Calling versus Interest
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The following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.
Acharya Prashant (AP): Ekansh is saying, “Sir alright, you said my work should come from my calling.” He is saying, “But today I am interested in one thing, five years later I might be interested in another thing. Then what will happen? Should I change my work, my trade, my stream then?”
Ekansh, a couple of misconceptions. First, calling is not your interest, I am not asking you to follow your interests. Interests are flimsy, superficial. Interests are very-very flimsy. Interests come and go, born in India you are interested in cricket, born in Brazil you will be interested in…
Questioner (Q): Football
AP: There is no value in interests, born a male you are interested in girls, born a girl you would be interested in boys. There is nothing in that, no awareness, no understanding in that.
Born in South India you are interested in Upma, born in North India you are interested in Poha. What is there in that?
When I am talking of vocation it is far deeper than interests. That is the first thing. It is something that does not come to you as a result of external influence.
You can use a test. The test is, is it something that everybody approves of? What I am drawn towards, is it something that everybody approves of, if everybody approves it then there is an eighty percent chance that it is only an interest.
Whereas, if you are drawn towards something which is unpredictable, a little unusual, and you also face resistance in going towards it, then there is an eighty percent chance that this is your calling. And calling and interests are two different things.
Calling is like that intoxicated, drunk call of the lover. Interest is nothing. Calling is when you do not know what you are doing. There is just that on your mind and you do not bother for the rest of the world. Just that, the Truth, the extremely lovable Truth. And everything else disappears, that is your calling.
When you will move towards your calling, I am saying there is eighty percent, in fact, there is a ninety-nine percent chance that you will meet opposition. Others will resist you because you know unfortunately, we…
