It’s all about the “Self”…
What is ‘Protego Maxima’?
The spell cast in ‘Harry Potter’ to protect ‘Hogwarts’ from the dark forces — Protego Maxima. It seems necessary, in recent times of political and religious turmoil, to hark back to the lessons learnt from literature, in the time of misconceptions and crisis, to take actions those are pragmatic. To keep negativity, duality and ignorance at bay, all of which are ingredients of potentially fueling a situation leading us nowhere. Is it not the time to start acting smart now, predicting the after math? Is it not the opportune moment to be united, both inside- out and do the best each one of us can in these troubled days?
Instead of debating, taking sides or being in the extremities, why not make things realistic and start acting from the root level, the root being our-selves, our thoughts and actions. To behave in such an manner that it will cause a definite stir in the entire system. Listening and analyzing is also important, as it opens up many a jammed doors in our thinking, but it is all futile if there is not a single micro-action taken in the direction of what actually matters.
We all like playing the intellectual, to present ideas and theories, etc., but it is all futile unless something truly thwacks in a constructive way. This casino of intellectualism is more often just to satisfy ‘our ego’, to dish out ‘our’ arguments that prove ‘our’ end of the theory, whilst bearing in mind no concern for the real truth as long as one’s point is proven. Such disruptive arguments have zero positive contribution; they are just a tool to boost one person at the cost of derailing another. Peace, Love and Positivity are at stake and lost during such pursuits.
Let’s not fall for this ‘Trap’.
Is it not high time to get ‘Sensible’? The fact cannot be denied that every tiny thought has a cascading effect depending on its nature. It depends absolutely on our capability and ability to sense and perceive things. Humans often take the high diplomacy road, which is an excuse for hypocrisy, only to escape from doing what one ‘should’ do. Somewhere along, in this trap, we all try to defend and offend things, things to which we ourselves are able to relate on a personal level, and are inclined to support unclear ideas. Into these nets, we ourselves fall, due to our weak nature, our shortcomings and destructive tendencies.
Media and its content has always held a powerful sway over us, making us feel impulsive for a moment which ultimately leads to nowhere in the long run. They are the medium for chaos. However infuriating, these things do provoke and trigger the existing animals making them more aggressive and restless. It strengthens the existing negativity and prejudices within.
Are we actually striving to end this meaningless objectives or do we want to keep up with it forever? Have we become so habituated by this trap? Or, finding a sense of pleasure somewhere?
It’s time we take a step back; start working on our thinking pattern, our approach and actions, not only in our current turmoil, but also particularly to eradicate our rigidity and stereotypical thinking.
But the question remains. What do we really want?
Everything created already exists in the universe and so does ‘Protego Maxima’. Let us sync it with our heart and let it not fail. Why not throw pure-positive thoughts around us if words we utter matter so much today? Why can’t one pray and meditate silently, if one can argue endlessly? Why can’t one believe in the heart’s call if they can go around believing every word of others? Why can’t one trust one’s own feeling if an emotional scene from a fictional act can move us. Why not act instead of just talking?
These quick-witted words of Swami Vivekananda say it all, “What do I care if Christ or Buddha or Mohammed were good men or not? Does this altar my goodness or evil? Let us be good for our own sake, on our own responsibility.” Everything we do is ultimately for our own self. If it is for our-self, it falls without condition and knows no barrier. It depends on us, what we really want and what we will do for it.
The famous words of a coward come forth, “what difference can an act of a puny man bring?”
We all live for the “Self”- the higher self. People may argue what use is a tiny grain of act in an entire desert. However, we never know what other forces are building to make possible all that is there in front of us today. When each one of us is created to live for our “self” and our deeds totally rely on us, how then does it even matter what our acts measure to and in what units? The irony is when a man thinks only about his life whilst he walks the path of vice, and questions the result when asked to do an act of wisdom. Where then does the love for the “Self” vanish? Where does our intelligence and awareness fly when it comes to the analysis and introspection of the whole situation and our roles as an individual in it, big or small.
For instance, the public has been talking about an actor’s suicide and blaming the entire film fraternity for nepotism, for being indifferent to an outsider, for trolling. Whereas, we see these things in our normal day to day life, where people run after popularity be it in any field, where someone tries to be part of something deliberately & sell off their sense for the fear of being left out, where people tend to headless gossips, where most of us enjoy watching all those idiotic shows on media which demeans the other & our characters, where we let ourselves get swayed by all kind of nonsensical stuff without even acknowledging the facts in it. This isn’t just about one case, the list goes on.
How many of us are trying to drop all such schemes like religion & go beyond these utterly stupid, flagrant ideas which are nothing but a source of destruction of conscience & mankind? How many of us are courageous enough to stand alone for what is ‘Right’? How many of us are willing to bring a transformation in ourselves and take an individual stand for a start? How many of us are willing to identify & drop all which is turning us into a meaningless shell of a body? How many of us are genuine enough to remove the veil of smartness covering our foolishness?
“Protego Maxima”, this spell is all about the power of love, courage and faith. We just have to believe in it, embrace that which is shunned by us. There may not be a magic wand, but we all can sure be wizards. And first we need to fight the dark forces within us. Let’s discern our unutterable potential & not shrink ourselves to a minuscule.
It’s time we change ourselves and a lot will change significantly, if we truly want to.
It’s time we realize that we have something larger to care for.
Let’s cast the spell.
PROTEGO MAXIMA
Edited by — Shruti Kunhiraman
