Human

Hundredth Hundred and Under Achievement – Cynicism Rules

Ensures2 Comments

Amidst all the gloom that otherwise I saw around me during the past week, it indeed was an exhilarating experience for me when Sachin Tendulkar, the iconic “Human Being” surpass a humongous milestone. Humongous not due to the enormity of the task itself but the super weight of expectations of Crores of “Knowledgeable & Expert” Indians. Everyone in India seem to have an opinion and strategy when it comes to Cricket. I love cricket but by no means be classified (atleast not these days) amongst those fanatic lovers of the game putting the world on Pause button. But what he gifted to the mankind is something that cannot be brushed away so easily. And remember in a country where dreams of the entire nation is driven by 70 year + politicians , at 39 years it indeed is a weight of expectation, no ordinary Human Being can bear without cracking up. And here he is a great guy who did not crack up for over 2 long decades. And by God! He did handle his success like no God did and my admiration goes up manifold for this. Mythology has lot of stories where even some Gods had to pay a price for their haughtiness.

The 100th 100 jokes were very cruel on someone who was sincere student of the game. Did we ever hear an instance of arrogance or misbehavior from this legend who could have had the world at his feet? And when he did get there, it was ironical. We had an effort for a losing cause. But I give a damn. A fellow countryman is right up there – extremely lonely at the top. We only can look up and admire (or alternately pelt stones). Statistics (rightly referred to as Fool’s Mathematics) were thrown about (all wrong ones though to prove why someone else was better), his application for Ferrari duty exemption raked up, jokes started going around again that he always has a century in a losing cause. He has had his quirks, reason why I kept stressing the “Human Being”.

Though what he achieved is nothing short of what a “God” could have done. Folks, Gimme a break! Take out each of those 100s and we never know what could have happened! No one bandied statistics on this. Look at statistics of matches India lost and his scores too to get the real and overall picture. And the bashers would do well to also look at statistics of any other Indian or foreign cricketers. He is not just shoulders above the rest – a whole height.

Damned if you do…damned if you don’t. Looking back I know this Gentleman would realize that despite all this achievements it indeed is a thankless world. Definitely this is a feather in the cap as compared to the other shameful achievements that we otherwise are known for in the world – Scams, Rapes, Female Infanticides, Murders. Let us allow these positive achievements to swamp the negative ones. We as a nation owe it to ourselves. What these great man ha achieved is no small feat. The whole world is looking up and saluting this Little-Big man. Let us atleast be indifferent if not supportive. Criticism is simply out of place.

Now, getting to the basic purpose of writing this blog – at the risk of sounding too sermonizing which is better than agonizing, I try to do some loud thinking.

Why have we ended up as a populace that is cynical as a nation? Why are we unable to celebrate any achievement whole heartedly? Why look for holes in anything that comes under our vision? We can always blame politicians and other leaders for this. They never put thoughts in our minds, do they? India, a nation that breaks into celebration for anything (so many festivals are proof enough), India that worships anything (crow, monkey, elephant, sun, moon, and a variety of Gods), India that always practiced peaceful co-habitation, ultimate acceptance (I don’t like the word tolerance)& inclusiveness, India that celebrates just being happy like none else – what has come to us? Where are we losing it? Where is that never ending smile and ability to break into celebrations.  Has western civilizational!!! practices overtaken us? Has materialism replaced our spiritualism? Has competition overridden the sense of belongingness?

Time we redeemed those values. The whole shift happened when Traditional Bharath gradually transformed into Material India. As His Holiness Sri Sri Ravishankarji says, we have to Deepen our Roots and Broaden our Vision. That is real development. If not, I am afraid we end up no better than the Western World where is a volcano that keeps erupting quite often. The sense of richness is a facade to the underlying insecurities that they face every day. Bharath has everything to meet everyone’s need but never enough to satisfy anyone’s greed. Let us resolve to enjoy the richness of the traditions that is available on our platter. No other civilization can boast of what is available to us.

Imagine a Bharath where Politicians, Business Leaders, Educationists and every citizen develops an ultimate sense of belongingness – every marriage, childbirth and achievements become everyone’s achievement. Ratan Tata’s impeccability no longer gets diminished because of a Telephone Call, enormity of Sachin’s 100th 100 achievement will continue to elicit awe despite the only known indiscretion of an Exemption Application. Do we forget everything that these great Bharateeyas have gifted to us? Or is it to score some ego points amongst the intelligentsia in the e-world. Imagine the happiness we feel when our child speaks the first word, puts forward the first step – isn’t that a great milestone in our lives? Why? Sense of Belonging. Expand this thought and we can embrace our society, the city, state and the country. Everything that anyone achieves is like our baby rolling on to her stomach first time or that innocent Blabbers uttered first time.  It is that easy really!

This fundamental flaw of seeing everything through a jaundiced eye  is pounced upon by the real enemies to exploit. The Muslim rulers first and then British did it for Centuries. Karma is a great leveler. Today Bharath is far more secure and stronger nation than any of these so-called Developed nations – this despite the system that is slowly but surely getting corrected by a few brave visionary spiritual and political leaders. Handful but the reform is well underway irreversibly.

And finally, to those Tendulkar bashers, Ramesh Tendulkar ji did feel extremely pleased when his son looked up after almost a year. Not too many naysayers can even dream, let alone achieve what his son did. He is a Human after all. And remember he has scored not just the 100th 100, he did score 99 earlier 🙂 No mean achievement. Hats off Little Master! Proud of you. I am proud of yet another gentleman who called it quits. Rahul Dravid – a thorough human being too equally worthy of emulation.

PS: I write this blog because I just recovered from a bout of the extended attack – Attack of Cynicism

What is in a name?

Ensures

So great to be back to what I do the worst…. Blogging. There was no particular reason for not jotting down my silly thoughts but attribute it to plain laziness. Lest blogsite kick me out of the place for extended inactivity, decided to put down something. I have inserted a deliberate grammatical error through this blog for obvious reasons. My English teacher may not approve it but america has ceased to be a “Proper” noun for me.

It has been such a “happening” time across the world. Lehmann brothers started it all and everything was a big roller coaster ride, the only difference we only hit the troughs and crests never seem to come at all. World is in a financial mess…american economy has taken an almost “point of no return” beating, the stage managed wars notwithstanding. This just proves that relying on war to boost your financials make bad economic sense atleast in the long term. Then the americans thought they found their messaiah, a panacea for all the ills facing their society in the form of their president elect, barrack obama. But then there were some right wing members of a church who were not convinced that he is christian enough because he did not surrender himself a. la Cassius Clay – Check this out!!!(http://hubpages.com/hub/Barack-What-is-in-a-Name). I am no big fan of anything american much less of obama. Did someone say, he used his perceived disadvantage to its hilt – I am Black, but then where else but in america can these things happen – on his first visit I am waiting for the time he gets introduced to our own Laloo, the sole moral guardian of the country. He, who was worried about Biharis in Mumbai while more Biharis were being raped, murdered and women paraded naked in Bihar itself. Since Railways was his inherited property, he had the temerity to threaten cancellation of trains to protect the Non-resident Biharis. By the way, he had a NAME makeover from Lalu to Laloo to bring him even better luck.

But then the bane of the modern world is the “NAME” – calling that people indulge in. NAME of Philosophy, NAME of people, NAME of civilization, NAME of religion, NAME of God – any NAME is enough to cause the next “yet to be NAMEd” world war. In the part of the world that I live in “Secularism” is another NAME used to divide the great Nation called India (Great despite the recession in the world – hey! we lost the least number of jobs, never saw any person shooting themselves or others due to depression). And this despite the doomsday predictions of hackneyed Media (proves who are their real masters, they just extrapolate their news theory from their western masters to India which proved everyone wrong).

Isn’t NAME important? I cannot imagine myself being known by another NAME – I am sure I would become less lovable or adorable to myself. Like the learned Bard said, “Rose by any other NAME would just smell as sweet” – Pardon him, the “NAMERS” of thw world for he had not seen the genetically modified roses. The real trigger was a mail from my friend call him “X” for want of easy to remember NAME, in the Gulf who recently was being troubled by his friend, let us NAME him, “Y” who embraced another religion (yeah, another NAME, little realizing that NAME of the religion does not matter, every religion says the same stuff). But then!!! this friend retained his original NAME despite the conversion. NAME is important…eh (heights of possessiveness, just like me ) Out of desperation, “X” sought advise on another forum asking the members to help him counter “Y”. Here was my reply (of course, cannot be attributed as original work to my NAME – but then NAME does not matter and the stuff matters, isnt it? especially when it comes to me). Copyright: No one dare copy this without my express permission Signed under my NAME (though it is not my original)

On a serious note, I love and thank my friend NAME: Charles Gibson from Spain for this post: thanks Charlie (sorry for changing the NAME)

Three men, one English, one Arab and one Indian were walking together and came to a pool of water. The Englishman said ‘lets drink some water’. Then the Arab said ‘That is not water, it is الماء. Lets drink some الماء.’ Then the Indian said ‘Nonsense, its jala. Lets drink some jala.’ So the argument began and all went thirsty.

We are fools to argue over NAMES while we go thirsty. The important thing is to drink the water. What it is called or the path we take to reach the spring are irrelevant. What is important is the essence of the meaning of each NAME, the objective of each path. In human life the essence of all paths is eventually to arrive at the Truth, to realise the Self. Even if this search for God is unconscious in some and conscious in others, it is going on in all none the less.

We argue over and place one term or philosophy over another, because we are still attached to NAMES and forms. The essence is beyond this, so each NAME, each form, each philosophy, each religion has its rightful place. For one man, who approaches with rational knowledge, some philosophies might be considered as a higher truth and others as a lower truth. To another, who measures by love or feeling, this might be reversed. This is useful for each man to find his best way to prepare to realise the Self. However if this relative distinction of higher and lower truth for each man is mistaken for an absolute truth, again we are plunged into ignorance.

One man might read nondual philosophy and have no understanding of it, then he might go to the temple and realise the Self, after devoting himself to a deity. Another man might feel nothing in the temple and through sheer depth of knowledge prepare himself to realise the Self. Each man, if he has realized the Self, will not then turn to the other and argue. He will rather have sated his thirst for God.

So, we can recognize in this way, that any apparent conflict of philosophy or opinion is only our own ignorance. A man who knows the Self sees no conflict. Go to that place, don’t tarry on the path and throw stones at your fellow travelers. We are that which is infinite, perfect and completely one.

Lovely, wasn’t it?
Well until I find time and mood (and a NAME) for my next blog… Ciao