Harmonious human beings,   

Hope you are all thriving in your respective habitats. Here in DC a lingering pitter-patter rain is looking to accompany the marchers, chanters and drummers in the mall this afternoon (saturday, 6/5). This place must definitely be a weather forecaster's nightmare. The constant duel between the arctic front and the tropical front coupled with its coastal location produces weather of every category and makes forecasting a rather probabilistic business. Throw in an odd hurricane or tornado and it should be enough to make the weather people praying for a quick transfer to L.A. When I checked the forecast earlier in the week, even as late as thursday, we were promised three days of nice, balmy weather, in the mid 60's to 70's, with a few clouds but generally sunny, and not even a stray thunderstorm. Aah! I thought, three days of southern California weather. Though I was a bit under the weather, I was looking forward to some mild and pleasant biking and walking. But starting yesterday it has been raining almost constantly and the sun has apparently migrated to some nearby galaxy. 

  So this morning by the time I woke up my stuffy brain and cleaned up the little mountain of dirty dishes that had piled up in my sink it was almost noon. Down the drain with the soap water went my plan to do some serious tinkering with some recalcitrant number theoretic functions that I have been struggling with for the past few weeks. But then my thoughts had drifted to writing, and so here I am, my dear friends, hoping to entertain you with my thoughts about what is happening in our perennially interesting planet. As you well know, it is not pretty these days. The atmosphere is so toxic with mud and slime flying in every direction that one has a very hard time figuring out the facts from the accusations. But just like the rain, we have to learn to live with it, though unlike the rain I don't know if I'll ever enjoy thinking about the political atmosphere. But I can't hide from it, so here it is for what it is worth.

  What does cheer me up is that I am writing to you, and knowing that atleast a few of you might still be reading this and writing to me sometime in the near future with your own stories and thoughts. 

 sankar

Random thoughts (32) -- mostly political
6/5/04

1. Today is D-day, and my thoughts and prayers are with the families of the departed soldiers praying for the souls of their loved ones. Much as we might think that any war is unjustified, they fought heroically for a cause that they believed in. For most soldiers that is probably how it is, though there are a few who behave as brutes. Last saturday I was at the newly dedicated World war II memorial, and I was thinking, hopefully that was the last war in which the whole world was caught up in, with so many millions fighting and dying in every part of the planet.

2. Yet today there are the seeds for many more wars, perhaps not as cataclysmic but nevertheless devastating to the lives of millions of people and their environments. The main struggle might well be between those who have and those who don't. The people who have the power, the wealth, and the know-how, those that are more aggressive, acquisitive and cunning so much so that they are almost a separate species unto themselves, have a very difficult time seeing the world from the eyes of those who don't have or 
have chosen not to spend their lives aggressively acquiring material things. I can't think of any military struggles happening between the great powers such as the US, the European Union, Russia or China. They will somehow co-operate among themselves because they can't afford not to, both for military and economic reasons. But in their voracious and unending quest for resources, markets and cheap labour they are not ashamed to exploit ruthlessly those communities that are weaker militarily. Unless these communities learn to fight back non-violently, they will continue to be devastated in the name of fighting communism or protecting "global" 
security. Unfortunately some people in the middle east are making this process all too easy.

3. Within the US itself there is a microcosm of this phenomenon in the way the native Americans and inner city communities have been and continue to be treated. It is all too familiar to those of us who learnt the history of colonialism in India and elsewhere. The name of the game is to "give the dog a bad name and hang it."  You call someone a thief, a troublemaker, or a savage criminal. (Now you can add the term "terrorist" -- as the US Secretary of Education called unionised teachers).  You intentionally or unintentionally deprive them of dignity and a decent life, until some of them break and do the very things they are accused of.  In India the oppressed masses were lucky that someone as shrewd and wise as Mohandas Gandhi was able to show them a way out of this vicious cycle. They were able to protest non-violently against both the British rule and the feudalism and caste-based oppression of the elites in Indian society, some of whom were happy collaborators of the British. 

4. The unpleasant naked truth is that capitalism without compassion and fairness is not very far from slavery and cannibalism. Instead of eating someone's flesh, you are using their bodily labour. By making some people work too long for too little, we are effectively enslaving them and using their bodies as another mechanical tool for producing goods for ourselves. Each one of us needs to think of where all our food and clothes and shoes are coming from and how they are produced, to be atleast aware of how
interdependent the world is and how our lives are affecting those who are shedding a disproportionate amount of sweat and blood to earn their daily bread. 

5. Earlier, atleast some of the western industrialists were restrained by their Christian beliefs and traditional values that respected the inherent worth of life and work. Even now in America there are many who live by such values. Unrestrained greed and acquisition were considered sinful. Now even evangelical preachers live life of great opulence. Asked (Newsweek,5/24) how he reconciled Jesus' injunction to sell all you have and give to the poor with his present lifestyle, Tim LaHaye (co-author of a series of best-sellers dealing with Biblical revelations) says "If I sold everything and gave it to the poor, I can't see where that would advance the Gospel as much as I am doing. You know how much I pay in taxes?" Of course, there are preachers in every religion and country who live lives of luxury -- not just evangelical preachers in the US.

6. The term "conservative christian" is ironic and paradoxical, almost an oxymoron, because Jesus of Nazareth was the ultimate rebel and radical of his times. Those who claim to live by the word of the Bible and oppose abortion in all situations also must pay heed to Jesus' call to help the poor and renounce war, instead of using only parts of the Bible that are convenient. Many catholics are consistent in this regard, but they are not what are called conservative or fundamentalist in the US.

7. The word "freedom" must be perhaps the most abused word in the US today. Like the lone thanksgiving turkey who gets to go free and live during the annual Thanksgiving day "pardon," a few who have the intelligence and determination have the freedom to prosper, while the many that don't struggle hard to support their families. Meanwhile those who have the wealth use the media to drown out all speech that is undesirable to them, and fill the airwaves with entertainment meant to appeal to the basest instincts and desires of human beings, giving them the "freedom" to drink beer and watch porn. A generation of US men and women are growing up as zombies with their brains unable to concentrate on one thought for more than 30 seconds, preoccuppied with sex and violence and meaningless entertainment, dependent on alcohol, drugs, video games and TV. Emotionally stunted and hormonally hyperactive, they live in a state of eternal adolescence. Just as some of us have brains susceptible to alcohol addiction and ought to completely abstain, while others are capable of drinking in moderation and live normal lives, there are some who are incapable of discrimination and moderation when it comes to using other kinds of entertainment and stimulation. These men and women need parents and friends who are alert and give guidance. Unfortunately many grow up with parents and friends who themselves are incapable of discrimination and moderation. 

8. If you want clear evidence of how today's men and women are qualitatively different, all you have to do is watch some old movies on AMC or TCM and compare the emotional maturity and sheer weight of personality of the actors of yesteryear with those of today. Part of it has to do also with the more intellectual and comfortable nature of life today, with less to test the mind and body and less responsiblity. Watching football on TV is simply not the equivalent of hard labour or even playing football. Just as our muscles need exercise, our mind and will need tests of endurance and responsibility to stay strong and powerful. Also the more intellectual we become, the more we lose touch with the emotional and instinctual parts of our being. Educated Indian males especially are in need of some kind of emotional and physical training and strengthening -- too many of us stay boyish and never
grow as men. We also have much to learn from men of other cultures, as much as we might think we have much to teach.

9. Increasing inequality in the US is slowly creating a more rigid class of aristocrats and intellectual elites, and the difference in wealth and intelligence and knowledge of this small percentage of people from the rest of the US only grows. The degradation of the public school system and the increasing cost of higher education only reinforces this difference, making it more and more difficult for the average American to move his way up in society through education. There is a book out by David Shipler called
"Invisible in America: The working poor" that examines the struggle of many average Americans to live a decent life. He basically spent some time with each of the people whose lives are described in the book -- and these are not homeless or trailer-park people, but more like you and me, just notmaking enough money to get by.

10. It probably does not take a complicated mind or a sophisticated intellect to solve the world's problems. A few simple men and women with a few good ideas but lots of determination, effort, common-sense and understanding have contributed more towards the progress of humanity than all the intellectuals and philosophers, whose main function seemingly is to criticize and analyze the actions of those simple men and women. Of course, sometimes these men of action get their ideas from the intellectuals, but maybe not as often as we might think. Many books are merely intellectual exercises.

11. The history and the evolution of human beings is the history of primitive instincts and desires being moderated by rational thought and spiritual development. Man needs to develop intellectually and emotionally. Yet our instincts and feelings and desires are essential parts of what makes us human and what gives us the energy and the capacity to accomplish things in life. The economy needs fairness, regulation and structure, but it thrives on human desire and competitiveness. Science is built on logic and
systematic analysis, but it moves forward through the imagination of creative and curious people. Romantic love needs understanding but it also needs passion.

12. But many of our instincts and desires also lead to conflict and destruction. The most basic instinct is that of our self-preservation. Most of today's conflicts arise out of the struggle by various groups to preserve their own way of life or their own ideas of what is good and what is not. Even if that idea appears to us as very moral and sublime and beneficiary to all human beings, the moment we try to impose it on others we are acting out of the instinct of self-preservation rather than altruism. If an idea is truly all of that, it will naturally take hold much as seeds scattered in the wind sprout in fertile soil. There is no need for us to propagate or impose them, we only need to put them in practice in our own lives. Today there is a conflict between the idea that we can let industrial development and human population grow without restriction and that natural selection and human ingenuity will make space for both, and the idea that both of those things need to be regulated in order for it to be sustainable and in order to preserve the environment. There is a conflict between those who want to enjoy material comforts and those who want a more spiritual life that is in harmony with nature. There is a conflict between those who want to preserve traditional ways of living and the moral and  ethical rules that go with them and those would like to adapt them to our contemporary knowledge and understanding. I think these differing interests can learn to co-operate with each other, and that it may be even necessary that all these differing interests co-exist and balance each other for the well-being of all. But it will take a lot of understanding and compassionate communication, as opposed to all the name-calling and divisive propaganda that is going on today in the world.

13. I was at the friday night service in the Arlington Unitarian church this past friday, and Chris gave a great presentation titled "What is a good revolution?" His main concern was that many revolutions end up being violent even when started by great people with very good intentions. Again, the main problem is when people are too anxious for the preservation and success of
their own ideas and points of view. Revolutions, if at all they are necessary, need a non-confrontational, friendship and understanding based approach where people make an effort to understand others' needs and viewpoints and simply focus on improving things step by step, starting with their own minds.

14. Both the liberal and conservative factions in the US are guilty of destructive and counter-productive propaganda. People need to let go of the fear of losing ground and the need to defend their points of view and basically too much emphasis on preservation of their own ideas and try to focus on what is true and what is good for all. Sometimes it is quite clear that one side is distorting. For instance it is now quite clear many of the Bush administration policies are tilted towards the energy and the defense industries, and that many of the reasons originally given for the war in Iraq were not as substantial as they were made out to be. But it is an extremely serious charge to make that George Bush went to war in order to help the oil and defense industries. Even if we are convinced that it is true after analyzing all the facts, it does not help in anyway to make such charges. Not only are you calling him a liar but you are also saying that he does not have the slightest bit of human decency or capability to consider the fates of all the young men and women who are losing life and limb and causing unimaginable sorrow to their families. Once you make such accusations, you lose any sort of possibility of dialogue or understanding. The end does not justify the means, and in this case it is also quite clear that these kind of personal and highly negative attacks will not even help people to win the argument, let alone the election. It is also pointless to react to the vicious attacks and shamelessly misleading statements being made by the Republican campaigners and their cheerleaders in the media.

15. What is the best way to promote preservation of the environment? I am not sure it will help if people separate themselves into self-sustaining co-operative communities distinct from the mainstream and retreat to the smaller and smaller pockets of pristine forest and grassland that remain. Eventually the mainstream is going to over-run and destroy everything. At the same time it is hypocritical to live in the city, enjoying all the amenities of modern life that result from industrialisation and mass production while bemoaning the destruction of the natural environment. The only way out that I can think of is to live as spartan a life as possible and engage in as much compasionate communication and interaction as possible with those who like to live a comfortable life somewhat oblivious or in denial of the suffering of the less fortunate and the effects on the environment. 

16. I hope there will be not one but thousands of Gandhis who will help the poor and oppressed of the developing world to fight today against exploitation and make the industrialists listen and accomodate the concerns and needs of the working millions. I also hope that, out of the global middle class, there will emerge millions of enterpreneurs who will help these people to find a way to use their skills and labour to live a decent life. Ultimately, capitalism and industry and technology are all just tools, and I hope that these enterpreneurs will use these tools to free millions of people from slavery to mass production and also integrate development with harmonious co-existence with nature.

17. Whoa! that was a lot. Are you still reading? I didn't really set out to write so much but it just kept going and going. But I am glad to get all of that out of my system and would love to hear your thoughts and opinions. Let me conclude with a lighter moment. Last night, after vanquishing the mighty Lakers, talking to an ESPN anchor was the quirky and lovable ruffian Ben Wallace, sporting a corn-row instead of his trademark tall Afro. Asked if his corn-row reduced the aerodynamical drag, he remarked with only the slightest hint of a silly smile, "When I am running with the Afro and the air is going through my hair I feel a little lighter, you know, the air lifts me up and helps me to jump higher."