Q125. What takes away the good qualities in a person?

Bad association, lack of proper knowledge, and wrong knowledge, deteriorates the good qualities in a person. When we are born, we have pure thoughts. A child doesn’t see any difference between White, Asian, and Black people. Everyone is fun to play with and there is no such thing as money. Everything belongs to everyone. But as the child grows up, due to the association with adults, the child slowly develops a mentality of likes and dislikes towards people and things. Parents, relatives, and teachers, condition the children. The wearing of jewelry (gold, pearls, diamonds etc.) does not add beauty to the soul. It is spiritual advancement that adds beauty to the soul. Modern lifestyle of partying, discoing (western culture), irreligious values (envy and hatred), Bollywood movies, and ignorance (lack of knowledge and misunderstanding) slowly and unknowingly drain away the righteous qualities in a person. “Just as the wind can carry away a boat on the water. The mind that gives in to one of the roaming senses, can carry away the intelligence of a person.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.67) “By thinking about sense objects, a person develops attachment to the objects, and from attachment, desires develop. When the desires are not fulfilled, anger develops. From anger, arises delusion, from delusion there is confusion and loss of reasoning. This results in loss of intelligence, and when intelligence is lost, one falls down into lower species." (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.62-63)