Bob: To have certain
talents is natural. One can develop
one's talent without any desire to "rise to the top". What
is "the top"?
Som: Sorry about the confusion: "rise to the top" = do the very
best that
one is capable of, rise to the top of one's own capability.
Bob: What is
"the very best"? Why push oneself for
some ideal of "best"?
Som: Best is not an ideal.
Why not just BE the
passion
that the talent requires, without this ego thing of
comparison of myself to an ideal and seeking the
ideal? Then the talent gets all caught up in the
expectations of others, and one becomes nervous,
afraid of being "less than the best", which may in-
terfere with the innocent action and gift that is the
talent.
Som: For doing the best, you do not compare with others.
We do our best by comparing with our own selves, and by putting in
an
extra effort.
If someone has
talent and I see it, I will en-
courage them to develop it, to share it with huma-
nity. If they don't want to, it is their business.
Som: Sure, you can only take a horse to water.
Their
value is their humanity itself, not their talents. And
ultimately, it is imminently more significant for peo-
ple to develop that humanity itself to its most peace-
ful, intelligent extent, than to be overly concerned
with a fraction of it.
Som: A person who doesn't have the desire to excel, to give his
or her best to the task at hand, is not living intelligently.
Intelligence and mediocrity do not go together.
People use Krishnamurti's (and other's) words an excuse to not push
themselves to do their best, which is a pity, because Krishnamurti's
message
is just the opposite: it is a message to do one's best at whatever we are
doing.
"Do not compare" "be not ambitious" "not be
driven by other's expectations" are
the basics. Beyond the basics, the message is that of putting one's heart
and soul
in to what we do, and excel -- not because the society expects us to, but
because
of an inner urge to do our best.
I wonder how many of us really do things with all our heart and soul in
it.
Hope this explains my post better now.