Public Lunacy

A couple of incidents that happened recently have caused me to sit and analyze the way the public relates to the powerful and the famous. From the point an individual is recognized as a public figure and added to page three of our morning papers, their personal lives become ours. More often the public is hungry until fed news about all aspects of these personalities through the marvel we call the media. The work that these celebrities take up to yield their power, fame and glamour is soon forgotten. The more publicity a celebrity receives the more the public crazes to read detailed personal information about them. At this point it is no longer sufficient for a fan to know that a revered singer is about to bring out a new album. When news of a detailed track list before the release date fails to appease fans as much as news of the singer’s relationship or their cosmetic surgery plans, one can’t help but wonder when we took such a detour.

It is well documented that through out history the powerful and famous have used their leverage to influence and contribute as role models to the lives of the common man. They have been the faces and voices of campaigns against abduction of human rights as well as other anti social elements of our society. The schedule of the celebrity has become more extensive since the days where their profile was limited to creating social awareness. Today an average JOE is a nothing but a walking talking ATM who is cracked open by the glamour of global brands through the magic of advertisement.

The desire of the public (a.k.a consumer) has mutated from comfort to glamour. It is not enough to be seen sporting anything unless it is branded internationally and endorsed locally. So now, we have JOE and JILL smelling, walking, talking dressing and looking like the stereotype star. This goes on for a couple of years, till all of a sudden JOE and Jill need counseling to remind them that they in fact are different people to the stars they imitate. They soon realize the word celebrity by definition requires them, the public, to remain ordinary. Now that Tom, Dick and Harry are also on that track, originality becomes as obscure as the game of Jumanji.

It is quite normal to hear the public rant about the lives of the famous. The media often dissects these opinions into no less than three opposing camps and has critics on live TV debating the issue over and over till anyone who doesn’t care starts to. When the debate is heated at which point it is way beyond reason or logic the arguments become more crude and the comments inhumane. One can’t help but be amazed at how personal the lives of the famous have become to the public. It is as though the word personal is its own antonym in this setting. It is a wild wild circus and the animals (read gossip addicts) are as unruly as they come.

The public is aware that their craze for page three gossip has created a species known as the paparazzi which scrutinizes the lives of the famous under the microscope. The public understands that this maybe violating the personal space of these individuals. However the public is willing to have their famous and powerful have it all as it is merely the price of their fame. Yet again in our glorious history, the sum total of our collective reasoning as a society yields an equation which is totally incomprehensible from the stand point of an individual.

The way I see it, it is the public that require the existence of the famous. It is the public who piece together the hype and make believe persona of the famous through their daily innuendos. It is the public who imitate the looks, clothes and attitude of the famous. It is the public who require and hence create the famous only to build them up, trash and tear them to pieces.

But the question is who pays at the end of it all? Sure the famous have their lives under scrutiny and their mediocre activities sell millions everyday either as tabloid news or headlines of papers. It seems to me that literally if fame has its price then it is the public who pay not the famous. Who buys the hairstyle, hair products, perfumes, watches, clothes and under garments of the famous? Definitely the public, the famous have it all under written as complementary in addition to the ridiculous sum they are paid to sport it. Who has their heart broken or their personal life sprayed across news papers in more than one country? -The famous. Who buys the papers, the public! Who has their life discussed on talk shows and reality TV programs? -The famous! Who sits and watches? – The public! Need I say more????

The Public has lost it! I understand that man by nature requires a live social sphere to exist. A medium where opinions are constantly relayed back and forth, a medium where debate of opposing notions is discussed with logical reasoning, a medium where discussions and conversations held in the interests of bringing about constructive conclusions spear head our development as a race. But this, this craze disorder we have developed for the lives of the famous and gossip around it takes social interaction to a whole different level. So maybe, WE need to relearn the meaning of the word personal. Maybe just maybe the line between what is personal and what is public in the lives of the famous is also the divide between what is irrelevant to what is constructive in the lives of the public.

CORRUPTION

This past year I have turned a new leaf to my life. As is customary that meant having to do my rounds in the government offices to get my change of status documented and sealed. My case being peculiar, it warranted more visits than normally prescribed. It was here that I got my self toying to understand the most astounding of all social organizational beasts- Corruption.

It is the most discussed organizational faux pas. It is clearly the most fought against vice at regional national and international levels. All around the world much has been written by our legislators and millions work as watch dogs to ensure its abolition. It miraculously however continues to not only mutate and exist but does so in a manner which shows no trend of a decrease. A simple surface dissection in to the topic will clearly show that it is a systemic malfunction but for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to believe it was just that.

I sit and think of all the Television AD’s and the Anti corruption campaigns that always sing the same sermon-“Corruption is evil”. What an eye opener!! It baffles me to think, that any one would be naïve enough to believe for a second, that those who engage in corruption do so because they believe they are promoting social welfare and equity. This is classic human defense mechanism at play. The principle is simple- Label whatever is unjust and unfair to society as foreign to our good nature and tag it all on evil (Mind you the definition of evil is very fluid, a work in progress, and we add to it with every passing day). We move on to identify our good nature as rational beings whose actions in all circumstances is in total harmony with what is just and fair. This of course cleanses us of what is evil, and defines its traits foreign to the normal social behavior we exhibit.

Does corruption exist because there are those corrupt officials wanting more than what the system provides or the service seekers who are willing to do anything to get around the line of service? Is it an aberration unique only to some processes in the system? The second notion is much easier to deconstruct as corruption works its way from the smallest of ranks to the highest of seats. In developing countries like ours at the smallest levels one can point to the inability of the system to adequately remunerate its civil servants as a possible reason. In higher settings however, such a reason can not be quoted. The service providers as well as those who require the service are too wealthy to cite inability to meet their needs as a cause. Corruption at this level is a different beast all together. At this level its purpose is not to get things done but rather to mask or rearrange certain elements and tip the odds in ones favor. In such a setting the participants have higher risk coefficients and zero patience to get in line cause their wealth can buy countries let leave be bothered by system rules.

The nature of what has people engage in corruption is not differences in their economic standings and definitely not the type of service that they are engaged in. The welfare scheme of ones country can curb the level of corruption at the lower levels but it will continue to thrive at the highest public and private administrative settings. The primary prerogative of man is Survival. We often forget that all other values are adhered to and accepted provided that survival is not threatened. As one is pushed close and closer to the bare minimum of what is the required for survival, the higher the desire to bend and eventually break the rule of law.

At this point, my thought process has reoriented from identifying corruption as a social animal to one that is innate to the individual. The nature of man one can relate to corruption is of course greed. Be it as the officer offering the service or the person seeking for the service, be it whatever the reason for participation, the existence of corruption highlights our inability as a race to adhere to rules and regulations. Maybe after all it is not a rational prerogative for man to always act in ways that are just to his fellow beings. Maybe what we claim is evil is nothing different to our own actions that can’t be reconciled with social justice and harmony. My question thus changes from ‘What are the organizational measures to be taken to fight corruption?’ to ‘Can we fight corruption at an organizational level or at a personal one?’ Obviously the organizational anti corruption set up is to criminalize and jail those who are corrupt. This of course helps keeps at check those who conspire and use corruption as a steady means of income through the fear of incarceration. However the distance such an action goes to bring about behavioral change in an individual is debatable.

If corruption in its entirety is an adversary we wish to combat, it is a battle to be fought with in each one. Until one places their trust in the system and the rule, until one refrains from acting in a manner which is selfish and unfair corruption will continue to run our systems. Though rosy to paint the day where all will put first what is fair to what is personally beneficial, its actual occurrence in reality is as far as we will ever be to getting rid of systems that bow to corruption and people who are corrupt.

“If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.” Abdul Kalam

Prayer

While in college, I remember having a conversation with one of my close friends about the need for prayer. “Is prayer restricted to those who acknowledge and accept the existence of a divine being? Does prayer always have to be a request? Does it always have to have a reward? Is the power of prayer directly proportional to the earnestness of ones heart or is it influenced by the number of people who voice out that same request? Is prayer personal primarily and general as a consequence or is it the other way around?” My questions have taken me through different perspectives and though much remains to be unveiled, here is what I have gathered so far.
People have wants!! PERIOD!! That is the driving force for waking up every morning. It is amazing what one is willing to do to ensure accomplishment of their desires. So for those who ask why people pray well isn’t it obvious! – People want to leave no stone unturned if it is believed to have a role in the realization of their desires. If people haven’t figured that yet, I recommend a little introspection. On the other hand, I also resent those whose definition of prayer is a string of never ending requests. I find it hilarious that a person, who is willing to believe that there is a divine being, conveniently assumes that the divine being exists merely to be used as a wish machine. I also find it difficult to comprehend that God waits for a specific magic number of prayers from a prayer group to be sent up before he considers acting on these never ending requests. A little bit naïve for my liking.  
 I do pray. I am thankful though, that I try to restrict it from being a request. Prayer is a place I go when I want clarity of mind. A place where I do not ask out of greed but a place where I seek understanding of my existence and the role I am to play. It is a place I run to when I want a break from the ruthless competition of our time, the greed, and life on the fast lane. Prayer helps me slow all dimensions of my life to examine my actions. Instead of a wish list when I pray, I like to meditate on my intentions and introspect on decisions made and those that still await me. Prayer helps me understand and accept circumstances around me and dictates my will to keep playing the game of life. It keeps me focused, balanced and true to myself. Prayer thus defined is less a noisy attempt to stuff all requests in a set time frame but more a silence that promotes listening and introspection. 
I know friends who ask why or how to pray. I don’t think there is ever a set way of praying that is applicable to all. I am sure however that if we sit quiet and take time to clear our minds of all our never ending desires, the tension and all the thoughts of tomorrow, each ones prayer will come to them. My prayer is always in silence. Look for the silence in your life amidst all the chaos and havoc around you and you will find an exercise you can never bring yourself to stop. I pray for you what I pray for me that we find the silence that resonates within us. 

“In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart”. -- John Bunyan

ENOUGH!!!

Ask anyone around you- a friend, a parent,a sibling,a passer by or even yourself about “WHAT IS ENOUGH?” You will be astounded by the amount of head scratching, sky gaping and painfully long gaps taken before a very inconclusive or oddly abstract answer is muttered. It gets better; the answer is not just incomprehensible to the listener but almost always leaves the person asked with an unsettled feeling. The type of feeling one gets moments after having completed packing for a long trip or after having crammed an all nighter before a killer final, like something is amiss. You know the feeling, all of us have been there one too many times and no matter how hard we rattle our mind trying to pin it, it is a mission impossible. 
It is the one question we never satisfactorily answer, the one thing that we are never ever sure about. In fact the answer to that question has been debated and still remains controversial among various disciplines and schools of thoughts. Being curious of course is one of the defining character of our race, and when faced with a question, we can’t have it unanswered. We have to know. We have to have an answer. So when faced with the “WHAT IS ENOUGH?” question, we declared it absolutely normal to not know what enough is. It is what fuels humanity and civilization, the fact that we never stop, the fact that we are never satisfied, the fact that we always want more. 
Mind you, if being unsatisfied is the corner stone of our civilization then how can happiness and equity be our virtue? On the other hand if we are satisfied with what we have then how can we advance our race, our civilization and what will be our legacy. The Oxford dictionary defines ‘ENOUGH’ as much or as many as desirable or necessary. When we have a dynamic need like most of us do, does it mean that we are doomed to unsatisfaction? Does it mean that we will have to spend the rest of our lives chasing a moving target? Or does it mean that many of the things that we think we need are most often simply the things that we want? Is there a difference between what we want and what we need? Should there be a limit on anyone? 
Our world, our race is faced with the difficult task of drawing the line between what is needed and what is wanted. The very essence of the word ‘ENOUGH’ lies between this two. We need to progress but there are lines which we can’t afford to cross. We only need to be unsatisfied enough so as not to be complacent. We should learn fast that what we need to have is often a world away from what we want to have. Our needs may not be curtailed but our wants can be easily restricted. Through our history, our inability to distinguish between our needs and wants in both our personal as well as social life has cost us dearly. Our environment and health are among the things that we have unnecessarily compromised. We are at a time where we need to make changes starting from our personal life. We need to recognize that our choices come with a cost that is threatening our future and existence as a race. It’s time to make a choice, Be Happy say’ ENOUGH’ ,Be healthy say ‘ENOUGH’ ,save yourself say ‘ENOUGH’ , save tomorrow say ‘ENOUGH’ save our planet say ‘ENOUGH’!!!!

Probability

In its most simple definition it is the ratio of favorable occurrences of an event to the ratio of its total potential occurrence. But even statisticians know that it holds true in extremely controlled environments. Choice is an integral part of life. Everyday we are faced with an option that can determine the outcome of our efforts as a success or a failure. Over the years, we have amassed huge data of each and every incident of our lives that at any given period we can pull out a number before we decide. Life has thus become more mechanical, scientific and each day we try to enhance and dictate performance so that we can better measure the pace and direction of our efforts. For what we know; the present, we hang our hats on statistics. We dissect all our actions based on what is favorable and what is not. My question : How much can we rely on these numbers in our day to day life?? Is statistics, the science, our only hope of strategizing against the gigantic task of second guessing the future or is the exercise merely futile when it comes to predicting the “uncontrolled” arena of life.

I think the fact that we base each and every action on a statistic doesn’t in any way guarantee the outcome that we want. It at best just displays how desperate we are to control the turn of eventualities that breathe rhythm in to our life. We can’t just quote some percentage to make us feel in control or believe that we are positively acting to tip the odds in our favor. I agree there are instances when science can predict outcome accurately but it is imperative to understand that these instances are extremely clinical and occur only when the environment is controlled and we know all the elements at play. If there ever were an instance in life where anyone knew all the elements at play then I am sure that person with out hesitation would have been proclaimed God.

Deep inside our hearts, we know that we are not in control. The believers fight this with faith, by the power of prayer; the scientists with discipline and structure, the power of their science. At the end of the day, the only known is that there is a chance for anything to happen, a chance for the improbable to come through (a miracle for the believers and a statistical anomaly for the scientists). We can’t always hang our hats on numbers, on probability, on statistics. Let’s face it whether, we win or loose life goes on, so screw the numbers, screw the odds, live for what you feel deep inside, live for the moment!!!

Right or Wrong

There is always that fine line between what we think is right or what we think is wrong. If anyone ever dare’s to deliberate on what would universally be accepted as right or wrong, we will have to go in to the messy world of stereotyping or being judgmental and condescending or a lot of other things that I will keep away from. However if we are to restrict right or wrong as what is set individually by a person for judging themselves or their actions (for doing or not doing something) we might be able to edge out the stereotyping issue. 

The fact remains that even after the consuming task of deciding what is right for us to do and what is not. We still have the difficult task of how we go about doing it. The way I see it, it can be broken down in to: 

A right way to do right
A right way to do wrong
A wrong way to do right 
A wrong way to do wrong 

Clearly the first and last ones are pretty clear cut. They are simple and less debatable. Probably the right way to do right can be when you step up and apologize for a mistake you committed. It simply involves doing what one thinks is right through an exercise which doesn’t break commonly accepted norms. Now think of things that you consider wrong and then all ways you go about doing them can be the second scenario. Probably terrorism, rape, cheating are some instances which can be quoted in illustration.

Then follows the dicey issue of the middle scenario. The second one, i.e. is the wrong way to do right, is what is more commonly encountered hence more easily explained. All of us must have had moments when we know we bend the rules in order to control the outcome or to make sure that justice as we perceive prevails. These maybe our harmless little lies or vengeance. We know that we are breaking the code but we make ourselves feel better by rationalizing the fact that it is for the better and that our actions maintain equilibrium by balancing the unbalanced. 

The one that astounds me is the right way to do wrong. I mean however hard I try I can not find an example for one person to believe something is wrong but then find a right approach to execute it. If after hours of thinking I come up with a case, however much I may have deliberated on it, I can’t go behind my conscience. 

Socrates explained this by saying that no one can do a wrong deed if he is convinced it is wrong. This establishes that any action that is deemed wrong by the audience is thought right by the actor. Somewhere along the line we have drifted so far apart on what is commonly agreed as right or wrong that with every step taken reconciliation becomes a distant reality. Attempts to globalize may not have always been in the interests of creating unity in diversity. In trials to bridge differences, boundaries are unmarked, boundaries that maintained status quo over ages. Competition is cut throat, identity is challenged and acceptance becomes an issue. Irrespective of the various causes, the result is unanimous our differences become more pronounced. 

Acceptance is an integral component of Appreciation. To be able to appreciate anything right, you have to be able to at least accept if not understand the existence of its negation. After that only will we be able to realize that both are sides to the same coin. As futile the exercise to burn one side of a coin with out burning the other; so is our attempts to overwrite what we consider right on what others consider wrong. To be able to accept and do our right, it is not just sufficient to surround ourselves with those who can reason like us but to be able to accept and understand those who do not. Wrong will live so long as right does. In our pursuit of the root of all wrong, I find this the most apt quote “We have met the enemy and he is us”

Whatever works for you

If there is one thing the 21st century does to you, it is constant exposure to diversity. Gone are the days where people are born around the same set of people, grow up and live in conformity to that same society and live their last days surrounded by the same. We have mixed up. We now live with or around people who distinctly differ in back ground. When faced with such differences, we have clinically tried to tackle them across boundaries. We have learned that living with people doesn’t always spell understanding to a full extent but it always means accepting differences. Various cultures may contradict in their practice but their beliefs are all rooted in history; in their heritage; in the very core of their being but all deserve equal respect. 

In life there is always the divide between the things that we control and those that we don’t. The former is easier, in comparison, to navigate or forecast. Primarily the reason is attributed to the fact that the result is measurable and there is a clear gauge of success or failure. It is the later that is always confusing. We all have different ways of addressing the unknown. The reactions of the unknown can be ignorance, superstitions, fear or panic, OCD or various others. When it comes down to working differences, it is these reactions to the unknown that makes it difficult to accept. Let’s face it even with the known, when we loose no one likes to be mocked for it or looked down. It is when we are dealing with things that are incomprehensible to our logic, or when faced with situations which jolt us out of our comfort zones, that we have to be more tolerant or accepting.

Maybe it scares someone to cross a road after a black cat does, maybe some people feel they will fail an exam if they don’t pray or take a bath (even after studying), maybe some people always put their right foot first when they climb up stairs, maybe your God is different from theirs, maybe some people are scared of cats but just fine with dogs, maybe some people date differently to you. These maybe feelings, superstitions or just belief but they all are differences. However long we engage in a debate or we condescend based on grounds of irrationality or difference from what we believe in, the fact remains that we will never arrive at a conclusive verdict. We are not expected to rationalize or understand them. As long as they are not imposed or intended to harm (those who believe, feel or know different), we are just expected to let them be. 

It is inevitable!! In our times we will be faced by an overwhelming difference in reactions from people we work with, our friends or maybe even our own family. Maybe when faced with the unknown all of us react in our own unique way.

Maybe the best thing we can say when we react to difference is “whatever works for you” of course it not being imposed or harmful……

Life!

Life is Responsibility
Responsibility is Choice
Choice is influenced
Influence is Background
Back ground is Family

Family is relationship one can’t choose
Lack of choice is restriction
Restrictions are unknown
Unknown makes belief

Belief is a feeling 
Feelings are uncontrolled
Uncontrolled is Dangerous
Dangerous is Discomfort
Discomfort makes us learn.

Learning is observation
Observation is Knowledge
Knowledge is power
Power is pride
Pride is insecurity
Insecurity makes us fail

Failure is being small
Small is weak
Weak is protected
Protection is caring
Caring is love
Love is trust
Trust is expectation
Expectation is confusion
Confusion is struggle
Struggle makes us hope

Hope is change
Change is Life!

Be Careful what you wish for....

It has been four months now. 16 weeks since I had a routine, a schedule or a job. The productive eight hours between leaving home and getting back is filled with vacuum, meaningless trials to engage your own mind, to set a rhythm, to have a life. It’s funny because when you were pushing extra hours at work staring at your PC, drafting report after report only for your boss to unleash his fury, all you think of is dropping it all and cruising to an endless holiday somewhere far from all the bureaucrats, far from the politics. 

When working you count minutes to the weekend when all of it will make sense. Work has become a means to an end. We work (a.k.a live through) seven days a week for two days of fun. We wait for the weekend to drink or club or date or socialize anything that will wash off the previous forty hours of our life. The fights in the office, the never ending meetings, the gossip, the ruthless competition, the sucking up are all things we think we do to pay the bill. Suddenly the long hours you put in college thinking you will be somewhere different to where you are, add to the confusing reality equations that you struggle to solve.

We have our life (the reality) and our wish (what we hope for). Sometimes it is a struggle to have your wish realized; sometimes reality is nothing like your dreams. The fact remains that our lives are constantly lived in between our dreams and the reality. No matter what we have we always wish for more, maybe that is how we better ourselves or maybe it is just plain old greed. If we sit and do the simple exercise of recalling what we have wished for (or wished to be) and then compare it to what we have (are) everyone will have their discrepancy. That is normal…..

What is abnormal and an increasing trend:

To not know what one wants and make a wish only to get it and realize it is not what one wants

or

To know what one wants, wish for it; be ungrateful when one has it and then regret once it is gone.

The purpose of this entry however is not to decide which one is worse or better, (that I leave to the reader). It is to simply introspect and see where we are, what we have and who we have become. To understand and make peace with what we can’t be or what we can’t have and to be grateful for who we are and what we have. So next time before you make that wish….be certain because your wish may be just what you have.