A big, fat, OBNOXIOUS, ignorant, happy about nothing guy whose ultimate aim in life is to spoil himself in the petty and frivolous - No, he is no more only an American anymore but rather he has finally arrived... in my dear old India. Today I had the fortunate (read as 'unfortunate') encounter with this very being in my college canteen. He came with a beaming smile and a chuckle ever so nauseating which seemed to arise after every end, and sometimes even in the middle, of a sentence. Happiness and bliss was oozing out from him and somehow he always seemed so compelled to give his own bland solutions to every global and political problem being discussed there and was quite efficient in relating it to his own solutions. I don't know if it was just me or my perception of the person but somehow I ended up analyzing that my friend believed that all the world's problems could be solved if one is happy. Everything else was immaterial, be it the ever so imminent threat from terrorism or the recession looming large in the global economy, if he could get a burger with fries along with a coke in a McDonald outlet on his way to a two star rated movie, the world was perfect. His analysis and comprehension of our overzealous and effervescent debate on the condition of the India was that if you don't have the power, who are you to debate on the issue. He was not only critical in pointing out to us our shortsightedness in having a debate on an issue which we could not change as we obviously did not have a hand in it (and I thank God for it). Our data and information laden rationale was obviously just numbers and it was always in mankind's interest in just shutting its mind, eyes and ears and in looking around to find a TV remote to change the channel of the TV ,which had almost changed to a News channel, and switch it back on to watching the actual idols on the music channels battle it out on a biker show.Well obviously these are the after effects of passing out of our Hinglish education system Schools where the children are much more concerned and worried about preparing chits for the exam and getting micro xerox copies of a girlfriend's notes than studying for the exam.
May be I am an idealist but these acts of ignorance are intolerable to me. I want people to understand that before any change to happen there needs to be feeling of discomfort and anguish against what is to be changed. There needs to be knowledge of what is the system and where is it going wrong. A mechanic is able to fix and engine only because he knows it inside out. Hence change can only be done if we know and understand what is the actual problem and what needs to be changed. Considerable thought and discussions are a part of the change process. It is these discussions and exchanges that will enrich us and arm us and as and when power is bestowed on us and we become capable we would be able to sort the problems out because we know them. Our friends who think that thought is needed and necessary only when power comes would be caught unawares. Money and power are fickle things and change hands very quickly and frequently. Hence to make the most of it we need to think about it now and act when we get the chance and not lose our chance in understanding the problem during our tryst with power because there might never be a next time....
Signing Off...
SM
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