The unhealthy 'I' fixation among us

In these modern times, wherein one sees aggressive competition everywhere, in virtually everything. How many of us on regular basis, wake up with relaxed frame of mind and pleasant thoughts in the mornings?

And during those early morning hours, how many times, have we enjoyed those minor things, which instantly grant us mammoth pleasure, if we care to take cognizance of them.

For instance, enjoying whiffs of fresh morning air, and feeling gentle breeze whipping up the face, or basking in the joy of beholding beautiful flowers in full bloom, or wallowing in sheer delight of sipping into steaming hot brewed beverage, or for that matter, even luxuriating in a reinvigorating shower! 

Well, the moment our eyes are barely open in the morning, no sooner our mental faculties get charged into thinking of multifarious things, most of which are centered about ourselves. Apparently, our mind is always cluttered and clogged with that ‘I’ thoughts, to such an extent that there is no space either for others, or even for those aforesaid teeny joys of life.

This is because there is always that inexorable endeavour to carve a unique identity for ourselves, and to be recognised as someone, few notches above everyone else. So, we go on a rampage to achieve whatever we can, and acquire whichever good things we cast eyes on, within the given parameters of our respective mental capacity and financial capabilities.

 Yes, we don’t want to straggle behind others in anything, and we simply can’t accept failure of any sort. For, it is a buffeting and battering blow to our bloated egos! Hence to buffer against any failures, we slog and stretch ourselves beyond our physical/mental resilience, till the body and mind are fully whacked out. It’s an interminable battle we are waging against ourselves, to prove to others our cerebral caliber, skills, talents, etc, more than proving these to ourselves.

Paradoxically, today’s cases of mental attrition, high-level depression, frustration, even cases of self-killing are all kind of offshoot to this self-obsession syndrome. This doesn’t mean one shouldn’t strive for success, or other good things in life.

But this over-obsession with one’s self and one’s life, (wherein a person, inadvertently barters away his inner peace and happiness, in order to get/achieve something, and to score over others in everything), could cause an irrevocable dent on one’s physical and mental well-being.

Many times it so happens that, to get something in life, we lose out on something else. But what we must remember here is that, when being hurled in such quandaries, we shouldn’t end up losing something ‘vital’, to get something ‘trivial’ - all on account of our great ‘I’ fixation!