Comments on: They alone live who live for others… http://www.swadharma.org/2010/02/05/they-alone-live-who-live-for-others/ The voice of Dharma Thu, 16 Dec 2010 23:48:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: ryanmchadha http://www.swadharma.org/2010/02/05/they-alone-live-who-live-for-others/comment-page-1/#comment-987 ryanmchadha Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:08:47 +0000 http://www.swadharma.org/?p=2424#comment-987 As I dissect this passage, I appreciate its pragmatic nature. Swamiji states very succinctly that while there may be tens of hundreds of men willing to educate the derelict masses, there must be a organization and resources to support the effort. And he admits plainly that he has come to America to ask for sympathy and seek help for his quest to help the poor.  I find it fascinating the Swamiji points out to this reality of selfless service.  While everyone on their quests for spirtual gain wishes to perform selfless service, the question that arises: is selfless service without appropriate resources and structure helping anyone at all? As for the quote, I simply do not believe in context changing its meaning at all. Frankly, this quote meaning, like those of all famous maxims and adages that we use daily,  remains completely the same, regardless of the passage surrounding it. The portion of this statement that appeals to me is  "they alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive." While I may not agree exactly with those words, I do agree with Swamiji's idea that life without a spiritual purpose is not really life at all. Just some food for thought. I hope I have committed no major faux pas with my first comment on your truly scholarly blog. Keep up the good work. :) As I dissect this passage, I appreciate its pragmatic nature. Swamiji states very succinctly that while there may be tens of hundreds of men willing to educate the derelict masses, there must be a organization and resources to support the effort. And he admits plainly that he has come to America to ask for sympathy and seek help for his quest to help the poor.  I find it fascinating the Swamiji points out to this reality of selfless service.  While everyone on their quests for spirtual gain wishes to perform selfless service, the question that arises: is selfless service without appropriate resources and structure helping anyone at all?
As for the quote, I simply do not believe in context changing its meaning at all. Frankly, this quote meaning, like those of all famous maxims and adages that we use daily,  remains completely the same, regardless of the passage surrounding it. The portion of this statement that appeals to me is  “they alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.” While I may not agree exactly with those words, I do agree with Swamiji’s idea that life without a spiritual purpose is not really life at all.

Just some food for thought. I hope I have committed no major faux pas with my first comment on your truly scholarly blog. Keep up the good work. :)

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