I am half-man and half-beast. The ‘I’ is the consciousness with which I am able to perceive the outside world. In this ‘I’ dwell the man and the beast.

The man in me is ‘thinking’ and full of ideals imbued from the parents and the society. The beast in me is guided purely by emotions and loves its creature comforts. It is selfish and operates in the realm of baser instincts.

The man in me wants to control the beast, and the beast in me tries to over-power the man. The man succeeds sometimes, but more often than not succumbs to the pressures of the beast. This constant struggle between the two creates a battlefield within my being and robs my peace of mind.

The struggle looks eternal and I seem doomed forever until I resolve to reconcile the two. Constant contemplation along with studying nature lead me to realisation of some truths of life and existence.

I explain to the man that emotions are essential for my very existence. For instance, aggression – the inherent feature of anger – is key to countering an external threat. The secretion of the hormone adrenaline is to prepare my body for fight or flight. Similarly, sex is neither sin nor fun. Creation has to have procreation. So there is nothing wrong for the beast in me to express the emotion of sexual desire. Each and every emotion has its raison d’être. If I suppress my basic emotions, then how can I lead a happy and balanced life?

On the other hand, I explain to the beast that these emotions are for specified purposes and so must be used judiciously. If I allow myself to be governed purely by my emotions, then I am no better than an animal. ‘Kaivalya’ or ‘moksh’ or ‘nirvana’ is said to be the highest goal of a human being. To achieve this objective, the beast exercise caution while indulging in the six basic passions of human mind viz., kama (lust), krodh (anger), moh (attachment), lobh (greed), mada (pride) and matsarya (envy).

The man and the beast in me have finally called a truce. I now walk the path of moderation by skillfully negotiating between the extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification. My peace of mind is back!