WE are different

My cousin bought a Honda Accord for himself recently. What a car!!! I was really amazed with the looks of the machine. And the brand Honda gives you the best interiors.

I felt so good when he took me for a drive. The comfort of the seats, one can go to sleep, they were as good as the couch at my home. I appreciated the car and my brother for his choice of brand, car, color etc. Felt so good. And jealous as soon as I stepped down.

He told me everything about the car being a status symbol. Then we talked about the drink things (I do not drink alcohol, so I believe people who do, are below me. Everybody has some point to praise himself). He has a lot of money and so he knows much about status and big things. We had a long discussion on the matter(I was in listening mode mostly). I learned a lot of things that day.

But somehow he(unintentionally) made me feel lower in status( or it may be my own cultivated inferiority). I felt like earning a lot of money that very day and buy a bigger car!!!

But as things (practicality) settled down in me, I started finding reasons to justify for not doing so.

Now when I tink about my thoughts, I wonder what was that for??

Why do not I accept the fact that I can't spend that much of money?

Why do I want to buy a car just because my cousin did?

Maybe I wanted to sound like him too. I do not want to be what I am, but I want to be what he is.

What does a big car actually give me?

Comfort!!!! Or just the satisfaction on the road that I am not driving a lesser pricey hatchback.

Why do I want all such things? Just to feel above a few more people. Or to look down upon a lot more people.

I want the people around me to listen to me when I talk about status. I want them to feel that I am different. I want them to feel that I am higher.

Maybe all of us want to look different from others, but the irony is: We are a part of the crowd.

The crowd which we want to look down upon. The crowd in which everybody wants to look different, but yet wants to live in the crowd. It is us who have created the crowd. It is us who have created the thinking. Its US who want to look different.

Its us who have decided the criteria for high or low. And all of us are following that.

How similar do all of us think! After all we are the crowd. We've grown in this crowd.

Then why can't we simply behave likea group and not crowd? Why can't we respect each others differences? Why can't we teach ourselves to respect each other? Why can't we stop deriving the pleasure from being looked above?

Why can't we be different and still be the same!

Greed - is it?

On a busy market street, sat a cobbler. He used to mend shoes and request people to get their shoes polished. His earnings for the day were just enough for him to meet his daily expenses on food for his family. His family's hunger was supported by his tool box. 

Everyday (including sunday) he used to reach in front of this big showroom, whose owner had allowed this cobbler to run his business in a corner on stairs. The owner was a big hearted man. 

Things were running fine, until one day when a car skidded off the road a little and the front tyre went over the tool box. The tool box broke, many bottles inside could not bear the weight of the tyre and flattened. Few things flew off to the small drain near the stairs.

The car driver got off and ignoring the queue of cars behind his, analysed the impact on his car. Fortunately there was not even a scratch. He looked at the misery and overcoming his guilt, shouted at the cobbler. "Had something happened to my car, I would have killed you", were the words. The cobbler, said "Sahab, nuksaan ho gaya humaara". And before he could indicate that the car owner should pay him compensation, the car owner slapped him. "Don't you dare put your stuff here on this street again", shouted the car owner.  

The cobbler did not have any courage to speak a word. The car owner sat in his sedan, and with anger on his face screeched away his car, flying away some of the tools that were still near the tyre.

Some onlookers including the gatekeeper of the showroom, exchanged a few looks with pity in their eyes and went on with their activities. The cobbler with tears in his eyes, started gathering the remains of the box and belongings. He was thinking about not only the box, but about how would he manage to get the stuff again. He could carry things in a bag for a few days, but buying the tools and stuff would mean not buying food for at least a day. The pain of the slap was nothing, neither his ego got hurt. All that occupied his mind was, how to manage get an earning now.

Of so many onlookers, there was this young boy who was watching all this scene. He approached the gatekeeper of the showroom and asked "How much would this cost him?" The gatekeeper asked the cobbler and he replied "Bahut nuksaan ho gaya hai, 100 rupaiye lag jaayenge".

The boy willing to help, offered the amount to the cobbler. He expected that cobbler may not take it for he has his self esteem. But to his surprise the cobbler said "Shayad 150 hi lag jaayenge babuji". 

The boy gave him 100 rupees and went away. But he left with a thought. "How greedy was this person? I was offering him help and he is asking me for more. These people do not have any self respect. Why don't they start begging? 50 rupees is nothing for me, I could've given him that much more, but this man may had asked for even more then. Maybe I should not have even helped him. He doesn't want to work to earn........".

Yes the poor cobbler was greedy. He tried to extract more money. He did not show any gesture of self respect.

But can we say he was wrong. 50 rupees which was nothing for the boy, meant some day's meal for his family. He was not a man with self respect, but he was a man who was fighting poverty but was still earning food for his home. He may even actually start begging for the purpose, but that would be because of the people like the car owner, the onlookers and the boy. Many of us are like the car owner, we do not accept our mistakes since our self respect has crossed its line and become ego. We have learnt to suppress our guilt with violence. For people in this category one who doesn't have money, has no existence in this world. Majority of us belong to the onlookers, who watch everything, feel the pity discuss it to show how soft hearted we are, but do not wish to extend a helping hand. Very few people are there in the category of the boy, who make efforts to help the person who'd in need. They are not mean at least in money matters. But they do not trust people easily. The sum of 50 rupees was nothing for the boy, but he would not give more. The cobbler did not do what the boy expected. But the boy did not trust the fact that asking for more money was not his greed, but just a try get food for another day to his children.

Deccan Mujahideen - another name for Terror

Deccan Mujahideen claimed the responsibility for the show they put up in Mumbai. It started with sparks starting on 26th November 2008 night. They had prepared well. And their efforts have not been wasted. The name "Deccan Mujahideen" would be known in history for what they have done. This outfit, known little earlier, has become famous worldwide overnight.

Indians have been hearing such names after every such planned massacres. There has always been some outfit to claim the killings of innocent people. News channels have been announcing the name of the group that has killed their father, son, mother, sister, friend. 

But who are the killers? What do they want? Why did they kill my little child who went out with his uncle to get his birthday cake? What would they need to stop this terror? 

Those who have come upfront and claimed the killings have been calling themselves Mujahideens.What does Mujahideen mean? Ask an Indian and the answer would "militants". The word actually means "warrior of God". But are these terrorists, killing innocent people, really fighting for God?Does God need help from them? Has God asked them to kill people? What religion do they follow that preaches terrorism?

They call themselves Muslims. But they are defaming the religion. They have caused distrust for people of the religion. Because of these people world has started suspecting Muslims. These people have been using the name of this religion to be blamed for the numerous lives and countless tears. They do not ask the religion of people being killed.

What do they leave behind? Top selling story for news channels. Topic for propaganda to politicians. Fame for their group. Burnt buildings. Terrified public. Dead bodies. Pools of blood. Endless tears. Distrust amongst people. Another blot on their religion.

One day they may have a world of their own, built on crematory with countless bodies buried under.

Only they and their God know how peaceful that world would be. But for sure they do not belong to any religion created by humans.

 

Teach Peace

It's hard to place a value
On a setting sun
Or a healthy child walking
And learning how to run
Non-tangible are things
We hold so dear
Like love and hope and friends
Or the shedding of a tear

No promises are kept
If we can't commit
To the cause of oneness
A feeling of bliss
No axis has it's center
If it can't decide
Which direction it should go
Because of internal pride

Maybe we can see through the lies
And break through the barriers
That cage our lives
It's not the might of muscle
We need to choose
But more the might of mind
Or peace will lose

Teach peace
Everybody we've got to teach peace

You know that it's something we've got to do
We've got to see it through