Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands

15th May 2017

Argue 

“Issue”


Married, unmarried couples, relatives, family members, siblings, friends and colleagues argue over various issues in life. It may be harmonious or it may be disharmonious.

But why do they argue an issue at all is the question? They argue because they are disappointed with the issue, and disappointment is a degree of disharmony. If harmony is evident on arguing it means the issue argued is understood by those who argue.

Especially married and unmarried couples argue over the same issue frequently, infrequently, occasionally or insistently at every possible moment. Each argues to make a point that they are right, correct and true. Also, each argues how the issue should be dealt with and the way it should not be dealt with, so that harmony may prevail between the respective individuals.

There are also various issues which are argued under the same criteria of frequency. This proves that no one has understood the issue argued because, if they have understood the issue, they would not repeatedly argue over the same issue.

But they believe that if they argue an issue the other would eventually understand. So, some immediately or eventually do understand the issue and harmony prevails. This implies that there are two components in any issue of daily life. One component is ‘argue’ and the other component is ‘understanding’.

Therefore, the two components of an issue ‘understanding’ and ‘argue’ need to be understood wisely, so that any issue in life is neither argued repeatedly nor argued at all.

If everyone understands an issue wisely, then harmony and unconditional love will always prevail in every moment of daily life. This is evident because the enlightened never argue and are in harmony not only with any issue, but also in every moment of daily life.

The enlightened explain that understanding is an inherent characteristic of intellect, and neither man nor woman controls his or her intellect. This implies that understanding evolves as a process in evolution and a man or a woman cannot make understanding happen to him or to her by arguing an issue.

This also implies that just because you argue an issue, it does not mean the other will understand the issue in the same way that you do. The other will understand the issue if he or she is meant to understand as a process in evolution.

So what happens when you argue is the question? Firstly, you merely tell the other only what you know when you argue, just as the other tells you only what he knows when he argues. You merely donate the other with what you know and so does the other donate what he knows to you.

Wisdom makes you understand that by donating the other with what you know will not make you in harmony with any issue in daily life. This is because you were not in harmony with the same knowledge which you had before you started to argue. This applies to the other as well, who argues with you.

Wisdom also reveals that by donating what you know to the other in order to be closer with the other, you in fact go further away from the other by arguing through knowledge. 

Wisdom unites, whereas knowledge divides. This is because wisdom accepts the other as he or she is and does not argue how the other should be in any situation or circumstance.

Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2017

Editor’s Note:
In the education and environment that life provides for each human being, albeit illusory, knowledge is accrued. That knowledge, however scholarly or mundane – that is, relating to worldly matters - necessarily has a limited scope. Thus, a discussion is played out within a limited range of what is known. Wisdom, however, is without limit and cannot be known. Understanding this is the gift of life.
Julian Capper, U.K.

German Translator’s Note: 
If we consider how much time and energy, albeit illusory, is used day after day in arguments, it is understandable that life would be much easier without arguing. To accomplish this goal, the mind finds many strategies, and none of them ever works, because everything is within the confines of knowledge and therefore has no endpoint to it. Knowledge is an endless jungle to argue in. Wisdom, as revealed by this wise article “Argue“, if it happens to anybody, is the way out of the mind, out of knowledge and out of arguing. 
Marcus Stegmaier, Germany. 

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