The Peeling of Onions

Dear Archana,

We start with one word to identify a person because it gives us an opening and unfortunately what we do is just stick with that identity we have begun with and go on like nothing else matters. I think that is where we need to evolve and grow, constantly and with awareness! We fail to connect at a deeper level, not with the other person but with our selves. Recently I came across this article and it almost made me jump up from my chair World's most racist countries | Photo Gallery - Yahoo! India Finance We do tend to just stay put where we began! We are all constantly seeking identity in the diversity but end up giving that identity to others in color, looks, wealth and what not!

Well, now I hope you will not mind if I go off at a tangent. All because of the peeling the onions you have mentioned - so as a disclaimer you are totally responsible for this! I was thinking of the same thing this morning while working out and in a different context, the explanation of which I will leave out here. I found telling myself in my head "People there is a lot of peeling that has to happen for you to understand this (about me)!" But I have always wondered about the phrase itself. For one, while peeling one might like or dislike the smell. But that odor is there whether we like it or not and two after all that peeling, don't we come to an emptiness? Should we not find something like a seed or some such thing. I sound stupid to my own ears. So I will not mistake you! And then I looked up the internet and found this answer

"What does the phrase peel the onion mean?" "This metaphor is often used to describe an enlightened approach to problem solving: By methodically removing each layer of the onion, one is able to appreciate the complexities at each level as you eventually reach the core where you can objectively define the problem." - from wiki answers.

So may I conclude by saying that by peeling the layers, we are getting to our own core (and not the other person) and hence understand that the other person is not the problem but we are, our approach/outlook is! Will I be right?

PS: So thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts, unedited.

 

Real eye opener it should be when we peel our self.

It would reveal the true colors of each individual.

When we find our self layered with these social demons thrust up on us - we should remember to get rid of them.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

Dear Arch,

Every time I read one of your post, it makes me think a lot. Your ability to make my grey stuff work is phenomenal which remains rusty otherwise. Whether it is peeling of the onions, breaking the coconut to reach the meat inside the shell, cutting the jack fruit to reach the sweetest fruit inside of us, we all need to do a lot of introspection to understand the difference between our inherited/encrypted nature as opposed to our inherent true nature. The core of our existence is colorless, stainless, pure and unsullied. Our perception of another fellow being is nothing but assessment of our outer shell about another outer shell. The communication invariably happens at the peripheral level whereas we need to learn to communicate from our consciousness to other person's consciousness. Then all differences like caste, color, race, religion, etc. will cease to exist and the human being will understand that at the sublime level, all are one and the same.

We have extraordinary references in the life or the teachings of founders of various religions. Isn't it true that when everyone was trying to stone a prostitute to death, a founder of a religion who taught unconditional love to everyone, suggested that only those who did not commit a sin could throw stones at her? Isn't it true that when a most revered saint asked a lowly person to move from his way, he responded by asking whether to move his body or soul, revealing the most important lesson to that saint?

Our perception of the world is limited to the potential of our mind and that is the reason why everyone build their own world. I always feel, when we look up to someone with respect, our higher mind is at work and when we look down at a fellow being, it is our lower mind that is at work. When we go to temples in India, we have three outer rectangles with the idol that is worshiped placed inside the sanctum sanctorum in a dark place. The priest light the camphor so that everyone could see the idol inside the sanctum sanctorum. It is nothing but a symbolic representation of each one of us having three gunas namely Satwic, Rajasic and Tamosic gunas once we transcend these three gunas, we enter the kingdom of the Lord. Finally, we need to burn our desires/attachments for us to be able to see the supreme consciousness residing in us.

Sometime back I studied the reason why ancestors divided the human beings into categories namely a) one who specializes in scriptures, b) one who rules and makes laws of the nation, c) one who does commerce and d) one who works to produce food for the other three. My logical conclusion out of much research is that all of that division happened due to overwhelming influence of the gunas mentioned above. All these divisions are man made. All of them have the right to pursue spiritual enlightenment and self realization. There is nothing like only the person who is pursuing scriptures is the one who has the best potential to accomplish spiritual enlightenment. That is the reason why Bhagavad Gita taught all yogas. It taught us, doing our routine work skillfully to our full satisfaction, lovingly with complete devotion to what we do and selflessly without thoughts of fruits of such actions dedicating the work to the Lord, is equivalent of meditation 24/7. We have the tools such as body, mind and intellect and it is up to us to make best use of it.

Viswa

 

Dear Archie,

Another nomination for you to FP and from no less than Viswamitra, Congratulations!!

Peeling onions---learning about self, the society we live in and the discrimination and character traits to learn from it. Hmmm, going by this logic, I should be an expert analyzer of people and situations for I have lost the count of onions I must have peeled, yes, layer by layer!!

In my very mundane and practical experience, most onions stand good! Peel after peel, they look the same..color, odor and texture. There may be a few with rotten insides but those are exceptions! So, am I wrong in thinking that the top layers are quite a good indication of what the insides are like? May be or may not be. I would Love to believe it is 'may be'!

I noticed you mentioning this thread in Anita's Stereotypes. Now I understand why! Much as we like to stereotype, it will do us good to remember that there are always exceptions to the rule.Unfortunately people have not time nor the inclination to do much peeling. I am hoping we develop X-ray eyes and minds!

Hope my rambling made sense! :hide:

L, Kamla

 

Dear Arch,

What a wonderful post this is. AGreed that some are more priviliged like yr muslim friend. And u know what, i studied in a Chrisitan school in mumbai, all the 11 years, but never had a christian friend. But i used to like christians, for i have a life style similar to theirs, i love what they eat and drink, they dance, and u know what.HAHA

They are jolly, so am i , regarding this untouchability , is it still there eh ! Sad.

Good one.

Regards


kamal

 

Hey Arch :hiya!

I read your thread yesterday,and re-reading to assimilate. Nothing much to say,running out of words.Nothing I can say can do justice to what you have written,nor can I measure up to the other brilliant and erudite responses ! The peeling of the onion layers to reach the core has been a favourite metaphor of mine as well.We always stop with the first few layers,one 'coz we anyway shed many a painful tear in life and two,'coz we don't NEED to do so!

Did you by any chance,read the article I sent you?Its got quite a few insights...the one I particularly liked was how ethnography can be effectively used to really 'understand' a person,and not lump him/her into the generic view of his culture.

Jumping to another track,don't you think this 'minority' classification is unnecessary? If you consider your race alone,you are in a minority here,but if you consider your religion alone,you are in the majority here! I have studied in an institution where I was in a minority(even though I belong to the 'majority' in India,as such)..faced so much ostracism that it scarred me for life. So it's not just the 'minorities' per se who face that. I agree with your point about economic privileges - that should be the main criteria of consideration.

 

Lovely piece Archie. The biggest enemy to us, is nobody but ourselves, I feel. We have some preconceived notions that are as a result of our following things as they are said , just to be in a comfort zone / in somebody's good books till we kind of think about it as our own. Thats one of the reasons why we always peel others and not ourselves I feel. And it has to and will start at some point of time for each of us. -rgs