Running after name and fame


Politics is the other pole, exactly the opposite pole to religion. Religion takes you to the essence of your being and politics takes you to the accidents of your desires. The desires keep you so occupied with the mundane, with the futile, that you start forgetting everything that is intrinsic, that is really valuable. Running after money, you forget all about the inner treasure. Running after power, you forget all about the power of Tao, which is the supreme power. Running after name and fame, you forget completely that name and fame are just momentary. But they go on goading you; they won't leave you for a single moment. In the night you will dream about desires, in the day you will run after desires. And all desires are mirages, like the horizon that looks so close that if you just go, within an hour you will be able to reach it. But you never reach it because it does not really exist. You go on forgetting everything: you forget the soul, the heaven; you even forget the body, the earth. You become almost mad. All your politicians are mad. All your people who are running after money are mad, who are running after fame are mad.