Off late I am becoming more of a tragic king - if I could be called that and abhor all the hedonistic, selfish and uncaring nature of the world society. I look helter - skelter for a dim ray of hope in this abysmal darkness for deliverance.
I believe that people are in general wanting to get delivered. They look for heroes and true once are hard to come. The most talked about heroes are the generally the cricket players, football forwards or celebrities. Not disparaging their achievements, getting their due after much of hard work and learning to thrive in this putrid corrupt society, we need real heroes!! What is disheartening is the absence of heroes in politics. People with power to do good for society, people who channel the crores of crores of rupees of the income of hardworking people for effective society building, people who raise hope of the masses and people who lead the aspiration of a nation. By leading people today has been amusingly seen as politicians leading a group of ruffians to go about pillaging well-to-do shops or burning down buses for a cause which most generally trifle things like "how can he say like that ?" Where do I go from here if all these politicians bring grave discredit to democracy? Corruption, vile and racist tactics seem to be the order of the day and my heart struggles for deliverance.
The second most likely place where one can look for heroes is in religion. Quoting Karl Marx in German - "De Religion ... ist das opium des volkes" meaning Religion is the opium of the masses. It is one of the most quoted lines and essentially summarizes the higher ideals religion stands for. Reiterating Marx's words - Religion is the heart for the heartless world, a soul for the soulless creature and the sigh of the oppressed. How far have we got with regards to what it was meant for? Religion today is a plea for fundamentalism and an harbinger for bigotry. Wars, proxy wars have been fought in the name of the religion. The middle east is in crisis. Religion dictates the clothing of a tennis star. Religion attributes the nature of people and some of the least important ideals it stands for (Those meat eaters!! ). Religion has become a code of conduct - with emphasis on the most insignificant or rather the most misinterpreted doctrines of the holy text. People forget about the need for doing good to others as an ideal but rather fancy trying to depict what harsh treatments one should get in hell. The ever acting god has been translated into a mute spectator, watching events of how his work and his world is being washed away with avarice. The higher ideals of religion is not what you practice in church or the recital in the mosque five times a day or the act of getting free delicious food at the temples. Religion is the way of life and is like a good clothing to the unclothed. It is the values you stand for, something that gives you meaning to your existence. It is the deliverer of the oppressed from the corrupt. But here I am being hypo critic. Now who determines who is corrupt and who is oppressed. Now if the whole world is nuances of grey then who is white and who is dark. Religion being racist as it is today, only denigrates the blood of the youth. Holi and Ganesh chaturthi, the holy festivals of the Hindus are today mob procession and is seen as oppurtunities for the lascivious uncontrollled youth to perform their gleeful degrading acts. The search for happiness in corporeal pleasure seems to be finding its say in religion too. How debasing could it be to the religious founders!! I would like to rephrase Marx's statement with a my tinge of lamentation - Religion is the dirty stimulant of the masses.
Where else do I look for heroes? Education and scientific achievers of our times who stand for pursuers of truth? This field for all the objectivity it stands for is not true. Misunderstanding over contribution levels, pathetic nature of "spamming research journals" with substandard research, fudging results for a name in the paper all seem to be such dastard and deplorable acts. Is this where I can look for heroes?
Desultorily hopping from field to field, profession to profession, I only see heaps of filth degraded further by human selfishness. Where are we wrong? To answer this question it would be better if I ask are we like this? A prolific writer and ecologist - Prof Richard Dawkins in his controversial book "The selfish gene" seems to have ringed a few bells in my ears. Is all nature governed by selfish principles? Group theorist proclaim that even altruistic nature displayed is only to satisfy individual selfish needs. Choosing your partner, marriage and even powerful thoughts of love is only a fake desire to attain your unconscious resolve to spread your gene and make sure it is eternal. Bah !!
I wonder whether this kind of theory would explain why we are degrading to a point of no return. Weren't people who thought up the higher ideals and preached of truth and non - violence made up of the same selfish gene? We are knowingly or unknowingly seem to be obeying a law of nature.
I think society is made up of homes and home is where one must build the nature. All of the world is in good, healthy homes and all of the homes is in a good, healthy world. I fervently hope that the inchoate years of a child is moulded into the great man he is to be become, simply great for he stood by high ideals. An ideal and a cause greater than his century of existence. The existence to survive. He must stand for a true cause where the benefit for him comes through the benefit of humanity. There i hope is where true heroes can arise!!
Self is just a created image always trying to blend into the world image. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi whose teachings and ideals stand for all times like the mountains and the seas (well geologically they did not :)) - "If in doubt and your self encompasses you, remember the face of the poorest and the weakest man you have seen and ask yourself if the step you are going to take is going to improve him, then all doubt ceases ". It is here and then that one becomes a personified clarity of thought.
