3 June 2015 - QA 11

If one becomes dispassionate, then the family members think we are ignorant and neglectful. Please specify the fine line that differentiates the two, and how can we answer to the family in such situations?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You cannot go on answering everyone’s questions or responding to their opinions; or trying to correct them all the time. If you are true to yourself and you know that deep down you care a lot for them, then that is good enough. You should walk your path and be sensitive to others’ needs. You cannot please everybody all the time.
Once it so happened that a man was sitting and reading a newspaper. Someone approached him and said, “Why are you sitting?” The man replied, “Oh, do you not like me sitting and reading? Okay then, I will stand and read”.
After some time another person came to the man and said, “Sir, why are you standing?” The man replied, “Oh, do you not like me standing? Alright then, I will start walking”.
A third person told him, “Sir, why are you walking and reading?” The man replied, “Oh, do you not like me walking? The footpath is built to walk, isn’t it! Fine, let me start running then”, and he started running.
When he was running, a fourth person asked him, “Why are you running?” The man stopped and started crying. He said “Oh my God, you people do not even allow me to run!”
Another person came up to him and said, “Why are you crying?” The man said, “People do not allow me to sit, stand, walk, run or cry. What do I do?”
Life becomes miserable if you try to follow everyone’s instructions. Got it?