passing thoughts

passing thoughts: Greed and need

We are all too used to sounds. We are afraid of silence. The t.v. sound, the sound of people talking,something or the other. Even mentally there is a lot going on. Not a moment of peace and queit. To the extent, we are unnerved of somebody else's silence.
For the past few days I feel like not talking. Not out of anger, but just to be queit. Do my work silently, bring a calmness to my mind, buzzing with thoughts. I have been trying not to be angry, frustrated, to stop daydreaming. But to the people around me I seem to have become very serious. To them it seems - something is troubling me. But all I want to do is look inward. Start a different journey. Travel a different path. I have had glimpses of my inner strengths and joys. They were but glimpses. Now I would like to seriously seek them out. Explore them. To do that I need calmness. Externally and internally. Otherwise I might miss out on the beauty of the inner light. But then I live in a world of noise. A world of cacophony. A world so afraid of silence. A world so bad in communication and lacking in, confidence that everything has to be repeaated again and again. And here I am seeking a world of silence. 

Labels: Community, Society

We seem to have lost the capacity to differentiate between our needs and our greed. Look around us. We are consuming everything more than what we need. We travel too much, we talk too much, we eat too much and spend beyond our means. Are we all thinking that there is no tommorow. If so then why should we bother. Just live for today. If we are going to have a long life, then why bother rushing through life. Let's relax and do things in a steady pace, why run to a destination we have no knowledge of. 

Labels: Society

Panalipana world transport company -- $ 26millions, Ennron--$ 200 millions, ITC--$100 million, Hyundai-- $700 millions, Tyco, Bank of America, Allied Irish banks--750 million(?), Hedge fund-- $5000 millions, Samsung, now the latest Satyam.

These are the scams that have seen the light of the day. How many more are brewing and how many more billions of dollars will just disappear from the market into private pockets, get mismanaged. This is the money of so many small investors. So many dreams, so many aspirations and expectations. All evoporating in thin air. The so called values of the companies turn out be myths. And how come these keep happening again and again. 

The money from one single scam could have fed and educated the children of the world for many years. The volumes that disappear, must be going somewhere, or they just mirages that we all beleive to be true. Do these keep happening because we all dream to be as rich some day. So accept that it is one of the ways of becoming rich. 

Why is this unbirdled greed going on. The intoxication of money and power is more dangerous than alcohol. The greed for power is taking the lives of thousands and thousands of innocent, the greed for money is destroying the lives and happiness of millions. 

Where are we headed as people, communities, states, nations. Is power and money the only path that is available to us. Everytime I read about the luxurious Yatch of the rich and famous my heart bleeds. Millions of dollars spent on buying and maintaining these, When a pittance of that money could improve the health of so many children, educate them, give them livelihood trainig. Give back the diginity of the women who have to sell themselves to feed their children. 

Can' we as people change. Can't we as people give up our greed. Can't we adopt a simple means of living. Can't we live instead keep chasing mirages all our lives. Can't we.

Labels: Community

There seems to be no relation between our belief of God and our life practices. We dont seem to be doing anything that is Godly or at the least humane. In our approach to life we seem to have started beleiving that "I" alone matters. This I see all around me in the relationships, business dealings, diplomatic dealings. I was reading an article in GEO magzine about the people of Germany during the second world war. The ability of ordinary people to become killing machines was very disturbing. Today the attacks on Gaza by Isreal, killing children, is as disturbing. How can a person who has ordered these killings and the soilders who have done the killing go back to their women and children and profess love for them. Won't it be a sham. Are my children different from any other children. Is their laughter any different from the laughter of my children. 

We all talk of peace. Will we have peace with our actions. Killing people to survive politically, brutalising children, will we ever have peace. Countries which talk of human rights dont speak up when a massacare on such large scale is happening. Why is it that all these people, seem to target women, children and helpless people and call themselves heroes. 

To me the most courageous are people out there on the streets. Eaking a living and making ends meet. Maintaining their dignity inspite of poverty. Able to smile and laugh inspite of all the suffering. The people armed to their teeth, and killing innocents are not heroes. They are the biggest cowards. And cowards are ruling us today. Isnt it a pity.

Labels: Community

Funny how one ends up doing what one doesn't want to do at all. Like the ceremonies of my father's death anniversary. I feel so hypo critic_ that the man I really never cared about, had no good feelings for is today being felicitated by me. The traditional way. Why am I doing it. Because I want to avoid a big scene about the whole thing. The crying and abuse of my mother. It doesn't matter that she never gave him peace, as long he lived. But today the ceremonies have to be done.
What if everyone had the choice to do what he pleased. The social obligations were followed out of choice rather than being forced into it. What would happen if everyone was allowed to follow ones belief rather than be coerced to follow the traditions without having any belief in them. Do we really believe the traditions that we follow. On what are our beliefs based. On what we have been told by our elders. Have we ever questioned the rationality of our beliefs, faiths.
What if the social pressures were taken away and then we were asked to stay true to our understanding of life, what will happen then. Will people still perform the same rituals. Will they still profess respect for the person they-didn't care about, they disliked.
That is something of a conjecture. Today if we ask the same question what would be the answer, most porbably a falsehood. A very carefully worded statement, which is designed, so that the speaker is not caught on the wrong foot. Many would hotly deny ever not following the traditions.
What I see around me astounds me. There has been a tremendous increase in number of people going to the temples. The gatherings at the satsangs is astounding. The increase in the corruption in life is again astounding. Today corruption in the society is at an all time high. Every sphere of life is getting corrupt by the day. So much so even the judiciary is not immune to it. What are judges if not human beings sharing the same beliefs and coming from the same society. So that is not surprising anyway.
What is surprising is that at one end we all keep talking about the lack of values, high incidence of corruption, yet on an individual level keep on indulging in it.
The question is why and how and when will all this come down. It won't end anyway. That would be utopian thinking.

Labels: Community

There should be a day
When I could get drunk,
Forget what I was
Forget what I am
Forget what I will be
Just be me
Drunk in happiness
And let things be
None of the weariness
From the journeys long
that tend to be
Wearing out the bone
And the mind
The stories that the stars told
Never turned out to be
For I was to be
drunk in happiness

Labels: Community