30th Sept 08:
The way in which people are rushing ahead with their lives here is amazing! All of them seem to be in such an undue haste. They hardly seem to have time for anything. Some people that we tried to interact with curtly asked us to be brief. Some bought our RTI book more to end the conversation and see us off rather than out of genuine interest in the subject. Life in general seems to be so superficial and shallow. I even get the feeling that these people are manifesting cynicisms, apathy and indifference more as coping mechanisms; as a veneer to cover up their superficial existence and inaction.
Without sounding judgmental, one does feel that people are escapists and are constantly running away from something; something, which they do not have the time to identify and resolve; something that they are actually afraid of and hence are running all the time. Freedom from fear is not just a lofty concept, but I think a practical way to live. But this would be possible, only when we have the strength of our own convictions, our positive values and our ethical lifestyles. Again Gandhi and Vivekananda are people who have lived them and demonstrated to us that this is not just possible, but also immensely practical. But again, in this world of such haste, would anyone listen…
We also are handicapped by lack of material in English. Bangalore is so cosmopolitan that knowing Kannada seems now to be the exception rather than the norm.
As we come closer to Bangalore, people are not willing to accept our unselfish intentions. Many people probe to understand why we are doing what we are doing. They cannot reconcile to the fact that our intentions are pure and unselfish. Today, for mankind, helping each other seems to have become the exception. We seem to idolize people who are trying to live as good people. Man, by just living as a decent human being, is given the status of God. Strange indeed are our ways and our thinking patterns. The entire measurement tool of existence seems to be money and how much of it one has – and I think this is where the root cause of corruption lies. If we could change the measurement tool to ‘values’ and how ethically we live our lives…how wonderful it would be!
