Fake it till you make it

You bring value to the Louis Vuitton bag you are carrying and not the other way round, says Art of Living guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

At parties, young people like to show off their branded clothes and expensive accessories —their Chanel and Louis Vuitton bags. Everyone is so obsessed with how they look. How can one focus within when all that seems to matter is appearance? 

Clothes and accessories are personal choices. I don’t have anything against someone dressing well or carrying a Loius Vuitton bag. The mind always craves for novelty. It gets attracted to new things, a new bag, a new cellphone, a new car. Even when you are reading, you don’t want to read the same thing again and again, you want something new. But the heart is different; it yearns for the old — an old association; an old friend. 

So while the heart longs for the old and familiar, the mind looks for the new and exciting. Life has to be a balance between mind and heart. It can’t be all old and it can’t be all only new, either. You can’t ask a youngster why he wants a new cell phone or a new car. I would say go for it by all means, but don’t let it become the central focus of your life. The same is true of a Louis Vuitton bag. Who cares if you are carrying one on your shoulder? But if you are sporting one to draw attention, I would say, you are not even applying your mind. 

You should understand that you are not what you are because of the expensive bag you are carrying. Your value is greater than the product. It’s always the brand ambassador who brings value to the product and not the other way around. Once you value your life and realise that you bring value to the things you use, you begin to view things in a different light. You become civilised, cultured and educated. 

Following a guru has become a fashion statement. It’s like showing off a new car or laptop — you must have one because it’s the ‘in’ thing. So how does one recognise a genuine seeker of spirituality? 

Spirituality is such a powerful thing, once you get into it you are bound to be affected by it. There is a saying, ‘fake it till you make it’. So never mind, if it’s a fashionable pursuit to begin with, it’s better than being indifferent. Of course, a genuine spiritualist will always stayed tuned in to his guru. It’s like when you are getting into the ocean; you want to trust the waves, the waves that control you, not your surfboard.