On: - the News Report report about the death of a famous singer, age 27:
Today’s Metro Plus section of ‘The Hindu’ carries on its front-page the news of the death of Amy Winehouse, brilliant UK artist and Grammy award winner at the young age of 27.
Presumably, her drug, alcohol and marital problems were responsible for the tragic death. She became one of the most acclaimed young singers of the past decade, selling millions of albums, winning five Grammy Awards and starting a British retro-R&B trend that continues today. Yet, almost from the moment she arrived on the international pop scene in early 2007, she appeared to flirt with self-destruction. Strangely, she seemed to be 'frustrated with success'. In time, the notoriety from Ms. Winehouse’s various drug arrests, public meltdowns and ruined concerts overshadowed her talent as a musician, and her career never recovered. On Saturday, as the news of Ms. Winehouse’s death spread, many musicians wrote with sadness, but no surprise. She seemed unable to deal with her great succes early in her life, affirmng Oscar Wilde's wise observation: "There are only two tragedies in life: One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.”
‘The Hindu’ in the article titled ‘Broken Flower’ has stated:
“Winehouse dies at the age of 27, which is the same age when musical legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison passed on. But even as conspiracy theorists welcome another member to ‘Death club 27', one can establish another clear link between all the pioneers. Despite their superior musical dexterity, a strong temptation made them deviate and become careless wrecks. Winehouse too, treaded this path and now leaves behind a legacy of music that thematically delved on everything her life was — painful yet ecstatic, but without regrets.”
Why would many talented artists find difficulty and frustration in dealing with the fame and success they richly deserved and achieved? Is there a lesson for all of us from these failures to deal with success, which Oscar Wilde noted as being a weakness in human nature? Is there a strategy to counter this?
Perhaps, our sages have the answer in the lessons they have prescribed for practising Karma Yoga — the mental attitude to Work. In this context, there is great relevance in Ramana Maharishi’s advice in his Upadesa Saram slokam:
ईश्वरार्पितं नेच्छया कृतम् । Ishvaraarpitam na ichchayaa krutam
चित्त शोधकं मुक्तिसाधकम् ।। Chittha shodhakam mukti saadhakam Actions consecrated to the Lord without attachment to the results, purify the mind and point the way to liberation, freedom from the binding mind. Bhagavad Gita too warns us in sloka VI-5 that our mind can be our best friend and also our worst enemy.
Taking credit for success boosts the ignorant ego (mind) and leads to self-destruction.
Self-confidence should mean confidence in the Higher Self, not in the ego-self created by us and uninitiated into true knowledge of the real purpose of this life, hence termed ignorant. The Kathopanishad advises us to hand over the reins of our Indriyas to the wise Self residing within us, instead of the uninstructed ego-mind:
Atmaanam rathinam viddhi shareeram rathameva tu
buddhim tu sarathim viddhi manah pragrahamevaca
indriyani hayanyahur vishayansteshu gocharaan
Atmendriya manoyuktam bhoktetyahur maneeshinah Consider the body as a chariot with the Spirit (Atman) sitting in it as the passenger, the intellect as the driver who controls the horses (the Indriyas – organs), with the mind as the reins. When the mind (ego) acts in accordance with the instructions of the Atman, true knowledge dawns and harmony prevails in the travel along the life-path (sat-chit-anand). Only the mind liberated in this manner will be able to deal effectively with both success and failure.
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