Let our faith in humanity be restored...

It has been a while since I posted. I tend to write when my mind is racing with thoughts and I need to put them somewhere for clarity and slow down my thinking process.    It is my opinion that sometimes you got to say what you got to say with the hope that some good may come out of it.  At the outset, I extend my apologies for writing a negative post at a time when the world is concerned about the pandemic. Nevertheless, I write for my well-being as catharsis and for readers to inculcate values in their children involving religious tolerance and systemic racism. 

It is said that a lifetime of experience shapes one’s personality.   Although, it is most often true, I must state here, the last decade has impacted me to a large extent changing the way I react and respond to people. I have sort of codified my understanding of people, their ways and thinking to the point of etching them in stone, just for my reference. As for me, I believe I am a broken person in a very abstract way and as I put those broken pieces together, I seem to have transformed entirely into a person totally unrecognizable to me. 

According to me there are two crucial aspects of life that we, social animals should learn to navigate without getting hurt or hurting others. One is religion and the other is politics. If at any point in time your life touches upon them they can destroy your life to the count of three if you are not careful enough or if you are a very trusting person. I strongly believe that there can be no redemption from the kind of vicious, malicious and vitriolic personal attacks you may have to deal with if you do not have the strength and resources to fend them off.  

I, for one believe all religions are equal and felt very proud of having friends from all religions. Today, I stand alone because someone believed one religion was better than the other. I personally denounce all forms of expressions of Islamophobia and antisemitism. I would like to refrain from commenting anything about Christianity here for personal reasons. I believe Christianity is far more commercialized than any other religion.  I have stopped visiting churches in India, but pray in the churches of Europe as and when I travel. I am used to visiting the Dargahs in India, which I have now stopped for obvious reasons. 

There are no greater sins in the world than

a) destroying the innocence of unsuspecting individuals by planting new, worthless and perverted ideas into their minds and

 b) starting a war over caste, culture, community and religion. 

 I have now understood that anti-Brahminism movement is more virulent than the battle to retain one’s identity as a Brahmin. Never has the fact that I am a Brahmin ever been an obstacle in making friends among members of other communities. Today, I am not so sure, I believe my mind has been corrupted over casteism, sects and subsects. I am working on tackling such issues with equanimity. Somebody just muddied the water and they are watching us from the sidelines as we fight amongst ourselves. Can we work at restoring faith in humanity? 

 If you are to find yourself in the line of fire from religious zealots and political opportunists, you can be sure you are bound to get destroyed beyond recognition. In a war where religion and politics form the epicenter, people will not hesitate to dismember you and hurt you physically and emotionally. Somebody empowers them to break into your house and make your living day a day in hell on earth as others remain mute spectators by picking a side in an unjustified war. Mercenaries don’t hesitate to murder and destroy your morale if there is a lure of money and power. They also help create fake profiles, fake careers and fake marriages just to erase one’s original social circle and networking. I made my friends at school, college and in my profession and I believe I am incapable of making new friends after having turned 50. If a few others have managed to change theirs, then I believe they were, in the first place, never true to themselves or to those they referred to as friends earlier. Change is good, but it must be on one’s own terms. It cannot be dictated by factors that include, caste, wealth, career or because it could vindicate another person. 

So, how does one stay calm and positive through all this personal turmoil and isolation. In all these ten years, I found solace in reading, understanding and writing on my topics of interest. I took to coloring, acrylic painting and traveling. I personally took a lot of effort to recuperate from health conditions that was surreptitiously imposed upon me and now with restored health, I enjoy cooking.  Being a movie buff helps and Hollywood produces such gems that it keeps you entertained as much as world cinema. I practice pranayama regularly as I believe it can help against depression, anxiety and stress.