Eknath Easwaran's Commentary
The greatest source of danger to a human being is loss of discrimination, and this is the main malady in our modern civilization, where we have lost our capacity to differentiate between what is necessary and useful, and what is unnecessary and harmful.
How often do we stop and ask, “What is really important? What matters most to me?”
If every one of us starts asking this simple question, it will transform our daily lives and even the world in which we live. After all, we need clean air and water more than we need microwave ovens. Doing work that is meaningful and of service to others is more important than owning luxury cars. We need loving human relationships more than we need home entertainment systems.
Many modern conveniences make life more pleasant and can save time. We needn’t live without them, but when we begin to think such things are not merely useful but prized possessions, we may gradually lose our discrimination.
In order to understand what is important in life, what our real priorities are, discrimination is essential.