Thursday, March 17, 2016

Arjun

Arjun had a problem. His teacher had declared that he will be the greatest archer in the World. He was just a 6 years old kid, who enjoyed playing with his brothers, lazying around and listening to stories from his mom. How will he bear the burden of becoming the greatest archer in the World? The problem with the word 'greatest' is that it implies becoming better than everyone else. The scale is not absolute but relative. So if a catastrophe strikes and only Arjun survives, he becomes greatest by default. Becoming 'great', on the other hand, does not imply comparison. As long as one works to improve their skill, one can become great. The declaration by Arjun's teacher, Dhronacharya, therefore, not only affected Arjun but every aspiring archer in the World. And we see later its consequences - Eklavya lost his thumb, and Karna was discriminated against - only so that Arjun can be the greatest.

Dhronacharya was a bad teacher. He should have taught his students how to improve their skills, not how to eliminate competition. 

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