ELEGANTLY CONFUSING

 

       SOME   ADVERTISEMENTS

        These are days of wooing the customer or converting a buyer in to a customer by high pressure advertisements.  These keep on coming your way. Except the totally private domains of the house, the advertisements are omnipresent. If you cultivate the attitude of “celibacy” to them, agencies have a technique of hooking you. Standing at vantage points, they serve hand bills lavishly printed on quality paper. People display courtesy to these distributors, receiving the pamphlet with all humility and reverence. After glancing it, they discard it on the way or hand it over to someone else. These bills carry messages that project the product as an embodiment of virtues / technology. Often they tempt the gullible middle class by offering advantages / terms far “out of reach” otherwise. Several hidden spikes may show up after one gets deeply committed to the deal. Even high profile banks resort to these strategies. People at large have come to believe that for selecting a product or offer, the advertisement is helpful. At best, these give us an idea of the range of competing brands. These pieces of publicity occupy all forms of media including the TV channels. They hold the time and most children enjoy them more than anything else. The stranglehold they have over everything has created an atmosphere of casual attitudes. The expressions used to convey the idea are not precise and sometimes even slang appears. Some may dismiss it as a lighter vein effort to catch attention. But, my fear is, slowly these usages may creep into items of seriousness like letters and examination papers.

        The items in print are taken as acceptable / authentic and people take to casual expressions even for formal contexts. Therefore, I express concern for such thing

                                                              

       Why this concern:   I have come across situations where the expression and the          intention do not go together. I shall quote some of them as mere examples without any motive of denigrating the sources or their advertising agencies. 

A reputed 2-wheeler manufacturer had put up a hoarding in praise of their product

‘What a way to be carried away’. Was it a passive indication of truth? I do not know.

Another firm offering Computer education had put up a banner which read as under.

No man is an island. So we build a bridge. I am unable to comprehend the sense behind.

Several advertisements rendered in Tamil are bad both in construction and phraseology. One such item suggests “ KANNA  MOODITTU VANGALAM” கண்ணை மூடிட்டு வாங்கலாம் whose actual translation is You can buy after your eyes are closed [after your death]. Are they marketing coffins? The better form would be “KANNA MOODIKKITTU VANGALAM” கண்ணை மூடிக்கிட்டு வாங்கலாம் as it conveys reposing faith in the honesty of the firm which is perhaps what they intend.   Another washing powder brand suggests “Chlorine bleachai kondirukkavillai” க்ளோரின் ப்ளீச்சை க்கொண்டிருக்கவில்லை meaning - it did not have chlorine bleach. A better version would be ‘Idhil chlorine bleach illai’ இதில் க்ளோரின் ப்ளீச் இல்லை indicating that there is no chlorine. Another new arrival claims “Karaiyai vittu vaippadhillai” கறையை விட்டு வைப்பதில்லை. The honest meaning is, it removes stains. The product is not a washing or a cleaning agent. It is a pain balm.  A better way is “ Karai Padivadhillai” கறை படிவதில்லை meaning that the product does not cause stains on clothes. Another Cosmetic item suggests that it is ideal for men. In haste they have phrased “Thadiththa Aangalin Sarumathirku  Ugandhadhu” தடித்த ஆண்களின் சருமத்திற்கு உகந்தது which literally means ‘Ideal for the skin of heavy men’. Better form is “Aangalin thadiththa sarumarthirku ugandhadhu” ஆண்களின் தடித்த சருமத்திற்கு உகந்தது suggesting ‘Ideal for the rough skin of men’. These suggest hasty phrasing.

        Greater damage is done by mixing different languages. One example: KIT KAT Thinnudu. கிட் கேட் தின்னுடு . HAY PPY Aayidu ஹேப்பி ஆயிடு. On first sight, I thought one would change into “HAY PPY” from the human form.  Later I learnt that the English term happy has been rendered in Tamil. In the process, such writings inflict damage through wrong phonetics. Certain phonetic forms can not be faithfully scribed in Indian languages.      It may result in an undesirable effect. 

 The young who are in the process of learning, cultivate bad phonetics since they readily absorb what they see first.  Therefore, such terms are better translated to the lingua franca or scribed in the original language. Some other expressions are ‘DHAMAKA’ and ‘HUNGAMA’. It is better that such words are used in the form common for that language, instead of importing words from other regions without making the idea clear.  Better they  are translated right, instead of transliteration. The impact of such practices of planting alien words is rather serious, as people fail to learn appropriate forms of usage in any language including their own. Any activity that ruins the scope of learning must be desisted in the larger interests of apt learning. The word Queue is often written as ‘Q’, more for sheer convenience.  But the chance for passive learning is lost. Another instance is that of spelling the word Superintendent.  Often, ‘Supdt’ is employed. The effect is a denial of chance for imparting the right approach. Starting somewhere, I have digressed into this area. But it is vital to reiterate that passive learning has to be encouraged and provided for. It is a better way of picking up usages in any language. Advertisements appropriately framed can also help people to learn.

          Prof. K.Raman                                                           

 

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                                                                           

 

 

 

 

CRISIS-II

 

             CRISIS –II

             In avoiding the scope for crisis some traits or elements are important.

           The elements-essential, but destroyed:    

          As a person grows, a few things should get into the personality of the individual. These include a sense of confidence, the tendency to strive and attain a good ability to communicate and a basic capacity for logical approach to ‘life situations’. These cannot be infused in to children who are pampered; instead they develop a tendency of looking down upon others as individuals who can “ill-afford”. This steadily establishes a mind for comparison on a “materialistic plane”. Once any human mind falls to this trap of assumed superiority, the individual tries to establish his or her supremacy among equals. An imminent outcome from this style of living is forming a group. Invariably, the group leader is the one who is materially affluent. This makes deep inroads in to all the essential characteristics of confidence-building, efforts to attain and strive for logical deductions because the young mind comes under the stranglehold of sycophancy. Apart from the individual getting ruined, many others of the group lose sight of the need for equipping themselves. They apparently feel secure or comfortable in the ‘providing’ company of the pampered leader. Students at the levels of 8^th standard onwards, succumb to such situations. At that age, friendship has to be absolutely free from material considerations of running after the rich who may throw a few chocolates and try to command the not-so –affluent. To keep off temptations, calls for a maturity of sorts. But, a general cautioning at around the age of 7 or 8 while providing the basic facilities for learning, helps the child to analyze.

           Also, if the children are confident of attaining by effort, they will generally escape from traits of sycophancy. The role of parents is quite important at these stages. Money-hunting parents cannot obviously, be aware of the impending dangers to their children, for, they believe that they can ‘control’ everything by money. The first thing they lose control of, is their children as the latter feel that they are in a resourceful ambience and their job is to utilize the resources. That is why, I insist on effort of attaining anything. Children not brought up on right modes of ‘learn, strive, exert and achieve’ cannot be expected to “develop”. At best they may grow biologically.

            Any individual has to develop while still growing. Does our ambience favour it? Many may not agree with me on the plea that children need being taken care of. Yes, to a certain level until they are able to differentiate ‘our own’ and ‘not our own’. Thereafter, the ability to distinguish safe and unsafe courses steadily develops in the mind. From then on, obvious support must be slowly withdrawn, making the child understand that support can be sought only by making the right effort. For every effort the parent has to acknowledge by verbal appreciation. It is the right tonic that builds confidence. Confidence derived from effort helps to strive for more. With such efforts in everyday learning, the child grasps the nuances of learning. Mere completion of home work is not learning. It is but one step towards patient approach to learning. In these efforts, parents must spare time with the child in providing a moral support and get an opportunity to understand the difficulties of the child. These simple parental participatory efforts can ward off the scope for digression and the possibility of ‘mechanical’ home work that hampers the delight in learning. Children unattended to, lose inclination to learn, as they do not readily understand anything, unless properly narrated. This is the critical stage of foundation. Well founded early stages prove an asset in higher stages, since building on foundation is better than clinging on to scaffolding.

           Effort and reward:

           At the outset, let me make it clear that, reward that we conceive essential for human lives may not come forth as an immediate effect. But, certainly it will come not in a form conceived by us, but at a time and stage with such a telling effect that one can recognize the hand of Divinity therein. What I try to suggest is, any genuine effort of labour has to detach itself from immediate materialistic consideration. Study, character building, attitudes of righteousness are never meant to promote material wealth. Together they define the stature of a ‘perfect citizen’. Perfect citizens are those who can upkeep values even on the face of adversity. They will not be swayed by material considerations. To develop skills and stay balanced all through is the richest asset that any blessed soul can aspire for. What the rest of the society deems essential in the form of money power and positions of authority without being genuinely equipped are mere symptoms of the ‘fall –to-be’. These “efforts” of material ascension do not mean any safety in the sense that the very members of the family would indulge in dog fight over who should take possession of what, even as the man is languishing in bed for want of timely attention. Is it not a crisis to possess so much wealth that cannot buy your health? There is a clear bargain over the returns for every ‘service’ rendered by even children and grandchildren. Why all this? Over the years we focus on materialistic efforts and when it boomerangs all Gods delightfully watch your plight: not because Gods are sadistic but they keep “our life” under public gaze for others to take the cue from. But we are a clever lot taking the wrong cue of how to “out- perform” the richest man of our times. This is the thin line of demarcation between the clever and the intelligent. The latter chooses to be self-reliant by acquiring the essential attributes, leaving it to nature to take care of sustaining balance all through. The intelligent know the gap between eternal safety and the ephemeral tinsel.

           Crisis in our work ambience :  

         Bad upbringing has a long-lasting effect and the effect integrates into the very attitudes of the person. A significant impact to the personality is an attitude of hoodwinking. Such persons make use of every occasion to drive a wedge of disharmony among people so that an element of suspicion fills the air. This polluted atmosphere comes in handy to for them keep everyone guessing. Why should a person resort to this strategy? The person recognizes that “I cannot match the requirements of the situation”. If a peaceful atmosphere prevails “I would soon be spotted as incompetent. Let me keep the atmosphere tense so that analysis is kept at bay”. As the next step, the inadequate person indulges in mudslinging and character assassination of more competent persons. This is crisis- self inflicted by the incompetent, instead of improving upon one’s own ability, downsizing the value of others is resorted to.

           To continue                                  Prof. K. Raman

 

CRISIS

CRISIS

 

Everything appears shrouded in mystery if we try to look at what is happening. Is it that we have no solution or salvation? What causes this fear in me is not too clear to me since most things do not appear to be in any order, leaving much to be desired. At times I come under the feeling that, persons of my mental make-up cannot hope to ‘catch’ with the present trends where the priority appears to be for convenience and an attitude that, end can justify the means. It is not as if the society is full of errant ones. But, it looks that, erroneous concepts, diluted values and an uncalled for urgency in life are dominant. What could be the reason? Honestly I have no clues. But, I am able to observe a ‘shift’ in values. I am aware that values are what a person cherishes and that they cannot be imposed on any one. But, there can be no two opinions on the ‘value’ of what is good and what is not. So long as an item of value is widely applicable to the society at large, it enjoys the value of a value.  Considered from this plane, items that condition our general attitudes of safety, controlled pace of systematic approach to ascension, acquiring the right qualities through education, nurturing our traditions have been mostly relegated to insignificance. People go by what popular notions portray, instead of judging the validity of notions. In all acts of daily life there is a ‘jump in to the bandwagon’ approach. On an occasion, I suggested that ‘conditioned thinking’ is a malady. The very process of conditioned thinking arises from the attitude of accepting notions. It is not my contention that all popular views are bad. My suggestion of ‘conditioned thinking’ as a bad trait is more applicable to sudden patronage to products or proposals leading to wealth acquisition through financial deals and strategies of share market deals. My viewpoint at this juncture may appear odd, since the planes from which one reads the ‘value system’ is bound to murk the clarity of issues even to the point of accepting an issue as issue. There is so much of subjectivity in the approach that the risk of the very ‘value system’ looking irrelevant cannot be ruled out. This prospect can not deter our efforts of identifying the problems and the probable solutions thereof. Talking of crisis, it should be pointed out that, several elements need being considered and the reader is requested to consider the merits of the opinion as an effort to identify the lacunae in our general disposition to ways of living. Indeed it would be a tough task of ‘considering’ relevant issues while sustaining the merits of the ‘Value system’.

Hopefully, Divine grace blesses my effort of bringing together complex issues, without fatiguing the recipient.    

What constitutes a crisis?

Often crisis arises from inadequacy of our efforts at any stage. It may be from any event or a step that fails to help us to achieve the intended target by legally valid means leading us towards crisis. One can bring in a variety of items from our daily life to narrate the instances of crises. At the same time, I deem it less important to merely list the items. It would be more sensible to locate the reasons for such happenings. The entire exercise of analysis is complex in the sense that, there is a gap between the target, the effort and our equipping selves for ‘that’ attainment. In a way we are indirectly involved in the onset of a crisis of the type I am trying to portray. Effort and effect always faithfully follow like light and shadow respectively. Any shadow is as intense as the light casting it. The effort has to match the requirements of any desire, lest we should face a crisis. We do not bestow right attention on to ‘achieve’ what we desire, but, we nurture desire, irrespective of our abilities of ‘living up to’ requirements.

Zones of crises:

Literally every item of significance in our life can turn out to be a potential situation for a crisis. As hinted earlier, desire without the adequate skill or effort is the root cause for a failure. Failure generally fails to evoke logical introspection. It rather promotes a feeling of being ‘let down’ by others. Very rarely, ‘others’ can modify the course of events to bring about a shift in our fortunes. This attitude of looking for convenient excuses starts from early childhood. Pampering the child for trivial things must stop at around the age of 6 for a child. It is but natural that a child looks for ‘care, comfort and protection’ from parents. All parents desire all that is good for the child. In their eagerness to keep the child happy, they lose sight of the most fundamental requirement – the ability. That is why I suggest that pampering should stop around 6 years of age, to make the child recognize the need to acquire competence. Pampering spoils the mind leading to the belief that ‘support’ from home front can ‘work to our advantage’. At best this can help in ‘buying’ things like dress, eatables and small facilities like cycle or scooter. Extending this logic to higher levels, children and parents try to buy seats in profession study.

The student fails to recognize the need for ‘effort’ from self, because all through, his or her life has been built on some scaffolding and not on a foundation. Such lives are bound to crumble at the slightest jerk. Parents do have the moral responsibility of upbringing the child. Upbringing is a process where all steps must be attended to with the idea that future is being shaped for the child. Future does not stop with profession education. Instead of professionalizing the approaches to learning from school level, people set their eyes on professional courses. I began saying that crisis begins when efforts do not match the requirements for a target. That is evident from the way these boys and girls struggle to clear examinations at higher levels. Pampering is actually tampering the character and the mindset necessary for genuine achievement. The Darwinian principles of ‘struggle for existence and ‘survival of the fittest’ are guidelines fit to keep in mind always.       

To continue                                Prof. K. Raman

CULTURE - III

 

CULTURE - III

From a stage of contempt to borrowing, the society has come to a stage of drowning in miseries of dues self-inflicted. People fall prey to improbable promises of doubling the money in quick time / high rates of interest. A stage comes when retrieving the money invested assumes a higher priority than of the promised return.  A desire to quick money obstructs the vision even for the obvious. Equanimity at all stages of life is an instrument of safety.  To be a balanced person, right and wrong must be clearly identified without succumbing to temptations. Absolute faith on righteousness is the requirement to overcome temptations. Such moralistic advisory tunings are replete in our scriptures. None has the time for scriptures. The joint family arrangement had the innate design of fostering moral values through bed time stories by grandma. Sadly our weakened family system has deprived our children of acquiring the right attitudes and caution. What a great service it was by inculcating simple moral codes of life. Any civilized living needs sticking to code of conduct in acquisition, up-keep and in passing on the wealth to posterity. These include habits in personal life, public conduct and altruism as vital components. These are products of the mind. The mind is the source of strength and therefore weakness too. Respect for good and fear of bad are the disciplining forces that regulate our life style. It is the moral fear that keeps all our acts in check. Though in the long run one may not achieve visible prosperity, certainly moral fear helps us to keep off

such prospects of peril-associated prosperity. Property is not prosperity.

Acquisition of property to one’s requirement is understandable, but not the attitude of acquiring an empire. Prosperity is living a healthy life and seeing our children lead responsible life. Again life is a product of one’s own preferences either for contented peace and composure or for searching the limitless target of material wealth. For both, the extremes one has to be systematic in approach facing the consequences right through. Cultivating healthy ideas from a moral plane can help us to minimize tensions. Health and peace are products of habit and mind. Several issues in life are associated with the mind.

Our culture teaches us to be simple and purposeful to self and society by regulating the mind. Nurturing these tenets and infusing the idea to the children may help them in later life in avoiding tensions   Avaricious plans and extravaganza in daily life can destroy peace and health.  Learning to live within means is the highest form of culture bestowed and blessed by Divinity. What better can one aspire for?

                                                                                          Prof. K. Raman

 

CULTURE - II

 

CULTURE - II

People have to be more discrete in borrowing, so that the burden of repayment is both limited and justifiable. Another contributory factor to this culture is ‘looking for new products in the market’ and acquiring that to be the ‘first possessor’. Often these products lie idle after a couple of early uses. The tendency of glossy presentation has cut into the individual’s economy. There is no answer / clues to arrest the trend. It is for the individuals to weigh the prospects of plus and minus in deciding either way.

Quite inexplicably people succumb to notions of social beliefs. Many do not seem to consider the larger inconveniences that may not readily meet the eye. There is a cultural drift towards extravaganza. The trend appears widespread in all the strata of the society. One of the reasons that have devoured our tendencies of frugality is the nuclear family culture. We have lost faith in the joint family system. In the earlier dispensation, elders were a part of the household. They would influence the decision-making and not permit serious deviations from standard practices of the family. They would constantly review the financial situation. It was considered a sin to mobilize resources by borrowing. Now the scenario has changed beyond the limits of control. All forms of borrowing are indulged in.   Lending agencies vie with one another to hoodwink customers with tempting offers like [0% interest]. It is actually a message that once is the deal is clinched the firm’s attitude to the customer would be 0%. All hidden rules and unexpected interpretations of the clauses would come about if we were to seek any further help like enhancing the quantum or on premature closure of account by settling the dues in a single installment.  Even, well organized financial institutions resort to third degree methods of recovering dues from us. Another diabolic item is the credit card. Some firms thrust it on us voluntarily. Substantial care and caution are essential to possess and operate this instrument, lest the user should stand discredited.         To continue   Prof.  K. Raman

 

 

CULTURE

 CULTURE

    The term culture is more frequently used than the observance of culture itself.  I do not intend criticizing any one for this. But a range of things comes to my mind on this issue. Probably people are ready to accept oft-repeated claims on culture as real, than verifying the veracity of those. These include so many items – food habits, dress, language, religion, entertaining the guests, running the institutions of social value, defending / supporting the hapless and so on. I have not gone into the dictionary looking for the connotations that go with the term. I have chosen to look at the issue from what we see around us. As is always my plea, I do not expect others to tow my line of thought. All  opinions are as much sacred.  The attitude to culture begins with what one considers supreme or valuable. I believe it is a manifestation of our priorities in a given situation that exhibits the culture. On occasions we hear that, a public transport bus crew or a driver of an autorickshaw restoring valuables to a passenger after enormous effort, though they could have comfortably taken possession of the article. While total strangers stick to honesty, some of our acquaintances choose to cheat us to varying degrees. Yet, it is preposterous to conclude that the person is a cheat. At best [s]he was a cheat on an occasion. Some are cheats by character and they are known so, leaving us the option to get cheated. It is in this environment that people boast of their culture / tradition. In simple terms, culture is not what we claim but what we do when not being seen. There are several dimensions that confer stature on to any one for being reckoned as ‘a cultured person’. People have the ability to pick out the right signals which reflect the culture, though not personally abiding by them. Like many other virtues, in practice culture is more a prescription for others. People seem to practice this selfish trend uninhibited.

     There seem to be bad cultures too. Invariably, some mental battle occurs between self interest and attitudes of altruism. When self interest is suppressed in favour of common interest, it is an expression of decency – a part of culture. As noted earlier, our priorities on an occasion determine the degree of decency.

      Some of the reasons for people resorting to self interest considerations are partly from pressure “to acquire”, partly from a wrong judgment of social esteem that can accrue from a possession and an attitude of irrelevant comparison of self with others.  Obviously, comparisons / considerations are materialistic. It is a sad reading that our times witness such happenings which do not signify contented life. Times of our forefathers remind us of how peace and tranquility pervaded the society. They stuck to simplicity in attire and frugality in life, containing the wants to the limits of means. It was our culture to shrink expenditure to absolute necessity. Slowly we slipped off to new ways of life punctuated by styles of living almost beyond means. This culture has come about from a desire to “look above average”. People take more delight in being ‘rated as affluent’ than being really so. It is another sign of change in our culture.   In my perception, people are tempted to adopt lifestyles, because financial support comes. But, these supports are not explicit in terms of all conditions of repayment.   Unfortunately priorities seem to be in favour of ‘doing now’ than knowing what to do.  Some financing  agencies  charge you penal interest if you choose to  advance settlement of the entire dues. The obvious intention is to sap out rather than honourably allow the borrower to settle all dues before the tenure of contract. Accomplishing projects like possessing a house or meeting unexpected exigencies like serious medical problems do require timely   financial assistance.

     To continue                               Prof. K. Raman