To err is definitely human, but institutions must never err. One crucial mistake can make an important institution thoroughly meaningless and redundant. If Nobel Foundation was awarding only annual prizes for peace, it would have suffered such a fate. Luckily for everyone, they operate in other areas as well and that makes the institution still relevant. Their grave mistake lies in NOT awarding the Nobel Prize for Peace to the most eligible individual of all times viz. Mahatma Gandhi for ‘unknown’ reasons. Every year they try to wriggle out of the same embarrassment by flouting stories about Gandhiji being nominated many times but not being awarded due to the imperial pressure from British Raj. But the question still remains as to why they failed to do it in 1947 or immediately after that posthumously. To conclude that all White governments are essentially ‘colour-blind’ may not be a wrong conclusion even in this twenty-first century. Attitudes and current policies of countries like Australia strengthen only such arguments further.
A very similar situation is arising in our own country in the case of Padma and other civilian awards. The discretion of governments in power is no doubt important. But there are certain towering personalities who cannot be ignored by anyone in power. Turning a blind eye to such outstanding individuals will only make the selection process questionable and suspicious. Many a time we have seen highly popular governments in India (which comes to power once in a while) awarding the highest civilian award to certain unpardonable ‘misses’ and thereby trying to correct the so-called historical mistakes. But that is not enough. What needs to be done today must be done today and not after a few years. The country is doing a grave mistake (and ingratitude) if we are continuing to avoid conferring the highest civilian award ‘Bharat Ratna’ on living saints like Mata Amritanandamayi and Sathya Sai Baba. In many ways it is the least a grateful nation can do to its greatest living children.
Colonial Mentality
During colonial times awards are always given at the whims and fancies of the colonial establishments. More often it goes to those colonial citizens who have worked in favour of the colonial power than in the interests of their own motherlands. Times have changed in India after it has become world’s largest democracy but the attitude of those who comes to power by elections remains unchanged in many respects. The case of annual civilian awards is a classic one. The most important point often missed by the new periodic rulers is the transparency required in any selection process. It is not enough if there is majority liking within the elected group for deciding on awards and rewards. The majority mandate is only for wielding the reigns of power and not for deciding on the colour or pedigree of the horse to ride or even the path to take. All such decisions are always left to the open court of the people at all times.
In sharp contrast to colonial establishments, the civilian awards in a democratic society must be igniting a sense of pride in those who give it than in those who receive it. Any award is recognition for the immense efforts undertaken by individuals voluntarily. No true proponent of charity would wait for a reward or canvass for it behind the curtains. And no true servant of God would put conditions on the beneficiaries of their charity efforts. Some one who is willing to serve all (and hug all), irrespective of colour, race and religion is definitely almost near the one and only God, if not God itself in human form. And when the nation awards such individuals, it is the nation that is more honoured. In India today, everyone knows who deserves ‘Bharat Ratna’ most. And the elected establishment in power must implement that popular desire of millions of people.
Charity Monopoly
Thanks to the high publicity content in whatever Westerners do, charity worldwide has come to be associated with a few Western icons. Many people still have the feeling that if it is charity work, it has to be by the church. This feeling is not only nourished by their believers but also by a vast majority of other religionists as well. And if there is somebody who is taking an initiative in helping the poor and downtrodden, the foregone conclusion is that it will be a White lady of European origin. It is still difficult for our people with colonial frame of mind to recognize and accept a helping hand from our own midst. Many of our people are still stuck in the quicksand of Western publicity regarding their ‘charity monopoly’. But the fact of the matter is that charity or helping others is essentially an Eastern concept that had spiritual dimensions.
Charity is part and parcel of Indian civilization from time immemorial. But many Indians are still made to believe that charity came to Indian sub-continent in the form of some missionaries of charity. It was a clever but highly successful ploy of the missionaries that they could influence their cousins in power to grant official status for charity work only to their own institutions. That is why we find schools and hospitals doing charity work only in the name of a particular community. What their cousins did is understandable, but not what was done by our own Rajas and Maharajas. Thousands of acres of land and crores of rupees were given to such ‘monopolisers’ of charity in order to be in the good books of the British. The very sight of costly mansions in central locations all over India in the name of some such charity institutions is a stark reminder of the mistake made in granting official status to do service to humanity. What must be a voluntary noble work has been turned into a lucrative real-estate business by the missionaries.
In post-1947 India there are hardly any social, religious or political leaders who have touched the lives of so many millions of people than Mata Amritanandamayi and Sathya Sai Baba. The hospitals, schools and other institutions they have built up are reversing the negative destiny of thousands of people every day. Their activities have crossed borders, races and even religious barriers. The world has recognized them, but not our own elected establishment. It is already too late not to have conferred ‘Bharat Ratna’ on both these highly revered universal personalities who happened to be born in India. We should not miss the opportunity to show our gratitude and earn their blessings for the country as a whole.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Friday, November 02, 2007
DAWN OF DE-EVOLUTION
Outspoken or silent belief in evolution of species (of life) is indeed the sure sign of intelligent human beings in this modern age. Those who are still struggling with unsubstantiated theories of creation of species can be at best classified as primates who missed evolution process or those who are trapped in the cobwebs of their social setup. All natural phenomena in this universe, including the very working nature of it, are cyclic in nature and it is nothing but natural to expect the reversal of evolution to take place in due course. The upward evolution of species will definitely be followed by their steady deterioration once the evolutionary trend has peaked and a plateau had set in for some period. One look at the increasing disorder in this planet in recent times makes me feel that we have already been on the evolution plateau and are seeing the dawn of ‘de-evolution’
All evolutions follow a path of slow and steady improvement of qualities based on natural selection and survival of the fittest. Then it is only natural to expect that the reverse is true in the case of de-evolution. It may not be far away from truth to expect the ‘unfittest’ to become extinct first. Those among all the species who cannot adapt well to the changing conditions of physical and social world would fall away first only to be followed by those who are little better. The process would continue until some species would disappear totally sooner than others. We are already seeing this in the animal world and many world bodies of human beings are monitoring this with great concern. What is not being monitored in a similar pattern is our own decline in the various parts of this world. Many individuals, communities and isms the world over are finding it increasingly difficult to survive the unmerciful march of time.
Unsurvival of Unfittest
If survival of the fittest was the crux of evolution, the disability of individuals, communities and isms to fit in with the pace and scrutiny of modern times are the reasons for their decline leading to eventual extinction. What we call as Science is the sum total of human capacity for scrutiny and analysis of everything for their substance and relevance. All tangibles and intangibles who cannot survive the trial of Science will have to decline and fade out in the long run. The decline of so many empires and emperors is nothing but a combined effect of the failure of the associated individuals, communities and isms. In the beginning of evolution, the resourceful few could establish their rule over others and popularize their own isms. When evolution climbed steadily upwards they had to give way to the pressure from evolving ‘others’ and the scrutiny of their isms by ‘others’. All those which were built up on falsehood and power naturally failed in the process.
The steady decline of many of the religions, empires and races is nothing but a natural phenomenon in an evolving world. The same process would have happened among all species in the animal world as well. The essence of animal stories in the form of Panchatantra and Animal Farm are very much realistic though allegorical. In all smaller kingdoms, the rulers and their ruling isms would have been subjected to pressure of power politics and scrutiny, and the weaker oldies would have given way to the stronger beings and thoughts. True knowledge is like a powerful ray of light and it is impossible to shut it out forever from any living body. And when such light falls on each of the living, the result is a mutiny or revolution within. It is only a matter of time before the combined might of such ignited minds from overthrowing the kingdoms and isms built on falsehood and power.
Ultimate Scenario
Many of our current isms are threatening us about an impending collapse and full stop for mankind. Nothing can be further from truth than this. The intention and agenda of those who are propagating such falsehood becomes clearer when we analyse their background. They want submission of humans out of fear. The story of cranes who wanted to eat all fish and crabs in a pond by frightening them with an impending drought is well known. All those who are telling us about apocalypse here and promising paradise elsewhere are behaving like these cranes to get everyone under their control. What awaits such people and their isms will be similar to what happened to the cranes in the story. All such greedy and cunning cranes would meet their ultimate fate at the hands of intelligent and evolved crabs.
If what we are seeing now is the dawn of ‘de-evolution’ we must also bear in mind that it is nothing new. Evolution and de-evolution would have happened many times in the past and it will happen again. It is something like births and deaths in Hindu philosophy. Like our own lives, everything follows a cyclic path. The striking resemblance of physical patterns at cosmic and sub-atomic levels is not a mere a coincidence. The meaning that it conveys has not been understood well by many of our religious leaders and those who have understood do not want to propagate it for fear of rendering their own isms (that is providing them cushy lives) obsolete. The bottom line is very clear when dealing with the social aspect of evolution – that we shall hear the truth only from an ism which has no ownership and patent. The ultimate end of never ending cycles of evolutions and de-evolutions will be the realization of such truth by each and every one of the living beings.
Some of our scientists believe that creation of artificial life is only a few years away. But even if we succeed in creating the physical form of life, creation of the creative mind is away forever. What is the use of life without a mind, which keeps all living beings interesting and innovative? Evolution and de-evolution happen only because of these features of living beings. And without the cycles of evolution and de-evolution there is not going to be anything worthwhile for being alive in this universe. The difference will be much like the desert silence of submission in the Arabian peninsula and the loud vibrant Asian tropical forests teeming with life of a million kinds. Of all the living species, life is meaningful for the human beings only if it is involved in a continuous cycle of evolution and de-evolution. We should be welcoming de-evolution even if it means violence, destruction and our own extinction, because the coming cycle will always be for the better.
All evolutions follow a path of slow and steady improvement of qualities based on natural selection and survival of the fittest. Then it is only natural to expect that the reverse is true in the case of de-evolution. It may not be far away from truth to expect the ‘unfittest’ to become extinct first. Those among all the species who cannot adapt well to the changing conditions of physical and social world would fall away first only to be followed by those who are little better. The process would continue until some species would disappear totally sooner than others. We are already seeing this in the animal world and many world bodies of human beings are monitoring this with great concern. What is not being monitored in a similar pattern is our own decline in the various parts of this world. Many individuals, communities and isms the world over are finding it increasingly difficult to survive the unmerciful march of time.
Unsurvival of Unfittest
If survival of the fittest was the crux of evolution, the disability of individuals, communities and isms to fit in with the pace and scrutiny of modern times are the reasons for their decline leading to eventual extinction. What we call as Science is the sum total of human capacity for scrutiny and analysis of everything for their substance and relevance. All tangibles and intangibles who cannot survive the trial of Science will have to decline and fade out in the long run. The decline of so many empires and emperors is nothing but a combined effect of the failure of the associated individuals, communities and isms. In the beginning of evolution, the resourceful few could establish their rule over others and popularize their own isms. When evolution climbed steadily upwards they had to give way to the pressure from evolving ‘others’ and the scrutiny of their isms by ‘others’. All those which were built up on falsehood and power naturally failed in the process.
The steady decline of many of the religions, empires and races is nothing but a natural phenomenon in an evolving world. The same process would have happened among all species in the animal world as well. The essence of animal stories in the form of Panchatantra and Animal Farm are very much realistic though allegorical. In all smaller kingdoms, the rulers and their ruling isms would have been subjected to pressure of power politics and scrutiny, and the weaker oldies would have given way to the stronger beings and thoughts. True knowledge is like a powerful ray of light and it is impossible to shut it out forever from any living body. And when such light falls on each of the living, the result is a mutiny or revolution within. It is only a matter of time before the combined might of such ignited minds from overthrowing the kingdoms and isms built on falsehood and power.
Ultimate Scenario
Many of our current isms are threatening us about an impending collapse and full stop for mankind. Nothing can be further from truth than this. The intention and agenda of those who are propagating such falsehood becomes clearer when we analyse their background. They want submission of humans out of fear. The story of cranes who wanted to eat all fish and crabs in a pond by frightening them with an impending drought is well known. All those who are telling us about apocalypse here and promising paradise elsewhere are behaving like these cranes to get everyone under their control. What awaits such people and their isms will be similar to what happened to the cranes in the story. All such greedy and cunning cranes would meet their ultimate fate at the hands of intelligent and evolved crabs.
If what we are seeing now is the dawn of ‘de-evolution’ we must also bear in mind that it is nothing new. Evolution and de-evolution would have happened many times in the past and it will happen again. It is something like births and deaths in Hindu philosophy. Like our own lives, everything follows a cyclic path. The striking resemblance of physical patterns at cosmic and sub-atomic levels is not a mere a coincidence. The meaning that it conveys has not been understood well by many of our religious leaders and those who have understood do not want to propagate it for fear of rendering their own isms (that is providing them cushy lives) obsolete. The bottom line is very clear when dealing with the social aspect of evolution – that we shall hear the truth only from an ism which has no ownership and patent. The ultimate end of never ending cycles of evolutions and de-evolutions will be the realization of such truth by each and every one of the living beings.
Some of our scientists believe that creation of artificial life is only a few years away. But even if we succeed in creating the physical form of life, creation of the creative mind is away forever. What is the use of life without a mind, which keeps all living beings interesting and innovative? Evolution and de-evolution happen only because of these features of living beings. And without the cycles of evolution and de-evolution there is not going to be anything worthwhile for being alive in this universe. The difference will be much like the desert silence of submission in the Arabian peninsula and the loud vibrant Asian tropical forests teeming with life of a million kinds. Of all the living species, life is meaningful for the human beings only if it is involved in a continuous cycle of evolution and de-evolution. We should be welcoming de-evolution even if it means violence, destruction and our own extinction, because the coming cycle will always be for the better.
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