Let us find out together. First of all, we must be aware that we are superficial, must we not? And are We? What does it mean to be superficial? Essentially to be dependent, does it not? To depend on stimulation, to depend on challenge, to depend psychologically on certain values, certain experiences and memories _ does not all that make for superficiality? When I depend on going to church every morning, or every week, in order to be uplifted, in order to be helped, does that not make me superficial? If I have to perform certain rituals to maintain my sense of integrity, or to regain a feeling which I may once have had, does that not make me superficial? And does it not make me superficial when I give myself over to a country, to plan, or to a particular political group? Surely, this whole process of dependence is an evasion of myself; this identification with the greater is the denial of what I am. But I cannot deny what I am; I must understand what I am, and not try to identify myself with the universe, with God, with a particular party or what you will. All this leads to shallow thinking, and from shallow thinking, there is activity which is everlasting mischievous, whether on a worldwide scale, or on the individual scale.
So, first of all, do we recognize that we are doing these things? We don’t; we justify them. We say, ‘ what shall I do if I don’t do these things? I will be worse off; my mind will go to pieces. now, at least, I am struggling towards something better .’And the more we struggle, the more superficial we are. so I have to see that first, have I not? and that is one of the most difficult things – to see what I am, to acknowledge that I am stupid, that I am shallow, that I am narrow, that I am jealous. if I see what I am, if I recognize it, then with that I can start. surely, a shallow mind is a mind that escapes from what it is, and not to escape requires arduous investigation, the denial of inertia. the moment I know I am shallow, there is already a process of deepening – if I don’t do anything about the shallowness. if the mind says , ‘i am petty , and I am going to go into it, I am going to understand the whole of this pettiness, this narrowing influence’, then there is a possibility of transformation; but a petty mind, acknowledging that it is petty and trying to be non – petty by reading, by meeting people, by travelling, by being incessantly active like a monkey, is still a petty mind.
Again, you, see, there is a real revolution only if we approach this problem rightly. the right approach to the problem gives an extraordinary confidence which I assure you move mountains – the mountains of one’s own prejudices, conditioning. so, being aware of a shallow mind, do not try to become deep. a shallow mind never knows great depths. it can have plenty of knowledge, information, it can repeat words – you know, the whole paraphernalia of a superficial mind that is active. but if you know that you are superficial shallow, if you are aware of the shallowness and observes all its activities without judging, without condemning, then you will soon see that the shallow things has disappeared entirely without your action upon it. But requires patience, watchfulness, not an eager desire for a result, for a reward, for achievement. it is only a shallow mind that wants an achievement, a result. the more you are aware of this whole process, the more you will discover them without trying to put an end to them, because the moment you seek an end, you are again caught in the duality of the ‘me’ and the ‘not-me’ – which is another problem.
Source : From J. Krishnamurti Talks 1952, Book – The Revolution from Within, Krishnamurti Foundation
