And This Too Shall Pass

Often times have I heard this and even oftener have used it in some context or the other. Is there another phrase which is so apt at all times? How much does it express! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!!

Recently while watching a Julia Roberts movie, I heard this phrase for the umpteenth time. Well, this time I just felt the urge to look for it's genesis. I had known the meaning all along, but this time I wanted to know about the first time it was used and in what context. Though it seems to hold true in almost any.

Well there are a few stories that try to explicate the origin and most of them relate to King Solomon. Some say that the King once decided to humble his minister, Benaiah Ben Yehoyada, by asking him to get him a 'magical' ring which he knew never existed. When asked about the magical power, the King told Benaiah that it was a ring, seeing which a happy man becomes sad and a sad man becomes happy. The minister was in a fix now. Days passed and months. He wandered to find the ring without much success. Then one night, as he was taking a walk he passed an old shabby jeweler and decided to inquire if he had heard of such a ring, though he thought it was futile. But his luck was to change. The old guy took out a plain gold ring and engraved on it the letters, 'This Too Shall Pass' in Hebrew, and gave it to him.

The next day, to every one's surprise, Benaiah presented the ring to Solomon. And with it came to the King, the realization of the impermanence of all his might and wisdom.

So, that is one story. There are some others but the idea remains unchanged. What has come shall pass as well. The pinnacle of all accomplishments, the nadir of all defeats. The highest of all highs and the lowest of all lows, all would pass us.

When we are low, it makes sense to be an optimist and look forward to better times and work hard to get there. But what about the times of jubilation, times of success and achievement? Are we not supposed to be happy and take pride in our accomplishments? Of course we are. Everything we work on, everything we create is a piece of us and if we can't take pride in it, it's all of no use. But at the same time, there has to be a sense of "non-attachment" that we must have towards everything. Be it the work we do, be it our family, be it our friends, be it times of utmost happiness and be it the darkest dungeons of despair. All is transitory. All shall pass.

This sense of "non-attachment" if achieved could be the greatest of things. It does not stop us from going out and pursuing our ambitions and dreams, but saves us a lot of suffering. By realizing the fugacity of these things, we would not end up becoming a slave for them. Its probably much easier to sever ourselves from all earthly things and lead a monastic life. What is much more difficult is to be a part of this world and attain a sense of disengagement with all things transitory.

Buddha also recognized the same and hence his 'Five Remembrances' among other teachings include the following two:

• All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.

• My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

Osho also echoes somewhat similar sentiments through the following lines:

"The fool goes on missing everything. The wise man enjoys everything. He enjoys the day and the night. He enjoys life and he enjoys death. He is a non clinger; in non clinging is bliss."

We need to be careful though in not looking at these teachings and developing a bleak outlook towards life. If anything, these teachings should help us realize their importance even more. People we love, work that makes us happy, things that we find pleasure in, they are all of paramount importance. They are all important facets of our lives. We should never shy down from enjoying these things for the fear of losing them one day, but being "non-attached" at a level would not really hurt.

So, here's hoping we can achieve this sense of "non-attachment". Hoping we succumb to neither glory nor despair !! Because everything shall one day pass !!

Time to Reclaim our State !!

Twenty days on from the day when a paralyzing dismay had engulfed the city of Mumbai. So, where are we now? What is the status quo now ? What has changed and what has not? What has the government done and what have 'We' the 'People of India' done?

Lets talk about the government first. Fingers have been pointed at Pakistan for not being able to put a leash on militant activities in it's territory. Pakistan under pressure from India and the world, has taken some steps to appease them.

According to some foreign policy analysts, if Pakistan is implicated in these attacks, it could take these two nuclear-armed states to the brink of an all-out-war. Well that could really be the intent behind these attacks. At a time when Delhi and Islamabad were talking peace and the new civilian regime in Pakistan was taking some meaningful steps to reach out to India, these militant groups were desperate to put a kibosh on the talks.

Well lets leave that part for now because only time would tell what happens eventually and whether the steps the two governments have taken reach any logical conclusion.

Coming to the part about the people. Lets see what has changed there. My gripe once again is that we are busy putting the blame for the attacks on our neighbor, but we refuse to see all that's wrong with our system.

I was watching one of these 'citizen journalist' shows on IBN recently. This retired Colonel from J&K took their crew to the Jammu railway station and debunked on national TV the lack of security there. The police personnel who were supposed to be present at a certain spot were missing, the CCTV installed right next to that place was 'Out of Order'. People were coming out and going in without any checks. He also showed an alternate way to enter the platforms area from around the barbed wired boundaries, thus circumventing any security checks.

This is not the case of just one railway station. I am sure there are many more of the same across the country. The cops and security personnel are not the only ones shirking their responsibility. Just about every place you go, this laxness can be seen.

So, what is it that needs to change? Well, too many things to even list out!! The partisan politics that has been the bane of our country since forever. The long 'Red Tape' in bureaucracy that has prevented us from making some hard decisions in the past. The sleaze of corruption that had stained our social and moral fabric. The averseness of educated and competent people to get into politics and government jobs. The social and economic situation of a large strata of our people. And lastly and perhaps most importantly, the 'capitalist' mindset and attitude that has debauched our entire population. It has an overbearing influence on not just our education system but on just about every aspect of life. In spite of all the problems that our country is in, it is still the love of the lucre that guides our people. There is no sense of social responsibility. Hence, more than anything, this needs to change.

So, where do we start ? Since there are so many things to do, its easy to sit back and not do them. But we should know, "All that is needed by evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing". And that's what we have been doing or rather not doing for the past so many years.

I had mentioned in my previous post that a very common excuse that we make for not doing anything is that it is not possible for a single person to change the system. Why not do it as a group then?

"Well, I am doing my job well. I am not corrupt, I abide by the law at all times and that is the maximum I can do" is surely good but perhaps not good enough. To clean up our system, we would need to do more than just that. Definitely we can start by doing all of these things, but the magnitude of the problem necessitates our involvement at a much deeper level.

I am sure that our generation has got tremendous potential. We all are educated, we all know that numerous problems plague our country and to be frank, none of us wants them. Some of us are doing some work too at whatever level we can. What we need to do is to consolidate these efforts, and come together in much greater numbers. As long as we stay fragmented, the maximum we'd be able to do is 'to do some cleaning in the nearby slum clusters', 'improve the conditions of that neighbourhood public park' or 'provide some food or clothing to the indigent in our area'. If we come together we can achieve so much more. We have to go at the problem in great numbers. Only then is there a chance to succeed.

We can form groups, large groups. We could start at at a local level, but what we need to proclaim at the very outset of this movement is 'freedom'. Freedom not from a foreign rule, but from our own selfish selves.

If we think that our politicians are the problem, then we need to replace them. But since all the alternatives are equally bad, we would need to replace them with new people. People from within us. New people who are better, who are educated and can do the right thing.

Its really difficult to achieve this when all the people who are capable of doing the work have other options which are much more lucrative. But that's the place where we need to stop and aks ourselves a few questions. Is education just a means to make big money ? Of what use is it if it does not help us realize our social and civic responsibility? Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. And if it does not do that, it has not served its purpose.

I know these things sound too idealistic, but perhaps the time has come to turn to idealism. Clearly, (capitalism) is not helping !! Also, I know that things are not going to change overnight. They cannot. The effects of so many years of corruption and irresponsibility, cannot be undone so soon. But we have to make a start now.

I end with these line from the great American philosopher and psychologist,William James.

"The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives".

And that's really all we need to do !!

Terror Attacks Again !! Aren’t we all responsible?

And so it has happened again!! This time it was the elite who were the target. There are loads of discussions in the media this time, both print and visual, there is a lot of furor among the people this time. This time definitely something would change. Patience is running out. This time the sacrifices of all our heroes would not go waste. This time the buck has to stop with someone. This time..

But wait, aren't these things we had said and claimed the last time around as well. The last time this happened in the capital city of Delhi, the last time this happened in the IT capital Bangalore, or the last time this happened in Assam and Ahmedabad. So, why do you think this time you can sit back and hope for a different ending? I don't think the administrators would change anything. To be honest, I’m not sure if they are capable of changing anything.

A few allegations made inside the Parliament. A lot more mudslinging outside it. And that would be the maximum action you’d see our politicians swing into. To expect anything beyond that would be stupid.

What we need to look at is why our intelligence agencies and security systems seem so fragile in comparison to these terrorist organizations. I understand that the people who do these attacks are well-organized and meticulously plan their every move, but are they better planned than the intelligence agencies of our country. If that is the case, doesn’t it make you feel insecure? Officials and politicians would opine otherwise but all evidence is to the contrary.

Is it this easy to get into a metropolitan city through a sea port, that too fully armed with guns and other explosives? Why were they not stopped at the port? How did they enter the city in the first place? Looks like somebody did not perform their ‘due diligence’. Is it this easy to breach the security of a major city in our country? These are some glaring questions that need answers.

Clearly people who are vested with the responsibility are not fulfilling it. These people could be in the government, these people could be in the bureaucracy and these people could be you and me!

Having being in the US for roughly a year and a half now, I have realized that there is one major difference between their intelligence agencies and ours. They are much smarter and much more aware of what's happening in their country, barring a couple of instances of course. Back in India, the agencies don't seem to have a clue. I have seen no security checks of any sort, any time I board a bus or a train here. That’s because they don't need that. Since they do not allow people to get into the country, until they are certain that the person is not a security threat. In India, we don't know as to how many people are living illegally in our cities. In spite of security checks at just about every place you go to, be it the shopping malls, be it the theatres or the metro stations, these things still happen.

Why do you think it's so easy for these people to come into our cities and stay there? Once again, its people like you and me who are not doing their duties diligently. Officials in almost all government offices are corrupt. Fake passports, fake identities are not difficult to fabricate. You pay somebody a thousand bucks and you have a brand new identity, who nobody can dispute. What I am getting at is that the system is rotten to the core. And corruption is the biggest evil that plagues us. I believe that it is this pervasive evil which is the cause of all our problems. It boils down eventually to the fact, that these people are putting their own selfish motives over their country's best interests.

But isn't that what we all are culpable of?

It’s time we change our attitudes and do something about it. Because if educated people like you and me would not do anything, then nobody else can and the next time terror strikes it could be me and you at its receiving end.

Some common arguments that are echoed are ‘what can I do alone? Just one person can’t change the entire system !’ and I think it is indeed true. Let’s not try to do it alone then, let’s do it together. Let’s do it in great numbers.

For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack !!

More soon…

This one is for my friend Anish, who was perhaps the only reader of my last post, roughly a year back :p

Dancing in the Dark !!

I get up in the evening, and I aint got nothing to say

I come home in the morning, I go to bed feeling the same way

I aint nothing but tired, man Im just tired and bored with myself

Hey there baby, I could use just a little help

You cant start a fire, you cant start a fire without a spark

This guns for hire even if were just dancing in the dark...

- Bruce Springsteen ( from the famous single 'Dancing in the Dark' )

Circa 1984 , these lyrics were penned by the famous singer, in an irked mood from an argument with his manager. These quite aptly describe the frustrations in his career around that time. But the lyrics are much more than that. I can't help but wonder if this isn't the state of mind of quite a few of us, often bored and seldom blase with the mundane stuff we do day in and day out. There are times when you just want to get away from everything, times when you can't take it anymore.

My first memories of the song are from school. It was one of those songs that used to frequent the interlude of the annual music fest. I never cared so much about the lyrics back then. But roughly ten years and countless experiences later, I see where the singer is actually coming from.

Sitting in my dorm, I listen to this song late into the night and at times, into the wee hours of the morning.

Solitude is good as it gives you a chance to contemplate. Think about things that otherwise would have whizzed past you. This is precisely what it has done for me. It has given me a chance to see things in new light, or perhaps I should say, in new 'dark' !! I mean, I pretty much do all this thinking late into the night !

I never was too much of a writer, and just for the record, I don't consider myself one, even now. But over the last few days, thoughts have been coming to me at the pretty much the same rate as the, as the...as the.....drat..I think I missed one there ;) What I mean to say is that they have been coming to me at a pretty rapid rate, so thought I might as well share them with you. Hence, the idea for this blog.

Through the coming posts on this blog, I intend to share these thoughts as well as some experiences that I have had over the last few months.

And also, this first post is for a special friend who's always inspired me to write and who in fact, to a large extent, is responsible for whatever I write, good, bad or ugly :) Except for the semester papers, which I write for grades !!

So, till the next time, it's Peace :)