Gloriously Vainglorious
Call it vainglory or extreme vanity. But the truth is that most of us, at one or other times in our lives (and for a few all the time), try not to show what we really are by showing ourselves to be what we are not. If it sounds like bumble, an explanatory illustration will clear the air.
When a VIP guest is about to visit our home, especially of the NRI kind, we spruce up our abode which hitherto has been in quite a disarray. Walls see new coat of paint and furnishings get a facelift. Cobwebs are swept away rendering the resident spiders homeless (and jobless). Exotic implements and gadgetry so far hibernating in dark corners suddenly appear adorning strategic spots. Great classic novels, mostly borrowed from somewhere stack the wall cabinets to exude a scholarly ambience. And all this we do to impress upon the visitors that this is how we live all the time.
Looking back, I can remember any number of instances when my vainglory came to the fore. One such event was when I needed a small nut tightened beneath the under-carriage of my car which called for crawling under the vehicle face up. I was hesitant, for, I feared that some neighbours or passers-by may see me doing the garage-boy act. But crawl under the car I did, but not before making my school-going son and daughter hold a screen to hide me from prying eyes!!!
Conquering such traits in our character is a tough task. It needs paradigm shift in the way we see our own image or the SELF. Then we need to crack a whip on our ego. I have been fighting this scourge all my life.
I am still fighting.
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