1.) King Philips was a womanizer. He was addicted to women. He married many women, he was not satisfied. He had many mistresses, nothing satisfied his lust for women. This was surely not a big problem for him, but it ended up to be a problem to his wives and mistresses who gave birth to his children. Philips had many legitimate and illegitimate sons and daughters. And he was a King. And every mother of his kids wanted the throne for their child!
Olympias was one of Philips’s wives and had one son. She was a practical woman. She knew that “the throne will not come to her son, but only he needs to go and get it!”
Unlike the other wives and mistresses, Olympias prepared her son right from an early age. She made him BELIEVE that he will be the next King and one day, an Emperor! She induced a big behaviour change in her child. She was treating him like a King.
But she also knew just because one believes he is a King doesnt mean he can become one. She knew that her son needs to learn a lot. More practical things from an experienced man. She did not want her son to become a womanizer like his father. So she went on search for a mentor. And she found Aristotle. Aristotle was the best student of Plato. Plato was a polymath, he wrote books about politics,love.etc etc. And Plato was the dearest student of Socrates!
With his mother’s confidence and his mentor’s teachings, no wonder the young boy became the next King at the age of 20 and also an Emperor who was called “Alexander The Great”.
2.) Every director admires the work of Alfred Hitchcock. His movies are really natural, totally out of box. His movies never communicated anything, his movies made people experience emotions.
When he was 6, his father sent him to the police station with a note. The inspector read the note and told him “You have been a very bad boy” and locked him up in a prison cell.
In a young age, Hitchcock was made to sit inside a cell. With so many scary huge authority figures near him. This made him think a lot. This brought him so many emotions. So many thoughts. This conditioned him!
Unlike other parents who beated or scolded their kids, Hitchcock’s dad made him feel emotions. His dad knew that physical and verbal arguments will only make Hitchcock rebellious. But putting him in a deep terror state conditioned him!
Hitchcock perfected this trick which he learned form his dad while growing up. He was able to put his actors in the same kind of state, using different techniques to different people. Other directors were scolding their actors but he was conditioning him. Before a movie Hitchcock will plan certain things, like making the actor stay in a hotel room for days without meeting anyone.etc etc. and induce emotions in the actor and condition them. Hitchcock directed his movies by teaching his actors, by inducing the feel of the movie in them. And this induced the feel of the movie in the audience!
3.) Unlike Hitchcock and Alexander, Siddharta Gautama Buddha didnt have a noteworthy person to mentor him. He had to learn from the most supreme teacher of all -> Life!
His goal was to find the meaning of life. He realised that material life is not everything and wanted to know the true meaning of life. He had no proper guide, he had to try them all. He tried the teachings of many sages, he experimented with Yoga, read the Vedic scriptures.etc etc.. He gained a vast knowledge and he also implemented them. And after so many years of experimenting which included rigourous physical activities. He went into a forest and comtemplated quietly. Conditioning his thoughts. Revising all his learnings and experience. He figured out what he wanted! He achieved his goal! He felt satisfaction! He felt completeness in his life! He achieved euphoria, which is a medically recognized human emotion which gives intense feelings of well-being, elation, happiness, excitement, and joy. At that time there were no medical research on it, he did not know that it was euphoria, he called it Enlightenment!
Conclusion:
In ancient times not everyone got a mentor like Aristotle, and even now not everyone gets a parent like Olympias or Hitchcock’s father, who were really practical.
In today’s world, we have access to different kind of mentors. We have books, Internet, Youtube Videos.etc etc.
So you need to go Siddharta’s way, you need to experiment. Spend time in developing yourself. Conditioning Yourself.
But remember! You are learning all by yourself, You dont have much time like Siddartha had. This is a modern fast moving world!. You need to be careful in choosing your mentors. You need to validate what you learn from a person or book.
Buddha said “Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”
Buddha thought material life is not the true meaning of life. Thats because he experienced everything!. In a young age he had access to rich food,clothes. He was a Prince! He had three castles. A Harem full of beautiful women. Married to a beautiful girl in the age of 16!. He experienced everything in a very young age! Of course material life bored him!. But you are not a Prince! So just dont blindly follow Buddha or anybody’s teachings. It worked for them, it doesnt mean it will work for you!. Buddha knows this, and thats why he said that statement that you read a few lines back!
Your success depends on what you learn from whom, and how you practice, no magic!
Courtesy: Million thanks to my friend Prithivi for sharing this…
Choose to see Killing Them Softly instead of English Vinglish for following reasons;
AnandNataraj 