much smaller, choice that I had had to make during my recent North American tour. The organizer at one place had scheduled my visit for particular days. Later, another speaker was scheduled to visit at around the same time. Somehow the clash had been missed. The other speaker was younger than me, both in age and experience, but the management preferred to organize his programs and asked me to reschedule mine. Because the rest of my schedule was already booked, I couldn’t simply shift my visit to another date. I felt that the situation had not been handled fairly. I considered whether I should write to the authorities about the temple leadership, but decided it wasn’t worth my time and energy to get into all that. I had pending invitations from other places, so I decided to use the newly opened time to visit them instead. They were smaller places, but the hosts were warm and the audiences were enthusiastic. The speaking engagements and personal interactions were fulfilling. I knew that my inconvenience for a few days was nowhere near his turbulence after years of service in a project. But the underlying principle was the same: ensuring that my decisions were purpose-driven, not pain-driven. After reflecting on these experiences, I offered a prayer: My dear Lord, please guide me toward the best path ahead, whether it is revealed through the pains that come my way or through the potential You have given me. Help me always focus on the purpose that matters most to You, not on the pain that hurts the most for me. *** 02.41 Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched. The post Human life is too precious to be wasted in being human first appeared on Chaitanya Charan Das, Bhagavad Gita ISKCON .