Excessive Self-Importance

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 25 December 2023 “One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important.” ― Bertrand Russell, The Conquest of Happiness I write and forget and do not care My words are works on water Judging my own work is not fair When there're writers far better Omar Khyyam, translated from Persian by the writer Kal Aur Aayenge Naghmon Ki Khilti Kaliyaan Chun-Ne Wale Mujh Se Behtar Kahne Wale, Tum Se Behtar Sun-Ne Wale -Sahir Ludhianvi (Poets and connoisseurs to come will cherry-pick those who will write better than what I write and appreciate far better than what you appreciate now) Extreme care and concern for one's own qualities and capabilities can render a person too conscious and artificial. While it's good to take oneself seriously, too much concern about one's work is also not desirable. A light-hearted, if not frivolous, approach to one's genius is good for the mental health. Like Sahir, one should always be open to accepting the fact that no creation can ever be the ultimate yardstick of excellence and that betterment is always possible by others. Great Mirza Ghalib had a nervous breakdown when he thought that his Persian Ghazals were the finest until his friend and student Altaaf Hussain Hali Panipati brought Ghalib out of that delusional morass and wrote, "Har Sher Shahkaar Ho Ye Zaroori Nahin. Main Jo Bhi Likhoon Behatareen Hi Ho Yah Zid Zehni Tavazun Mein Khalal Paida Kar Sakti Hai" (It's not necessary that every couplet has to be the very best. The insistence that whatever I've written is supreme, may disturb one's mental balance. Khaqani's coeval, Qafeen (a Zoroastrian who embraced Islam), was writing great mystical poems but had a delusion that his creations should be the finest. He hankered after excellence so badly that he burnt all poems and committed suicide at the age of 31! Only one half-burnt Nazm survived, amply suggesting that he was an absolute genius, but too concerned about his own excellence and genius. This unnecessary self-importance can be seen in other spheres of life as well. Youngsters put all their eggs in one basket and try to clear UPSC exams to become an IAS officer. Kota's coaching factories make kids believe that life is meaningless if they cannot become a doctor, engineer or an IT professional. This causes severe depression and kids commit suicide. Becoming a bureaucrat or an IIT engineer is not the alpha and omega of one's life. Clearing all these exams is not terribly important. Life has other avenues as well. Tread upon those unchartered paths and stop taking life so damn seriously. ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/excessive-self-importance/d/131378 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism