CRISIS -III

 

CRISIS III

I am reminded of a famous saying in the English language which states “You cannot grow taller by beheading others”. Incompetent individuals suffer from crisis of confidence and stupidly conclude that their gimmicks can rob off the next person’s merit. Ironically the converse works faster. Whoever is denigrated does not suffer in the least because [s]he ably carries out all the work entrusted with. Besides, by systematic effort of labour, [s]he acquires higher skills and dimensions that are far beyond the reach of the ill-equipped denigrators. In the process, what happens is, the denigrator looks small in the esteem of everyone. Besides, the person loses value as an individual. Crisis deepens further with none willing to be a ‘friend’ of the denigrator in the true sense of the term.  If you probe further into their ‘home fronts’ it would be a sad reading that they are not  respected, since they always lend excuses and do not rise to any occasion. For such people it is crisis all over at home, office, society and everywhere; living in silent shame. So inadequacy is bound to destroy the respectability of a person. Bank balance and wealth inherited are of just no avail where capabilities count. Unlike wealth, inadequacy would reveal itself at every instance however trivial the occasion may be.

Way out:

Every crisis has a way out. Ways out do not reveal themselves unless we are truly inclined to get over a crisis. Getting over a crisis sometimes requires wisdom and most of the times only honest efforts. Let us remember that the one in crisis would seldom be able to locate the tunnel to escape. Only others in our ambience can really suggest measures of recovery. This would heavily hinge on “true friends”. When a person known to be a denigrator suffers a visible crisis, others would find the occasion ideal to “enjoy”. The inadequate person provides adequate occasions for others to rejoice over. Undoubtedly it is the bitterest of pills to swallow. Reciprocating a feeling is a human attitude. Therefore, affection or aversion is merely reciprocated and the individual is responsible for what [s]he receives from the ambience. It is not as if anyone can radically alter this reciprocal effect by a new–found show of affection. Any such attempt of displaying affection would readily evoke suspicion, since the person’s attitude has not hitherto been cordial. It may deepen the crisis by making others believe that the person has ‘something up the sleeve’ and ‘let us play it safe’. The real way out is to be, true to self and to others with a uniform disposition always. None relishes being denigrated, more so when they are honest to the duties. When an inadequate person tries playing tricks, the honest are not daunted but certainly feel hurt. If they were to curse the wrong-doer, the latter has to only seek pardon from the Almighty after stopping all the denigrating effort and should resort to diluting the inadequacy of self. Very rarely this happens because such persons have come under the influence of the belief that ‘self image can be enhanced by casual utterances’. Besides, any one who has lived through inadequacy can not hope to revert to the hard ways of honest living that call for rigid practices of equipping self. Literally it is a trap carved out by one’s own incompetence faithfully derived from inadequacy. Strictly speaking, there is no way out except to “keep off” this muddle.

Keeping off:

Getting in to the muddle looks simple, for, to be amongst righteous habits a lot of parameters come into play from early childhood. The most important among these are the “discerning parents”. Unwittingly, they inculcate bad practices of uncultured utterances, casual remarks about neighbours, indulge in vulgar display of wealth and make the child believe that ‘all that is around is permanent and that [sh]he has to be like that’. In the process the child also picks up some of the family traits of denigrating other faiths of religion, spreading communal disharmony and unfounded hatred for quality efforts. Much of this can be traced to the wealth ‘inherited’ or ‘amassed by hook and crook’. Money is an agent of disturbance. It can disturb discipline by enticing deviant attitudes of ‘spending’. The commodity being in easy flow, the elders lack the perception of the need to groom the child. Instead they tend to pamper the child and offer items totally irrelevant. It leads to a wrong conditioning of the mind. Such ambience cannot infuse moralistic traits. Moral fear is the best deterrent against ‘wrong belief of winning by money’. Besides, it is the least expensive methodology of inculcating discipline. Discipline is a part of ‘development’. I imply that it has to get instilled in young age and develop as an attitude as the child grows up. It is like shaping a mud vessel before it is baked. An adult mind is a baked vessel and it cannot be shaped again. At best it can be kept neat and polished. It cannot be outright transformed. Those adults who have witnessed transformation in their lives have had enough qualities of righteousness with them that were murked by certain external manifestations of defiance. Once their conscience rakes them up, they are able to witness transformation. In many such instances the early home ambience had provided them the values of life. The individuals from such ambience may have had occasions of “flexible” life. But their elders would have certainly stuck to principles of honesty and righteousness. Without nemesis, good or bad does not accrue. All our efforts- material or otherwise aim at helping our children and their derivatives. Material left behind may not ensure the intended effect. But if we strive to help our children get equipped, certainly it will help them acquire for their life. Righteousness does not come to anyone who has no divine grace. Divine grace does not accrue to anyone who has not nurtured righteousness. These are the two sides of the same coin. Anyone who fails to take cognizance of the fact that every life has a mission, has no obvious value for life. Any mission calls for uncontaminated honesty. Honesty does not permit defiance of order, disturbing the social values and disobeying the dictates of conscience. How can anyone ignoring the laws of nature ‘succeed’? Success is not what happens today. It is an all-embracing gift of righteous life, being useful to others, carrying a blessed posterity where the whole generation lives in esteem of their heritage never under any want, with Divinity ready to lend a helping hand always. Obviously inadequacy is also a gift to a deserving posterity. Let us remember that by the law of nature, we hand down what our posterity deserves.           

 Prof. K. Raman