The bogey of religion

Recently there was a controversy in Russia regarding the Bhagwat Gita. Our political class feigned outrage. The opposition spat fire. The government ‘protested’. I then felt India should have just ignored these developments in Russia. The teachings evinced in the Gita are universal so much so they can be detached from specific individuals and situations. I say the same about this controversy brewing on Golden Temple pictures and Leno –NBC – USA. Are we not becoming oversensitive on such non-issues? Are our citadels of culture standing on such weak foundations that they can be felled by breeze from a stinking neighborhood when over centuries stronger forces have failed to sway them? But then are we now feeling insecure? By insensible reaction to unfounded insinuations we make ourselves vulnerable and liable to be overwhelmed.

Let not the sensibilities of religion bind us. Let us not hound the Hussains and Rushdies out of our country. Let us not be so intolerant as to be shackled. Remember the time in school where the easily irritable fellow was always the laughing stock? Do not let our Nation become a laughing stock. An easily irritable Nation will be a weak Nation.

The mobocracy enacted in Jaipur Litfest on the eve of our Republic day is highly condemnable.

Conflicts

This is a bit strange but true. You may try and evaluate this phenomena on events that happen around you.

It is seldom a person does something of his own volition. Most time an individual is a victim of circumstance. Conflicts occur when there is denial or a perceived denial of justice. If certain feelings of a human are set aside any conflict can be resolved easily. Greed, selfishness, ego are the more prominent among those feelings. Cashing in on these feelings or phenomena vested interests can easily sway the fallible human mind. In this way a collective sentiment is build up among a group of people. Sentiment is nothing but a psychological state of mind beyond the threshold of reason. The sentiment slowly turns into a mob mentality which is destructive as in that state the mind is dysfunctional and tends to follow the mob…

So when you examine any historic conflict you will find these identifiable stages ….

Vested interests (for personal/parochial cause / reason) –> whipping up sentiments ->  mobilistaion -> conflict

Basically (wo)man is a peace loving animal….like all other animals.

Read the signals correctly

The neighbour’s dog had a problem. It couldn't stand the sight of me, so I thought. I love my dog and this b…. expects me to love her as much.She is at the opposite gate barking all the while,  whenever I leave my house and return to it. How she senses my movements I wonder. When I told a friend about this he told me that the dog may really be liking me and hence the greetings sending me off and receiving me in. That evening on return home I stopped by her side and for a moment particularly  watched her tail which was not wagging! If the mongrel loved me she would at least wag its tail a couple of times. So that was that, I concluded, she hates me for loving my dog.

Then the very next day she stopped all that barking and did her routine, wagging her tail. She continued that in subsequent days. Some days I stopped by and gave her a pat down. “Why this change?” I wondered. It took me a good week to realize the reason. All that she wanted was my attention. She was barking to get my attention so that she could wag her tail. That day when I spent a moment to watch her tail, she must have realised I noticed her.  Then she got into the tail action rather than the bark routine.

That got me thinking. In life too we often misread the signals probably assuming we know all…what have we missed...let us not miss much more.....

Let us read the signals correctly! It is never too late!