Why do people deny existence of problems? Denial appears like a simple way of solving the problem. It is the ostrich mentality. This is what we do with our anger. It remains inside and controls us. Outwardly, a person may claim that he really does not care for a particular object. But when that object of his desire is around, it will have a strangulating hold on him. He may say in so many words that he does not care for that object but mentally, deep inside, he attaches a great value to it. This is denial. In psychology, example is given of a child denying that his father is an alcoholic. When the father is drunk and has fallen down, the child claims he is sick. It would say that the father is taking only medicine! The child distorts reality because it is frightened to accept it. This is a distortion of the mind itself.

Árjavam is the exact opposite of all this. To say what one thinks and to do what one says is arjavam. The mind is then totally free of conflicts.

(to be continued in next issue)