The sole element of Greatness.
Popularity is a word everyone is well accustomed to. The desire to be famous and have a unique identity is born with us when we land on this planet. We try our best to explore an area and climb the stairs of fame in any way possible. The thirst for being popular amongst our known, our society, our country or even the world is never ending.
What then, does the word anonymity mean? Definitively it means being unknown, an identity that is secret something that is exactly the opposite of popularity. What does anonymity propound? Does it mean that the desire to stand out or be popular is negative? In society competition and exposure are the basis for judging the best. It is the method for extracting the brightest from the lot. Take example of the world of art & entertainment, whose core motive itself is to build an empire of popularity. How then, amidst such societal pressure and expectations can one cultivate the desire to be anonymous? This depends entirely on the question of one’s intent. Anonymity makes its stand where the so called “self-righteousness” or the “swa-dharma” exists. It is the soul of one’s character. It is that action which is well talked about without attaching importance to the action-doer, whereas that action which is marketed to bring glory to the doer is in essence lost to demands of popularity.
There are millions of beings who have lived, done great deeds and left, but their names were never etched into pages of history, their identities faded into obscurity, but their deeds have affected and shaped our existence. On the contrary, we chase credit for our work, forgetting that the chase for glory itself crushes the glorious deeds we performed rendering it meaningless.
Anonymity is one of the vital elements of a “genuine personality”. That being said it is difficult to achieve this element. It is a quality inborn in some and others have to work hard to achieve it. This single element defines the level of innocence, maturity & purity in a person. It is the king of all human qualities that we speak of. A character is what you are when no one is around to see or judge you. How many of us are prepared for being anonymous without even having any idea of it. This is one of the highest levels of an individual’s evolution.
Many of the social work and humanitarian acts are done with a big bang. It is obviously not possible to escape all the eyes and one does not have to keep anything hidden too which is again something dramatic and nonsensical. A service done to gain acknowledgement is nothing but a staged performance. It is like a give and take contract. It is necessary to an extent as it works as a motivational factor. However, deep down, is someone totally free from the craving to be seen and known? Anonymity is a challenge for human race and it will mark the revolution for change in the human history. A hero wants to be “The One” in the eyes of all, but, a true hero is someone who silently does his job, whose actions create a high impact without the hero being glorified. This type of beings have only their higher selves involved.
Anonymity gives birth to humility. There are people who truly want to serve and live for others but, the spoiler is when this feeling transforms into a profession and ambition demanding recognition. It is this switching which snatches away the real purpose. It is this which brings in competition and the feeling of other hidden complexes. This is one of the greatest cause for how the world is now and has been since ages.
Anonymity is an unpretentious quality which can’t be faked. It needs to be worked upon. The whole human life ends in trying to be anonymous or the exact opposite. The prior has nothing but ultimate peace and the latter is a life full of restlessness and infinite competition. It is the source for honesty and contentment. Anonymity is a condition which needs to be created with rigorous practice and constant reminders until it becomes completely natural. This requires each of us to take the world up to the next dimension.
The word “anonymous” demands research within ourselves, deep within to reach the epitome of human existence. Just like the bees who are unaware that the world is alive because of them, their act which is significant for the world but which for them is insignificant. Such beings do not care about their image or the consequences. They are totally submerged into what they do losing themselves unmindful of the rest. This state of anonymity is the summit of “selflessness”. It is dissolving one’s identity with the highest source. A task carried out with such an inner condition is the only “perfect” thing in the entire universe.
Thus, we all need to identify the potential of anonymity. It depends on us, on how we direct our “self” and what we make of it. It depends on how truly self-aware and introspective we are. It ultimately depends on what we really want. Once this is incorporated within us, we will be unstoppable.
Edited by — Shruti Kunhiraman
