Two weeks back by this time, I had been roaming and rambling in Buenos Aires (Argentina) and exploring the life there!! I was there in Argentina for a two weeks short business trip, I went there for a project go live execution. From Bangalore, it’s a long travel to reach Buenos Aires. It was a total of 32 hours travel time. Truly a hornet’s nest to sit in a plane for that much time :(-
Anyhow, while I was been there have had experienced the life in different part of the world. Have had mere conversations with little in English with taxi drivers, office colleagues and hotel staff about their economy, politics, jobs and normal day to day life. They all pointed same: Since few years inflation is been raising and job market is down than before. Many are starving for food outside. People lost faith with changing and crumbling Politicians. But, out and away, I did not experienced any unpleasant situations and able to roam around the city without any frisking or fearful approaches. Also, noticed many poor people on roads searching for food inside the large dustbins. Many locals and city dwellers are helping them by offering them food and money. On par, this is life across the world……..
These situations are same across many countries including India and other so called Western countries. This is a result of many factors including: greedy politicians, hegemony, power, some clan wanted to control things, corruption, poverty, improper education and missing values and ethics at individual level. In these tumultuous times, instead of blaming others, I feel like each one of us have a responsibility to be ethical and faithful to the society that we live. For that, each one of us should start something good in a small way:
Begin Things in a Small Way
In the long list of virtues and sacrifices one should pick the smaller and not too difficult ones; practice those fully and thorough-fully before going on to non-violence, non-resistance to evil and total self-sacrifice i.e. giving one’s life for a good cause or great ideal. It is because we do not begin in a small way and prepare ourselves for greater things by steady practice that we always fail to achieve the higher ideals and objectives. In India cleaning the soul, communion with God and winning victories of the spirit by avoiding meat, alcohol, anger and hatred are everyday matters for all those who have no claims to any virtue whatsoever. Our leaders also pay the same game of self deception and pretension. We may offer our lives to save the motherland on paper, over the whatsapp or before the crowd gathering or in office offline chats time and again and yet forget to cough up the rupee or the naye paise which may really pay the expenses for maintaining a soldier on the battle field who will give his life to defend country without indulging in tall talk, bluff or bluster. This has become the rule elsewhere since we have learned to talk big and act meanly in all fields of life. We cannot teach our ordinary men to forego their illicit profits, bribes or give up bad habits and evil practices, adulterating food, cheating others and so on; but we do not hesitate to shout about socialism, world free from poverty which lack entirely. A practical person who really meant to be utterly truthful, honest and good would go about it differently. He would eschew the little lies and dishonesty to begin with and insist on his followers to do the same; before beginning a campaign on a large scale against the greater evils and sins of human existence. A man who tolerates evil, injustice and ungodliness in a thousand little things everyday of his life all around him, cannot ever be really fit for establishing a Utopian Society based on pure and true human relations in which there will be no place for greed, arrogance, hatred, lust and unbridled passions.
A little humility and quiet self-examination will soon prove to all men, big or small, how far they are truly qualified to preach ideals which they never prepare to practice.
After all, life is too small to retain all the wealth that we accumulate and all the prejudices that we engross upon. At the end only the love that we share with others will keeps us happy. This is what I learnt while serving the blind kids near my house…
When the heart is full,the lips are sealed of all times………………..
sivaayyala 