An Essay on Self-Management

By Dr.N.N.Shrivastava

There are two kinds of worlds: one inside and the other outside each individual. Individuals have to manage both worlds. It is put forward for consideration that the management of the world inside is a precondition for an effective management of the world outside oneself, namely the management of the money, man, material, machine, marketing, etc. The study of the world inside an individual constitutes the subject matter of self-management. An individual is a living organism. The organism is self-contained, self-regulated, and self-sustained. The management of a self-regulated order appears to be unnecessary. But every individual is endowed with the power to choose freely and make ones own decisions. The use of the power of conscious thought by individuals may or may not disturb the self-regulated order of the living organism.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing India
• Release date: Jun 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543700503

Dr.N.N.Shrivastava

• Professor N.N.Shrivastava (b.1932) is a retired Faculty member Department of Economics, University of Lucknow. Completing his early educational carrier at Banaras Hindus University he received the doctoral degrees (Ph.D. & D. Litt. ) from the University of Cambridge, England, for the post-doctoral work under the guidance of Late prof. Mrs Joan Robbinson. He has also contributed a number of research papers to professional journals on Monetary Theory, Monetary Policy and Economic Theory.

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Copyright © 2017 by Dr.N.N.Shrivastava.

ISBN:                     Softcover                     978-1-5437-0049-7

                               eBook                          978-1-5437-0050-3

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CONTENTS

About The Book

Chapter – I The Realities Of Human Existence

I-2 The Life Reality

I-3 The Ultimate Reality

I-4 The Episode Of Union

I-5 More About Ego

I-6 The Problem

Chapter –II The Approach To Self-Management

II-2 The Notion Of Inside Inputs

II-3 The Self And Inide Inputs

II-4 The Inside Inputs & Instruments Of ActIVIty

II-5 The Triad The Inside Input

II-6 An Issue In Self-Management

Chapter – III The Working Of The Order Of Existence

III-2 The Key Factor

III-3 The Propensity To Passion

III-4 The Propensity To Purity

III-5 The Issue Of Proportions

III-6 The Model Of Purity

Chapter – IV The Unskilled Use Of The Inside Inputs

IV-2 The Unskilled Use Of The Inside Inputs

IV-3 The Internalization Of Attachment

IV-4 The Impact Of Internalization

IV-5 The State Of The Instruments Of ActIVIty

IV-6 The State Of The Self

Chapter – V The Basis Of Self – Management

V-2 The Skilled Use Of Inside Inputs

V-3 The Systemic Approach To Work

V-4 The Concept Of Work

V-5 The Rationale Of Sacrifice

V-6 Implementation Of Work As Duty

Chapter – VI The Goal Of Self-Management

VI-2 Specification Of The Goal

VI-3 The Third Way

VI-4 The Optimal Use Of The Instruments

VI-5 Exploitation Of The Self

Chapter – VII The Essence Of Work

VII-2 The Need To Know The Essence Of Work

VII-3 The Identification Of Work

VII-4 The Bondage To Work

VII-5 The Rationale Of Work

VII-6 The Notion Of Welfare Through Work

VII-7 The Neutrality Of Attitude

Chapter – VIII The Art Of Working

VIII-2 The Nature Of Work Reconsidered

VIII-3 Make-Out Inaction In Action

VIII-4 Make-Out Action In Inaction

About The Book

T here are two kinds of world – one inside and the other outside each individual. Individual have to manage both the worlds. It is put forward for consideration that the management of the world inside is a precondition for an effective management of the world outside oneSelf, namely the management of the money, man, material, machine, marketing etc.

The study of the world inside an individual constitutes the subject matter of Self-management. An individual is a living organism. The organism is Self-contained, Self-regulated and Self-sustained. The management of a Self-regulated order appears to be unnecessary. But every individual is endowed with the power to choose freely and make one’s own decisions. The use of the power of conscious thought by individuals may, or may not, disturb the Self-regulated order of the living organism.

In fact, our excessive concern with life reality makes us oblivious of the ultimate reality. The concern of life reality comprises the whirlpool of action and reaction between people, their activities and its outcome. It is premised that the norms of Self-management can be deduced from the fact is of ultimate reality. The Supreme-Self (god) and nature constitute the ultimate reality. The Supreme - Self accounts for the living soul (or the Self) and the nature create entities are the instruments of activity contained in the body and the triad of dynamic forces, or propensities. The propensities to passion and passivity respectively activate and deactivate action.

The propensity to purity illuminates the whole sequence of action.

We contend that the Self, instruments of activity and the triad of propensities supply inputs which actualize human activities. These inputs are called inside inputs. The Self provides inputs in the form of consciousness, life energy, absolute knowledge and wisdom. The instruments of activity produce inputs in the form of thoughts. Therefore, the quality of produced thoughts acquire great significance. This way of reasoning requires two necessary observations. In the first phase, the inputs produced by the instruments of activity absolutely depend upon the inputs provided by the Self. Secondly, the thought currents produced by the triad of propensities steer the direction in which the inputs provided by the Self are used by the instruments of activity. While the propensities to passion and passivity embody the impulse of attention the propensity to purity disembodies it. The inclusion of attachment in the thought currents cause the instruments of activity to use the inputs of the Self to produce its own inputs. The inputs thus produced disturb the natural working of the instruments of activity. This is for the reason that the inputs produced by the instruments of activity are driven by egoism, attachments and Selfish-will. Each of these tendencies internalize attachments. Consequently, the working of the instruments becomes suboptimal and the inputs of the Self are used for selfish ends.

In the opposite case the thought currents produced by the propensity to purity excludes the impulse of attachment. The urge devoid of Selfish-will causes the instruments of activity to use the inputs of the Self to produce its own inputs. The produced inputs restore the natural functioning of the instruments of activity. This is because the will power takes the place of Selfish-will. It creates a state of egolessness, which induces consideration for others. Consequently, the inputs produced by the instruments of activity induce the flow of the impulse of attachment outside oneSelf. The instruments of activity cleansed of attachment reinforces the use of the inputs of the Self to attain the optimal use of the instruments of activity and exploit the qualities of the Self.

Thus the foremost issue before Self-management is the skilled use of the inside inputs. It not only gives rise to the optimal use of the instruments, but also ensures most appropriate use of the inputs of the Self. Therefore, we examine at first the cause and consequences of the unskilled use of the inside inputs. The ego driven by human instincts accommodates the thought currents of passion and passivity more than the thought currents of purity in its portfolio. Consequently, the output of inputs by the instruments of activity, following the use of the inputs of the Self, comes to be precept by egoism, attachment and Selfish-will. Each of these factors not only keep the generation of attachment inside oneSelf going on overtime, but also cause large amount of inflow of attachment from outside oneSelf. Work and desire seized by Selfish-will accounts for the use of the inside inputs for selfish ends.

The unskilled use of the inside inputs suggests the systemic approach to work as the basis of Self-management. Work can be used as a double-edged weapon to deliver desires and work both from the impact of Selfish-will. The work as a tool can be operationalized by intelligence fixed in work and work to be treated as duty. The notion of duty connects the consideration for others relative to the consideration for one own Self. It involves the sacrifice of something good to oneSelf for the sake of something higher. The notion of sacrifice yields delight in intelligence, only when the spirit of sacrifice exceeds the act of sacrifice.

These considerations bring us to consider the goal of Self-management. It certainly requires the skilled use of the inside inputs. The intelligence has to be set free from the impact of the impulse of attachment and its obverse the impulse of aversion. The goal of Self-management requires one to be stable in intelligence. One has to cultivate the attribute of un-shake-ability in intelligence and assimilate absolute knowledge infused by the Self through wisdom in intelligence.

Finally, the art of working occupies our attention. An Omni experience is that the same looking action could be incited by more than one motive. The motive, not the effort, pin points involvement, or non-involvement in work. The indulgence in, or abstaining from work are the two facets of the same coin of action. Therefore, the presence of Selfish-will in either facts means involvement in action. In the opposite situation, the urge devoid of Self-Selfish-will, in either facts of work, means non-involvement. The art of working consists in keeping non-involvement inside, but effective involvement outside oneSelf. It requires work to be delivered from the size of the attachment – caused bondage to work.

CHAPTER – I

The Realities of Human Existence

I ndividuals stand between two kinds of separately distinct worlds. The world outside oneSelf is life reality. The sole concern of life reality is livelihood- the acts of earning, spending and accumulation of wealth. The approach to Self-management (Chapter-II) surrounds the world inside oneSelf. The inside world in built upon the entities comprising the ultimate reality. It is put forward for consideration that the entities comprising the world inside are all that matter in human though, speech and action. There is no fourth dimension of human activity. In fact, thinking and thoughts precept our speech and action.

For this reason we contend that thinking and thoughts shape the quality of life we live and the skill we execute to earn livelihood. The suggested notion of Self-management is concerned with man’s subjective framework. To this end, we probe unto (Chapter-I-2) the life reality at first. Individuals initiate relationships with the entities comprising the world outside oneSelf namely people, activities and the outcome of activities.

The relationships with the entities obtaining in the world outside is based upon the assumptions that the world is Self-existent and an individual at an entity separate from the world. As a result the life reality comes to be controlled by the desires and work born of Selfish will. In addition to the world outside we have also the world inside oneSelf. The inside world comprises the entities of ultimate reality. Our excessive concern with livelihood makes us oblivious of the ultimate reality. The ultimate reality (Chapter-I-3) contains the living soul (or the Self) and the nature create entities namely the instruments of activity contained in the body and dynamic force called the triad of propensities.

We contend that the entities comprising the inside world cause the order of existence run in an automatic way.

Therefore for expository convenience we regroup (Chapter-I-4) the entities of ultimate reality as the Self and entities other than the Self. The former is endowed with and latter entities are devoid of consciousness. The two kinds of entities of different nature coexist in the order of existence. This is because the Self sets up relationship with entities other than the Self - the instrument of activity and the triad of propensities. The union thus made possible gives rise to two more entities of the ultimate reality the additional entities are human ego and the stream of active consciousness. The ego plays a crucial role, as it is placed (I-5) below the Self, but above the other instruments of activity. It implies that the disposition of ego can influence the Self as well as the working of the other instruments of activity. We have pointed out when the disposition of ego affects the Self more than the instruments activity. Finally (Chapter-I-6) we visualise a problem in Self-management. The issue is whether the Self controls the working of the instruments of activity or controlled by it.

I-2 THE LIFE REALITY

An individual’s concern with the world outside one Self constitutes life reality. Individuals initiate relationship with the world outside one Self. The world does not draw individuals towards itself. This is because the world outside lacks the power of conscious thought. This constitutes the starting point of life reality. The world outside oneself comprises people, activities and the outcome of activities- that is goods and services. The concern of life reality is made up of changing relationships with the entities comprising the world outside one Self. Individuals continually take decision, revise and re-revise about the relationships obtaining outside oneSelf. An objective view reveals that the cause followed by the effect constitutes the basis of all relationships. The cause effect relationships either explicitly or implicitly, revolve around two pshyconomic assumptions. In the first place, one accepts the world to be Self existent. It is taken for granted that the world existed in the past, exists in the present and would continue to exist in the future time periods. Secondly, one also assumes one Self to be a separate entity from the world. These assumptions hide an important fact of life reality that the entities comprising the outside world are subject to unceasing change. The unfounded notion that the world is Self-existent makes one oblivious of the impact of change in the same way the assumption of being a