43 not out!!! Unique solutions, mundane problems.

I’m 43 today even by the Indian calendar.

When I was 18, I wanted to understand the world. I have read thousands of books and interacted with thousands of people and lived about 15480 days. I may live another 15000 days. I have earned and spent millions of rupees and saved some part of that. I am happy about this.

No day of my life was like any other. My life is unique by many standards. Not because I faced unique problems, but because I came up with unique solutions and then to solutions that those problems brought up.

My mind is unique because it has gathered, processed and synthesised knowledge from many fields. I am good at analysis, abstraction and design. My predictions are accurate.

I have a model of the world and of society.

• I have a low opinion of many human beings in general. Humans use their cortex (higher intelligence) to serve their reptilian impulses (lower needs). But their speech is full of lies and hypocrisy. Their actions serve their greed and their insecurities. Humans are nothing to write home about.
• I have a very high opinion of individual humans. The thinkers, the creators, the humanitarians, the ecologists, … . Individual humans have achieved pinnacles of understanding, service, reform, love and creativity. the individuals who I worship have always been given a bad time by society. Either for a part of their lives, or, for all of their lives and may be even after it. Their work has served the interests of the selfish and the foolish.

In human society, power wins. Power is with the wealthy, the politicians and those in positions of importance and control. People rarely use their power for the good of the ecosystem, of the living or even of other humans.

My father and his father saw the power of self-denial, truth and non-violence. I have seen the rise of terrorism, the power of fundamentalism, corruption and co-ercion by those who can. I have seen disregard for others: whether in endangering others to get a minute ahead on the road or destroying their livelihoods to get ahead in their careers.

I have seen the rise of TV serials which talk of evil family members out to get each other replace the ‘moral’ and ‘idealistic’ stories of a previous decades.

Power and money as a means to achieve it are the value system of commonest of individuals.

I have tried to survive by creating oases. An oasis of unpolluted air in my car. An oasis of divine thoughts in my mind. An oasis of human values in my home.

When I try to extend my influence beyond myself, I get into trouble with the society. I sometimes land up with less than before. Students do not want to learn, nor teachers to teach, employers want to exploit employees and vice versa. Neither the corporate, nor the government feel any social responsibility beyond what they can be co-erced into.

And to co-erce the powerful you need even more power. Gandhi found it in self-denial and non-co-operation and Chanakya in strategy.

What is my source of power? With what shall I bring order and reform into the world? How will we keep a clean environment, a healthy eco-system, organised traffic, a fair and people focussed administration, social harmony and peace… and all the rest… Because that is what I want for my birthday and for ever after. So, God, if you are listening… please…

Saturday September 30, 2006 – 10:33pm (PST)