21st Century Civilization

Dr F. Kenton Beshore was called to preach at the age of eight and was licensed to preach at the age of seventeen. He predicts that the world would end between 2018 and 2028. The well known Mayans predicted that the world would come to an end on 21^st December, 2012. Harold Camping, an American Christian radio broadcaster, author and evangelist, predicted the world would end on May 21, 2011. Various sources also suggested that the computer-reliant global society would implode at the Millennium as devices would get confused at the triple-zero date and reset their dates to 1900. A popular television evangelist Pat Robertson predicted it to end in 1892. There have been several other predictions too, but the question is, when is the world going to end?

Well! Here starts the idea. Do these endings refer to literal collapse of the planet? Mythology is largely based on metaphors. Most of the religious texts and tales are metaphorical and are meant for people to draw learnings. To me, the world has already ended.

The end of a civilization is not just the end of the species as they appear externally, but even as they function internally. The thinking forms civilization; manners form civilization; attitude forms civilization; trust, faith, kindness forms civilization. “7 billion people, 14 billion faces”; this is the end of the world, the end of a civilization.

Living is synonymous to struggling. Children are being prepared for a rat-race without giving it a thought, that these children might be lions. There’s no time. People are in a rush to achieve, to be successful. They’ve become mercenary, covetous, narcissistic, egomaniacal; in simple terms, selfish. They think about themselves, their own growth, personally, professionally, socially. There is no time and space for the other. In fact, the other has become the Other even in Hegelian terms. People are used and things are loved. The idea of giving because someone needs and I have is lost. The idea is, giving because I’ll get something else, but only in a materialistic term.

“Who has seen the next world?” is another question often posed by atheist and agnostics. With this is mind, their actions inevitably get aligned to achieving and losing here, in this world. Most often we conclude that these are the people who will bring goodness to an end, they aren’t God fearing, or for that matter, even God loving, so they only think about themselves. What about the God fearing people? What about those who believe in making overflowing wealth in this lifetime by hook or by crook, and bribing God by partnering him in the profits. Do a lot of charities and God will spare you the rod.

‘Someone laughs at your tears is fine, but your laughter should never make someone shed tears’. Seems like the world works the other way round. Who cares if someone else is crying, nothing should make me cry. Additionally, who cares if my happiness is at the cost of someone else’s. There is no dearth of opportunists. People are just looking for a chance to grab that bite which you are feeding on. Moreover, insecurities do not let them be a part of the growth. If I learn something, I will never teach it to someone else, because I am insecure. I am scared someone else will do better than me. My idea and not an overall performance and improvement of the team, organization, society, nation or the world, my idea is proving how I am better than someone else. There are two ways of being the best: work hard and prove yourself to be the best, or show that others are worthless. The latter is easier.

People go to various Satsangs, and start competing there to gain the Guru's attention. A competition to prove that I am a better disciple that the other. It's all about our mindset and thinking. Our minds are blocked with a think wall of competition. We have forgotten to live, we only remember to compete. Competition is good, but only when it's healthy. When people are trying to attain a win-win state. Competing by pulling others down and irking them is not going to let anyone grow.

Hence, for me the world came to an end, the day people started thinking whether to trust or not. The world came to an end, the day people started thinking whether to give or not. The world came to an end, the day people started thinking how to manipulate others and handle them for personal benefits. The world came to an end, the day selfishness left humanity much behind in the race. There is still a fading ray of hope. There are still a few who live like humans. They struggle all through their lives because someone or the other constantly keeps afflicting them to break them down. They are now an endangered species. They have to be saved and protected. Hey wait! Probably they are string enough to protect themselves. May be we can just learn from them, at least try to reach the borders of their aura. 

The world could have been a much better place to live, had it been ruled by humans.

I am Buddha!

“How immature!!!”

           I often exclaim... How immature! I find people talking too much, immature... I find shy people, immature... People who have an opinion about everything, are immature.... People who have opinion about nothing, are immature... But no, not everybody is immature if that's what you are thinking, I think.

               I have my own set of people I get along with. I have friends with whom I share a frequency. I have even come across people I feel are better than me at many things. Not only that, but I even have idols. Yet, I find many of them unbelievably immature. It's O.K.  What bothers me is this...

             A few days ago, when I was talking to my friend Neha, she made a really stupid remark on Indian cricketers and I laughed at her like I hadn't laughed in ages. When I find people immature and their thoughts, ideas and talks stupid, I have an expression of awe on my face.. I often laugh at them, criticize them.. Sometimes I even ask them where they got that stupid idea from. It probably makes me feel wonderful... Makes me feel superior... 

               Yesterday, when I went to a friend's party who was leaving Bangalore, I met a set of new people. There I met this girl, Neha, almost my age, may be a year or two younger to me... We had a discussion on how the Deepika Padukone’s video on women empowerment is a need of the time and only such things can influence and change the mind set of people.. As a Deepika Padukone fan I even appreciated her thoughtfulness in bringing out her ideas through this video. Deepika Padukone is a an amazing woman and realizes her social responsibility, is what I thought and told Neha.

            She looked at me in awe and said, “Not Deepika's but Vogue's. What exactly does the Vogue magazine do? Why was it marketed. Well, if you must know, since its inception, the magazine targeted the new New York aristocracy, establishing social norms in a country that did not value class and ceremony as much as England or France. Firstly, it is a commercial which you mistook for a message. And now, Vogue wants to ‘empower’ women, in India, that too by a 2min 30sec video. Seriously??? And you thought it was the ‘socially responsible’ Deepika Padukone…”

            She laughed just like I would laugh at others when I found them immature or stupid!

            We often do this to people around us, don’t we? We make fun of them, laugh at them, and ridicule them; because we ‘feel’ that we are better than them. At times, we even realize that there are a couple of things which they know or do, better than us. Very intelligently, we shut up at that moment and let it pass, to hold on to our superiority.

            To find anybody stupid and immature, is OK but do I have any right to mock at someone. If yes, then probably I am Buddha. I have reached that levels of maturity where there is no one who could find me immature. I am an epitome of perfection.

            But, if that is true, then I wouldn’t indulge in sarcasm and wouldn’t make fun of someone who just expressed his or her ideas. I would rather, correct them if I am sure they are not right and guide them, help them to learn better. It is better to let someone laugh at your tears rather than laughing at someone till they have tears.

Do I Believe or Do I Be-live?

How a human thinks is often how he lives!

We grow learning about the power of thoughts. Positive thinking, optimism and our lives mould as we mould it are the most reiterated lessons in our lives. The ideas are now ingrained in our minds.

Do we often draw meaning from what someone says? Isn't it often more important to us to understand what we wanted to understand? Don't we usually believe in what we want to believe? Do we give ourselves a benefit of doubt and choose to believe in what we want to believe? What is to be questioned? Probably their ability to accept the truth! 

This is a trend I have noticed in people off late. Relations have become child's play and people get in and out of it in no time. Flirting, double-dating, being friends with benefits have become common milieu these days. But, if one of them ends up getting serious while the other continues to remain apathetic, the serious ones usually chose close their eyes and regard the other to be truthful, honest and faithful. Even if they are told what is true and what is false, even after having proofs against the wrong, they still choose to close their eyes and believe it because it keeps them happy. People have started finding happiness and facade. A beautiful mask makes them happier than a not so beautiful, real face. 

They would even know that the proofs are ending it all for them. But they deny it. They continue to believe in the flowery picture of things. They close their ears to facts. Their heart is still in pain, but they try to reduce it by the balm of masquerade rather than waiting for time to heal it. 

They don't believe, they only be-live the charade. 

"Don't think of past, it's gone. Don't think of future, it's far. Think only of now, it's the present." People seem to have taken this a little too seriously and in a deleterious manner. Thinking of now does not mean digging a grave for your future to R.I.P.

Your yesterday built your today and your today will build your tomorrow. See, analyse, think and then believe. Be-living is not the solution to our problems. We need to struggle. Like almost every creature struggles it's way to its birth, we need to accept realities and truth even if it's painful and arduous; because only then, can we emerge. 

Really a Philanthropist?

"Strong people stand for themselves; the strongest stand for others."

1.       Recently, I have come across many ‘philanthropists’. The reason I put this word in quotes is because the meaning ideally is “someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes”. As a student of psychology during my UG, I remember studying about philanthropy and we were told that a philanthropist believes in helping others for nothing in return. They only feel happy when they are of any help to anybody.

The kind of people or rather philanthropists I have seen around these days are far from this definition. When we help someone, the focus is supposed to be the person in need. We help them so that it benefits them. However, the philanthropists today, do it in order to gain goodwill in the market. People make sure that they extend a helping hand to someone and the rest notice it and propagate it.

Moreover, one would never extend themselves in order to help others. Others are helped in the limits that the philanthropist exercises. The focus is always the philanthropist and not the person being helped. I’d help someone, only if it is convenient to me. I’d wipe someone’s tears, only when the camera focuses on me. Are we really being humans? All the religious teachings teach us to do charity such that when your right hand is involved, even your left hand doesn't know about it.

A few of us are blessed to have a lot while a few have lesser. Some of us have lots of money and power but crave for friends and love while others pass by us and wonder if they will ever be able to afford a pair of footwear like we do. Some of us crave for a family while other want to get rid of them.

No one has a perfect life. In such a situation, the least we can do is to soothe someone who is in pain around us. When we do so, we need to remember, we are doing it for them, not for ourselves, by which I mean, they are the focus, not we. We need to do what they need, not what we can. We need to do something for them, which makes them feel better, instead of finding a way to make ourselves feel better.