Finding the Golden Mean(ing) of Life

Mount Kailash, The Abode of Shiva

In Hindu mythology there are are two types of heaven: heaven (spelt without capitals) and Heaven (spelt with capitals). The smaller heaven is called paradise, to distinguish it from Heaven. The first heaven, or Paradise is called Swarga and is ruled by Indra, king of the gods (note the spelling without capitals). He is surrounded by wealth and beauty and fame, but he is always insecure, fearful that another king or sage or demon may topple him anytime. Heaven, Vaikuntha of Vishnu or Kailas of Shiva, where there is no threat, only eternal peace. In the case of paradise, there is prosperity but no peace, while in Heaven, there is peace but complete indifference to prosperity.

The eternal duvidha or dilemma each of us face in our time on earth, is finding the right balance between prosperity (Swarga) and peace (Kailas). Do we choose a life of prosperity and give peace a go by, or do we choose peace and be indifferent to prosperity? A difficult choice, especially in these days of  increasing social and peer pressures to seek material prosperity. How does one navigate this dilemma? Here's one way to do it.

Finding the Golden Mean(ing)of Your Life

According to Hindu philosophy, the Four Purusharthas or Goals of life are; Dharma (Values), Artha (Prosperity), Kama (Sensual pleasures) and Moksha (Emotional balance). Stephen Covey, after a study of different religious traditions, came to the conclusion that the Four Needs of life are to  Live, Love, Learn and Leave a Legacy. It is in our yearning to fulfill our Goals that we end up confused and frustrated, for often one comes at the price of the other.  

To render this balancing act a little more doable you could use the Golden Mean Matrix (GMM). The GMM is a 2x2 matrix which has Prosperity on one axis and Peace on the other.

 To arrive at your Golden Mean, you need to closely analyse your perspectives on Peace and Prosperity by asking yourself the following questions:

1. What do I stand for?
2. What Values and Principles are close to my heart, are sacred to me, and are rooted deeply in my life?
3. How do I create meaning in my life and see to it that everything is not about earning money?
4. To what extent is material wealth important to me?
5. Where do I want to go?
6. What do I want to become? In the broadest sense, what do I want to achieve in my life? What do I live for?
7. How do I want to know myself and be known to others?
8. If I die, what legacy would I like to leave behind, and what would I like to have meant to others?
9. What do I want to learn? What do I very much like to do? What do I think is very important? What do I find nice and attractive? What makes me happy or sad? What am I willing to sacrifice to realize my objectives? What do I really want?
10. What do I want to invest in life and what do I want to gain from it?

After having reflected on and answered the above questions, you should be ready to arrive at your Golden Mean(ing) of Life. Give yourself a score between 1(Low) and 10 (High) for the two factors; Peace and Prosperity and plot them on the matrix above. The point of intersection of the lines will tell you what you yearn for, what the Golden Mean(ing) of your life is.

Scores 
Peace                              Prosperity                           GMM
High, Bet. 5-10                High, Bet. 5-10                    Moksha

High, Bet. 5-10                Low, Bet 1-5                       Kailas
Low, Bet. 1-5                  High, Bet. 5-10                    Swarg
Low, Bet. 1-5                  Low, Bet. 1-5                      Pataal

                                                                                                      

* Pataal:  The subterranean world of Asuras and serpents. The Indian version of hell is not a permanent place of exile, one may rise and reach Kailash after having duly paid for one's bad karma.

References:

1. Myth=Mithya, Devdutt Pattanaik
2. Total performance Scorecard, Dr. Hubert K. Rampersad