Civic sense of world's oldest civilization

Well, we live in a metrics-driven world these days where every attempt is made to measure everything objectively. How good or bad is that measurement, I don't know. However, we do assign a number to almost every aspect of our life from happiness, affluence, disparity, purchasing power and everything else. And we do this, in fact, to entire nations and rank them against each other. But fortunately, I have never come across any ranking of countries according to their people's civic sense and public manners. Feel glad or relieved? Ah, me too! Just imagine where we are going to figure in such a list. Anyway, not that we, as a nation, are performing too well in the other lists that are there but this would be absolutely toweringly shameful, at least to some Indians. Are we truly what people say, "the world's oldest civilization" (we are at least one of the oldest)? I don't know may be all those historians and writers have been lying to or fooling us or something. I mean, how can we be the oldest civilization and yet not have learned anything at all about decency and dignity in behavior in public?

And I am not talking of developed-world antics such as "thanking people" or "holding the door for people following you" or anything like that (Reader's Digest survey looked for these aspects). Those finer things are probably not even possibilities in this country yet. What bothers me is the unmindfulness with which people carry themselves out. "Jumping queues" or "talking rudely to strangers" or "causing inconvenience to others on roads, cafes, offices" are like instinctive here. And well, what can one say, some people, who are mindful enough to understand what they are doing, think that they are plain smarter than others. One should just see the sense of satisfaction on their face when they achieve something like that. And to add to that, one hears the argument that we are people who live by our hearts. We don't pretend or something like Western nations by showing manners or acting nicely in public. Sure, they are acts but I guess, still worth emulating. Let's give it a shot and see.

PS: Of course, I was almost done with this post before I came across the fact that Mumbai was ranked the rudest city by Reader's Digest in a survey of 25 world cities.

Give idleness a chance

Yet another book on "doing nothing". "Doing Nothing: A History of Loafers, Loungers, Slackers and Bums in America" this time, by Tom Lutz. It does impart to me, a hopeful feeling, to learn that a sizeable number of people, even in today's world, believe (and of course, take pride) in treading this path of higher calling. Our very own "Bhagavadgita", the ultimate Hindu look-up for all kinds of spiritual and worldly crises, too concedes non-action as a higher form of action and the door to enlightenment. I admit that I have to consider myself fortunate because even without knowing anything about that, I probably imbibed, quite early in my childhood, a bias for non-action (I mean this in a consummate sense including no bias for speech too, in case you have read my last post).

But speaking with candor, hasn't the human civilization seen thousands of years of action, honest or otherwise, from our fellow beings wanting to do "something"? And, where has it led us? Actually, it always beats my rather underdeveloped comprehension as to why human beings, otherwise such a courageous specie, give in to that inherent but stupid tendency. I mean, look at this. We all were born perfect, happy and lazy. But, parents decided to do something for us, educated us and gave us values (ah, that painful thing!) against our very nature. The teachers didn't want to be left behind and jumped into the fray. Friends, colleagues and others added to our confusion, in their own ways, to perform, to do something with our life. Now, this is where everything begins. Everyone wants to do something but probably there aren't as many things to do. Ah, but instead of facing up to the reality, we succumbed to the circumstances. We started doing all the baloney (this blog a perfect example of that) in the world just to give ourselves a false sense of accomplishment. Now, it has become a mass folie a duex or something.

Well, pristine idleness has been the story of my life so far and, it will be my best endeavor, despite whatever life thrusts onto me, to continue in this path. Actually, I appeal to all of you, who harbor real hopes of a beautiful world in the future to curb that hardwired enthusiasm in you for "doing something". Let's give idleness a chance! As they say, it's never too late or something. Lazy bums will anyway enjoy the process while people, given to working hard will have to work hard at it. Guess that's what they call a "win-win" situation.

A game gone awry

A friend of mine is an avid computer-gamer. Well actually, I think he is kind of a fundamentalist since he views everything as a game - just a bunch of rules. According to him, religion, society and everything in between and around is just that - a game. Democracy too. A set of rules that define how the players engage with the system and how they interact with the other players. But honestly, I quite agree with my friend on that. I mean, yes may be at a much grander level and probably colossally complex too. But still, only a game.

Now, any game, to become a success, needs to have clear and well-defined rules. The rules must not only be respected but also be followed in letter and in spirit by the players of the game. The popularity and success of the game is contingent on how well its rules are framed and implemented. The fairer the game is to all its players with rewards for those who follow the rules and penalties for those who do not, the more its popularity or success. The players have the freedom to adopt their own gaming strategies within the framework of those defined rules and cannot indulge in foul play. Apparently, the Indian democracy can't seem to get something this fundamental. Actually, it would be naive to say that. Probably, they know but don't want to do anything about it. I don't know somehow we Indians have excelled in doing really complicated things but missed on fundamental things.

There is a complete disregard for the aspect that makes democracy work - rule of law. Without that it is just a whole lot of commotion. A commotion in which the player who has the greatest bullying skills or who can abuse the system the most, wins. Skillful players believing in fair play tend to stay away from such a game. Probably, they know that they just can't do it. Such disregard for fairness and disrespect for rules is not just a part of our administrative apparatus. It has permeated into every aspect of our society from capital markets to traffic, from government organizations to private individuals. Freedom is abused. Restraint as a virtue has vanished. Bias for action has been taken over by bias for talking (imagine a billion-plus populace doing that!).

An open society needs a common set of rules to be followed and respected by everyone. Otherwise, it is an illiberal democracy as Fareed Zakaria describes in his book The Future of Freedom. Sound like just another disgruntled citizen or something? Yeah, I know.

Women on my mind, eh?

Well, haven't been able to post anything new. No, not been busy or anything. In fact, six feet under in sheer boredom over the past two weeks. Anyway, thought would post my paintings and sketches. Here I am.













A short description here (from top-left):

1. A man's quest
2. A young woman in solitude
3. Rekha - A bollywood actress
4. Audrey Tautou from Amelie
5. A liberated woman