A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

REALIZATION. 299by cheating. That is not much progress, I do notsee what youcall progress of the world, multiplication of desires. If one thingis obvious to me it isthis, that desires bring all misery,the state of thebeggar, always begging for something, cannot seeanything in a shop without the idea of having it ;having, having, everything. The whole life, the life ofthe thirty, thirsty beggar, unquenchable thirst of desire.If the power to satisfy our desires is increased in arithmetical progression, the power of desire is increased in geometrical progression. The sum- total of happiness and miseryin the world is at least the same throughout. If a waverises in the ocean, it makes a hollow somewhere. If happiness comes to a man unljappiness comes to some other, orto some animal. Men are increasing and animals arevanishing we are; killing them and taking their land ;weare taking all means of sustenance from them. How can wesay that happiness is increasing ? The strong race eats upthe weaker, but do you think that strong race will be veryhappy ? No ; they will begin to kill each other. I do notsee how it can be. It is a question of fact. On theoreticalgrounds, also, I see it cannot be.Perfection is always infinite. We are this infiniteYoualready, and we are trying to manifest that infinity.and I, everyone, is trying to manifest this infinity. So farit is all right. But from this fact some German philosophers tried to make out a very peculiar theory of philosophy that is manifestation will go on becoming higher andhigher till we attain perfect manifestation, till we havebecome perfect beings. What is meant by perfect manifestation ? Perfection means infinity, and manifestationmeans limit, and so it means that we shall become unlimited limiteds ;which is all nonsense. Such a doctrine may