"Right to Defend Itself"

Peace To All is my prayer for the year 2009. And also that some sense prevails as we hurtle at breakneck speed to self destruction. I am gripped with increasing anxiety and despair at the way things stand today.

2009 which bodes not much as far as "prosperity" is concerned, considering the global recession, does not look too promising for peace and harmonious co existence of all, also.I find it bewildering that mind control, brain wash, call it whatever, works so well that we fail to ask ourselves basic common sense questions and eat hungrily whatever the respectable sounding news sites throw at us. Are we so brain dead watching the idiot box that we think its acceptable the way a civilain area is being bombed and the civilian population being denied food and medications. Reasons for such actions are immaterial. Liberty at what cost and on what gounds? Afghanistan, Iraq, Gaza....who needs protecting and from whom? How can a nation , a people a world live that liberty if its tainted by the blood of so many innocents... men women and children.

I had started this article planning to write only about Gaza but am now inclined to write about a couple of other things too. The economic recession puts into focus the ever increasing greed for money and power...a thirst which is limitless and oh so futile. Self esteem has been confused with ones pay package, designations, size and number of homes/property owned, cars, vacations etc. This has, on a sociological note, meant that the old and the really young (children) have been sorely shortchanged. The old have no one to care for them in the twilight of their lives and the children suddenly very soon after their births become the responsibility of people who are PAID to do the precious job of bringing up and moulding them into good, responsible, moral people. Is it a surprise that despite stringent laws and better implementation techniques we are a sorry society today.

Leaping to another headline grabbing news item , that of moral policing by Shiv/Ram/Hanuman Senas. The senas are by the dozen and they in the name of defending "Religion" only push more and more people towards Atheism and Agnosticism.
The moral brigade are farthest from the truth and dont know the basics of the religion they profess to protect. They cause people like me, the believers, shame and disgrace and I wish I could take them to court for even calling themselves "Hindu/Religious" when they do not accept or understand the basic tenets of my faith.

In the same vein though I also fail to understand, equating pub hopping , drinking oneself 'silly', smoking the poison of one's choice,multiple sexual partners as Liberty or Freedom. We are a world which in the name of nationalism detroys nations and its people. We are a gender which in the name of financial independence or greed for more, I dont know which holds true either one or both, leave our babies behind.We fool oursleves by saying we do it for our self esteem. Does self esteem come so cheap or at the expense of others? This particular brand of self esteem or sense of freedom and dignity has a short shelf life...only till the much coveted job, or the hefty bank balance or the present status or designation holds good. This balloon will surely burst and with a bang. A true sense of freedom, empowerment and dignity does not depend on transitory material things. It is so much more than this.

We are a society which is confused, directionless and unhappy most of the times despite these so called giant leaps to financial, social, and moral freedom and equality for all. The most powerful and one of the richest of nations has a majority of the population eating anti depressants as if they were daily vitamin pills.We have so many non profit agencies yet majority if not all never sucessfully treat the root of the problem addressed and only further increase dependencies in the target group. What does this really say about the contorted sense of freedom, equality, justice, and the various approaches working to achieve them all...

In the end we all go searching if not running for more ...that elusive more... which we do not get, even after we have visited all the pubs, smoked , drank as much there is to drink, eaten all the wonderful things we could, owned the most desirable and sought after property/cars, travelled around in style. Been there, done that , seen it all .... when does this truly satisfy anyone amd for how long.

Till we truly understand the bigger gameplan, the way things are and the true purpose of our lives and surrender to it completely we will remain the way we are....striving to defend our nations, our freedom, our sense of justice. Its time we looked deep and protected oursleves.