yurveda talks about 3 Gunas or types of people at the psychological level. I will try to explain those my best in layman terms taking into account the kinds of people that exist in the current world.
(Note: Please don't infer that I've met all the people of the world - it's just called "sampling").
Saatvik => Satva (Serenity) is the guna (Represented by White color)
These folks are very rare, in fact comprise 0.1% of the current population. These are the folks that know the "essence" of life - their life and everyone's life. Besides knowing, the fact that I'd like to stress is, these are the folks that actually act upon that knowing. In simpler terms, that means the below:
They don't react to external stimuli/circumstances/people/actions.
They aren't attached to any materialistic things - neither attached nor desire.
They know they are one with the God/Universal consciousness and this life is just a mere drama, one day ending in unifying with that energy.
They are on the mission to bring their Prarabdha karma balance to 0.
So pretty much, you will see these folks only in places where there is not much of a concept of society or humans around.
Rajasic => Rajas (Passion) is the guna (Represented by Red)
Around 30%-40% (in my opinion), of the world's population falls in this category. These folks "sometimes" know the essence of life, but they don't act on that or very rarely act on that, instead get caught up in the daily dramas of life. Most of the spiritual gurus we see in the current world, in my opinion, fall under this category but are very close to the transformation to Saatvic state.
Some of them tend to be born leaders.
These are the passionate, energetic, hard-working and goal-oriented folks.
They know the difference between right and wrong, but still give in to the world/materialistic desires/needs/dramas/actions/people forgetting the fact that that will result in more Prarabdha karma.
They know that they are connected to Universal consciousness and that spark does spark sometimes to guide them towards the Satva state.
They react to the situations of life, therefore mostly at the risk of spoiling their mental and physical health.
Some or most of these folks are on the path to Satva.
Tamasic => Tamas (Darkness/Ignorance) is the guna (Represented by Black)
In my opinion, this is "the most" common guna you can see in the current world, so it's pretty easy for me to explain.
They are mostly/only materialistic - as in they give "lots of" importance to materialistic things like money, partying, hanging-out, cars, jewelry, houses, yachts, airplanes, fancy/expensive dresses/stuff, status, exaggerated display of wealth/fame/relationship status.. (sorry, it sounds kindergarten to explain further in this manner).
They appear to be happy, content and living their life, well - at least superficially! Be careful in attributing the source of this Tamasic happiness to the Saatvik happiness. Tamasic happiness stems from the fact "Ignorance is bliss!" Ignorance here is not about "education", ignorance here is totally forgetting the fact that this life is temporary, and that it's a just a stage to nullify our karmas and that we are all one stemming from the One God or Universal Energy.
There is another category of Tamasics - they don't seem to show much interest in partying or display of wealth/status etc., BUT they do give lot of value to "money", as an example, they don't want to lose a "single dollar" knowingly even if it means not being able to see their own siblings/parents/close friends. They do believe in God but they don't believe in any of the other scriptures whose origin is the same as that of God's. In fact, they blindly and stubbornly believe in and argue that they are correct and only "science" is real. In short, they have a pretty closed mind, which is nothing but "pure ignorance".
Last, but not the least - in fact the most important category of people include folks who are violent, who tread the path of darkness, who seem to enjoy darkness (in a nutshell, criminals, psychopaths, sociopaths, folks suffering extreme mental illnesses, addicts to drugs, alcohol, sex etc. come under this category). Note: One can become an addict for any reason, the underlying fact I'm trying to make here is that when someone becomes an addict, they are filled with darkness or Tamas.
Also in general, folks who are lazy, lethargic, selfish, self-centered etc., (all of us are all of these to a certain extent, when I mention these "traits" as adjectives, that means the intensity of those adjectives is relatively very high as compared to others).
As human beings, our ultimate goal is to reach the Saatvik state, even if it takes life times. Our conscious decisions, thoughts, attitudes, routines all aid in that transformation. Also, colors play an important role in aiding such transformation. The more you are near the color black, the more tamasic traits will enter/continue in you, the more white, there is a chance of increase in the Saatvik state. That's the reason why angels are imagined having white wings, white clothes. Homes with white or off-white walls promote Satva. There are enormous ways and means for one to surround oneself with Saatvik energy but most choose to ignore it - most of us are after all, tamasic, hence blind and deaf to any of the ancient teachings that teach the essence of a "good life" out there.
Unless the majority of the world transforms from Tamasic => Rajasic and Rajasic => Saatvik, we are NOT going to see a very good future (for the planet as a whole, even if you don't think or care about fellow human-beings)!
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