The third Yama, Asteya (non stealing), asks us to turn our gaze from looking outwards to instead looking inwards at ourselves to prevent stealing from our past, present, and future. We’ll explore in this blog post how to recognize different ways we steal and how to change our habits for a more fulfilled mindset.
How We Steal
From Others
Have you ever heard the saying, “comparison is the thief of joy”? In a world full of access to ways to compare yourself via social media, this phrase may feel tired in your mind. So let’s wake up the overused idiom in a way that can help you understand just how much you are stealing from yourself and others when you fall into the trap of comparison.
Maybe your friend got a promotion, bought a new house, adopted a dog, got married, started a family, retired, bought a vacation home, had kids grow up and become successful, or hit any other big milestone in their life. For simplicity, let’s say your friend recently got a promotion. Did you feel jealous of them? Was your first thought, “Man, I wish I could get a promotion” or “Why can’t that happen to me”?
There is no judgement if that’s where your mind goes, but you’re encouraged to notice how those thoughts come from a place of comparison. You've stolen the joy and excitement from your friend by making their accomplishment about yourself and how you want what they have. Not only that, but you’ve stolen from your friendship the act of being supportive and celebrating a big moment for them.
This is what comparison does. It steals the joy and celebration from those you compare yourself to and robs you of incredible moments and memories. Comparison also steals from the past and present experience. If you get so caught up in comparing how you don’t have what another does, you are diminishing the hard work that led them to where they are and you’re stealing your own sense of pride and accomplishment of where you’re at in your present. Asteya asks you to recognize the ways in which you steal from others and work to push those thoughts away so you can live fulfilled in every moment.
From Our Environment
We all live on the same earth and that has been true for thousands of years and generations, and will likely continue to be true for a long time to come. Asteya asks you to be mindful of your environment and how you treat it so that you are not stealing from this earth. Let’s be honest, this one is really hard. Our society is one of consumerism and it can be extraordinarily difficult to not steal from the earth while being a regular member of this world.
Here are a few ways you can make conscious decisions that promote Asteya in regards to the environment:
Give more than you take: so if you cut down a tree in your yard because it’s a hazard to your home, make an effort to plant two trees in a safer location or donate to a foundation that plants trees.
Recycle everything that you can: this is not just about separating your garbage, but it’s also about recycling old furniture and clothes through donating them to someone in need or repurposing them.
Leave no trace: you’ve likely heard of this one if you’re a fan of being out in nature, but take it a step further and make a conscious effort to respect everywhere you go by cleaning after yourself and even cleaning up after others who may not know the ways of Asteya or the implications of stealing from our planet.
Empower your decisions with knowledge: you want to know the best way to avoid stealing from your planet and instead giving it what it needs to sustain life? Commit your life to being a student and learn about how this world works. Don’t be close minded to new facts, but instead trust your own discernment and the wisdom of others to make decisions.
From the Future
This perfectly leads us into not stealing from the future. One important way to practice Asteya with regards to your future self or future generations is to take care of this place we live so that there is a future in which others get to enjoy it as well.
Another biggie in the path to not stealing from your future is to take a hard look at your present and the habits you have right now. Ask yourself if those are habits that will allow you to grow into your potential in the future. Are they habits you want to see your children develop or their children develop?
If you are a perpetrator of comparison, do everything in your power now to rid yourself of the act. This will create a better future for yourself, and possibly stop the habit from passing down through generations. Have you noticed any traits in yourself that you can directly link to your own parents? Maybe you struggle with spending too much money or you are quick to anger because that is what you grew up around. You are fully in control of what you pass off to others and you can stop those generational traits from going any further. You can also create new habits that are better and work to give those to the people around you instead.
When it comes to Asteya for the future, you must practice it in the present if you want to reap any of the benefits later. Don’t worry if you mess up or don’t know what to do, you’re already doing the work by reading this and exploring the possibilities of the Yamas. You can’t tackle this in a day, a week, a year, or even a lifetime. The Yamas are meant to be practiced everyday and not meant to be perfected, otherwise life would be pretty boring and stagnant.
From Ourselves
The concept of Asteya for ourselves is purposefully left to the end in this blog post because everything before this will help us not steal from ourselves. When you learn how not to steal from others, you will also learn how that action was stealing from yourself as well. Like we mentioned during the Ahimsa blog post, how you treat yourself will affect how you treat others.
In the case of noticing how you turn away from stealing from others, you will be able to notice how you’ve been stealing from yourself all along. Everything about Asteya for ourselves can be found in practicing all the other Yamas; when you are purposeful about not harming yourself through ahimsa, you are actively not stealing joy and peace in the present. Satya does the same thing; when you let go of your facades and masks, you are no longer stealing the opportunity to be the real version of yourself.
Are you beginning to see how each and every Yama is connected? As we continue to work through the Yamas, you will see even more connections and the concepts that may feel hard right now will begin to feel more simple.
Intend to Shine
The NuPower Tribe