Manipulation

 

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Manipulation

All of us have at some point in our life manipulated others and have in turn been manipulated ourselves. It is not a very nice feeling once you know that you have been manipulated and have been taken advantage of. We have seen people in college, in office, amongst our friends, people who try to turn things to their own advantage by manipulating circumstances or manipulating other people. These are nothing but mind games and in the end the manipulator too becomes a victim of his/her own manipulation.

People use manipulation as a tool to get ahead in life, try to protect themselves – but all these actions just add to one’s karmic bank account. Once one becomes aware of being manipulative and expresses a desire to change – that is the first step – becoming aware of being manipulative! Once we understand that we are trying to be manipulative, then the base disappears. Manipulation is so useless and futile a thing. If we succeed, nothing is gained; if we fail, there is much frustration.

So, whatever the result, whether we succeed or fail, the ultimate result is frustration. We can go on manipulating only if we are not aware; it is an unconscious process. In some other thing’s name – love, helping people, creating order – we can go on manipulating, and the process can continue, but it needs something to hide behind, a good name. Once we start feeling the truth of it then we will see that we are phoney. To understand that one is phoney is a great insight, and if we remain with it… do not drop it, to become authentic, no – remain with the phoniness and we will find that it is disappearing, evaporating.

Once we understand that something is untrue, we cannot live with it; it has to go. So do not do anything about it, because whatever we do will be phoney, it will again be a subtle manipulation. Just go on understanding that this is phoney and accept it. Be phoney consciously, and the next insight will be that when we try to be phoney, when we consciously try to manipulate people, one day suddenly we will see that we are incapable of manipulating.

We have diagnosed our own illness. In the inner world the diagnosis is the treatment, there is no other therapy needed for it. Now try not to forget it. Do not drop it – go on manipulating, but now watch and do not do anything to change it; remain with it. One has to pass through it to get rid of this tendency.