A two-pronged testimony
that life is for human beings, it carries with it an everlasting message of
eternal consequence for man vis-à-vis Almighty. A one-time acid test in the
form of life could either turn out to be a boon to man or it could as well deal
a severe blow to man’s beclouded and tempestuous existence in this life and the
life to be. But human beings may view life in three different perspectives
namely, as a divine grace to have become the elite of God’s creation, as a
means to cherish human life and its related happiness and last but not the
least, as a bargain in return for a heavenly bliss in the life to be.
Human beings are
conceived, given birth, reared, educated, married and then settled in a
lucrative career or business as the case may be. They lead cozy lives with
families and acquaintances but with the advancement in age they retire to a
calm and sedate life till death does them apart. Prior to leaving the world,
they would have ensured that their children be established in positions similar
or a couple of levels up the ladder of fame and achievements. The process of
survival continues in this fashion till posterity.
Death is an inevitable
end and all creation must submit to this finale. Death renders man wretched and
at the mercy of the supreme and infinite fountainhead of eternity and divinity,
where he would have no one to plead for on his behalf. All glory, fame and
achievements relished by man during the course of life shrink to an ambiguous
past. Man might have during his life brushed past a life cycle having scores of
other human beings attending to his needs at his beck and call. However, in the court of divine majesty his
voice and only strength would be his past life, over which he would have by such
time lost access too.
Indeed, life formation is
vital for man because it acts as the decisive factor for the aftermath. None of the vane aspirations which man
encounters in this life can spruce up his skeleton that goes up the pyre, to make
even a iota of sense in the eye of the creator.
All the vain successes that man aims to achieve will be reduced to
nothing without proper formation of life in letter and spirit. As a matter of
fact, all of man’s formative years, right from childhood till old age, might
have been grudgingly molded to achieve mean possession of wealth, marital bliss
and material happiness. Unfortunately,
these do not count in the sight of the Almighty. Formation of life demands a
high level of morale, dignified standards, attitude and an impeccable
character. A ‘Leaf-1’ in this direction comes to you under a new supplement to
“Ethics, Manners & Etiquette”.
Creation of an endless
universe with a blue planet oddly suspended from nowhere in the zenith, flanked
by scores of heavenly bodies in the form of stars, planets, moons, satellites
etc. made no impact on the young minds, when as students they were told that the
earth is slightly slanting with its north pole inclined towards the south. What did it matter if the earth had an axis
imaginary enough for the scientists to claim a discovery?
Apparently, such hard to
digest truths and cumbersome facts would not so much as even amuse a world of
nonchalant young minds for whom frolicking and experimenting with individual
aptitudes make better sense in a world of carefree adolescence. Moreover, it is
a universally acknowledged fact that no amount of cajolery or enticement can
kindle curiosity, arouse enthusiasm or light up the capricious minds of
youngsters whose only passion, among others, would hinge on a sumptuous treat
with dainties and delicacies to sweeten their tongues!
But with a no holds
barred nuclear world positioning itself threateningly to drag humanity in to
extinction, what is a kindergarten stuff like ‘Ethics, Manners & Etiquette’ aiming to crack? Obviously the old nuts! That the much
published and parleyed about spherical globe is falling flat on standards and
principles! This could pose a dilemma if not a cause for alarm, since the
safety of the universe, humanity and life in general would reflect handsomely
on one’s ability to handle people, society and the world with élan. Moreover,
the pronounced manner in which the world is gradually discarding norms of
decency and discipline goes to suggest that there is need to intensify efforts
to sharpen one’s attitude within the framework of “Ethics, Manners &
Etiquette”. Incidentally, these golden
traits which go to piece out a life of righteousness are either becoming
defunct or extinct altogether.
Looking at the present
scenario and the way things stand as of now, do we draw an inference to
ascertain as to where the equations went wrong, how the permutations took a
leap forward? What instigated a handful of misguided elements backed by stray
nations to take the centre stage in getting the battle lines drawn, in an
affront to all norms of propriety and decency? And what went through the minds
of these diehard murderers of modern day world to resort to annihilation
of innocent human beings despite stiff resistance from the rest of the
world?
The message is loud and
clear that when it comes to life and death, the world is ominously divided.
Sadly so because the long vigil observed by human beings for bringing about a
lull in the wake of two successive world wars only met with frustrating and
defiant backlash by religious fanatics in the form of ‘extremism’ under a newly
invented call for ‘jihad’. All attempts
by man to buy peace and bring about a period of serenity and tranquility were
nipped in the bud by a bunch of wayward elements in connivance with few stray
nations who engineered the call to make religion an irrefutable hood, jihad a
plank and martyrdom an excuse to wipe humanity off the globe.
In effect, the long drawn
out era of turmoil by way of conquests and aggressions, years of uprisings,
bloodshed, battles, wars and persecutions all of which badly mauled a
delicately knit web of human achievements only provided an impetus to an
altogether new radical obscurantism which pervaded a hitherto beleaguered
world. There was therefore, nowhere an occasion for man to even subtly cherish
a semblance of respite from an overwhelmingly shocking disillusionment by a
cross section of the populace. These and a string of related developments
widened the gap between nations and people, bringing in to focus the great
chasm of a divide which could, in all likelihood, culminate in a showdown by
the two opponents namely ‘the righteous nations’ on the one hand and the
‘extremists’ on the other.
The entire globe is in
the grip of a menace which ought not, under any circumstance, be taken lightly.
Man has the potential, the will and the divine backing to surmount all manmade
problems. Overcome he must and that too
intelligently and gracefully!
Sounding the alarm is no
viable a solution! The world must counter the existing trend. In order to
achieve this, man needs to set a process in motion. There is no dearth of
options with the Almighty, but man as the ultimate beneficiary of life, needs
to, of his own, evolve a way out of the mess. A moment of contemplation would
do even the devil a plethora of good. Unfortunately
the devil’s attempt to do good unto himself gets thwarted by the evil within
him, hence his prod at man.
Should the world plunge
headlong in to a conflict that can have serious repercussions for world and
humanity to the extent of risking its very existence? Or should the intelligent beings maneuver a
diplomatic solution to bring the naïve elements around to a common standpoint
through reason and logic?
The imaginary axis on
which the security of the world and the human beings rests has a slant that
never was upright enough to face the creator who authored the balance of
creation. The crux of the problem is not feminism or sexuality, not profanity
either and definitely not religion. For the moment the security edge veers
round to a critical area of deficiency namely attitude.
Man’s slant tends to be
imaginary and attitude flexible when it comes to gaining an edge over others,
for a gain or a profit. In order to
snatch a favour he would even crawl on all fours. But for claiming an undue favour
he asserts his unknown self to project himself heads above others. In such instances, he acknowledges no age,
capability, intelligence or even worship and spirituality. This tantamount to outdoing one’s ignorance
or bargaining for what world cannot give. The present day world is thus facing
a gigantic dilemma where the axis has suddenly disappeared for good. It is here that the focus of the world has
been concentrated to all of a sudden!
“Ethics, Manners &
Etiquette” starts with “Silence, simplicity and steadfastness of resolve”. It
must be borne in mind that Silence is Eternity – Creation is Time - and – Man
with a soul the image. When all three merge in to one, they form the Eternal
& Supreme Being God.
Life is an experience, a
very precious one too. And this experience becomes a fountain of knowledge for
human beings. The knowledge so acquired
becomes the essence of a person’s worth.
But once this life ebbs out of a person, he loses his worth and the
knowledge with it. If a person does
desire to attach any importance or worth to his life, he must put his knowledge
to right use within the span of his lifetime.
In order to do this or to achieve one’s worth man needs to adopt certain
norms in his day to day life. If neglected, he would run the risk of
endangering first his own self, the society and the world. Consequently, life
might as well become a war of attrition and man a torn wreck, human or
otherwise.
As time progressed, the
universe too aged. It traversed the
length and breadth of millions of years to the delight of man and his
descendants. Nevertheless, it maintained the balance set in motion by Almighty
Himself. Despite encountering enormous
hurdles on its voyage to attaining a full-fledged, fully populated and
scientifically advanced epoch in creative history, it traced for itself a path
unto destiny designed through divine will.
So did man who inherited the grandiose of a universe, and endured in
succession the pitfalls and frailties of human life. However, he failed to
stick to his steadfastness for long. His faith dithered, attitude wavered and
circumstances found him impatient even with his contemporaries. Although he
stood the ground and proceeded on to rear up his descendants, generation after
generation, he could not take the world along. He failed to maintain the tempo,
per force having to take in his stride the intricacies of a vitiated and badly
mauled up atmosphere, surroundings, human beings and a world maligned to fall
apart in the thick of deceit, fraud, jealousy, arrogance and selfishness. These and a host of other factors made his
task of mastering the art of interaction with fellow beings, born and bred on
the same planet, difficult. His attitude gradually turned sour, interaction crude
and his overall reaction extremely poignant.
As a result, the level of spirituality too dipped to levels of
unfathomable depths. On the face of it, the one criteria that emerged as a
saving grace was man’s intent to survive. Survive, despite a string of odds to
the contrary like volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires, asteroid
hits, global warming and a long list of such compelling developments. These and
such other catastrophes did not deter man from climbing the ladder of success
in succession. The chain of successes, discoveries and inventions made him a
force to reckon with.
It may be recalled that
for billions of years the universe lay enveloped in darkness till God the
Eternal Spirit brought time and infinity to a standstill. The dark void then
ceased to exist and the resplendence of divine glow submerged the dark
universe. God then infused His own image and spirit in to the physique of Man.
The initial act of
creation of man was followed by a sequel whereby God put Adam to sleep and out
of the stillness of silent slumber, removed a rib from his side to shape woman,
whom he gave to Adam as a companion. He called her ‘Eve’.
Through the centuries,
the women category managed to rise to be the centre of attraction in a world of
peevishness and boredom. By virtue of their gait, appearance and soft spoken
ness, females managed to bolster their image as well as clout in a world of
feminism which could otherwise have suffered an all time low with male populace
monopolizing most disciplines in life. Women thus managed to command
considerable respect both from among themselves as also from males. Would one
attribute beauty alone as the key aspect which placed females distinctly apart
from the males? No doubt, it might be so, but more than the beauty what places
them apart is their attitude.
In a reckless world of
hate and crime man needed to be reminded off and on, on the one only sublime
lesson that God Himself wanted to teach the world namely ‘silence’ by means
whereof He kept aloof from His creation for millions of years enabling man to
abide by the gift of free will endowed by Almighty on his creation. Thus was
coined the age old maxim namely “Speech is silver but silence is golden” by the
learned men of ancient times. Even
though this masterpiece of knowledge settled down in the depth of men’s hearts,
it was very seldom made use of by the not so perfect human beings. So sublime was the lesson that human beings
miss the fragrance of it only after they had their say. Yet, when life starts weighing down over
daily chores how human beings wished that God had relieved them of their
frailties. But even in such a situation,
howsoever worried they may be, whatsoever problems they may have in hand, the
hapless humans take time off to look up and say “God help”. Thereafter, there was a feeling of relief
that they had placed their woes at the feet of the Almighty. Then they took a deep breath and went on,
quite relieved that whatever miseries they might come across would have to be
faced in life, for there is no other way but to endure them till the end. They least complained about the problems of
their life to their neighbor, they did not smash their heads in despair because
in the ‘silence’ of their hearts, they knew that there is a super human being
up there to watch safe all. This is the
first lesson God himself wanted to teach us – ‘silence’.
Alas, the way man gave a
twist to history is quite reminiscent of the golden age of creation and a
carefree life in Paradise . How after many
million years of human survival through several ages beginning Stone Age,
Medieval Age right up to the present day age of computer and technology, how a
cleavage of ideology within man’s core aspect of spirituality forced a section
of the populace to thunder their wrath upon innocents sending thousands in to
areas of irretrievable domain! How a narrow leaning by man to hammer down
individual priorities forced an ambiguous thrust on hapless humans, thus
bringing about an eerie culture of extremism! How come man failed to see eye to
eye with his creator? Can man summon as much courage to witness the horrendous
atrocities being heaped upon his own brethren in the name of the very creator
who vouchsafes the entire universe? Humanity has passed through a long history
of narrowing mentality which had the potential of destruction despite a chain
of creative achievements in Science and Technology. A peep in to history will suffice to make a
judgment on man’s acts of naiveté inflicted on his own brethren! Do we take a retrospective glance in to
history to find out what transpired when?
The world leaders and
heads of state went in to a huddle as bodies of scores of human beings both
wounded and killed started flooding hospitals and mortuaries inside the US
The treacherous thrust
and conspicuous brute force with which the extremists sought to demoralize the
world through an attack on World Trade Centre only aggravated the resolve by
the world to root out the menace of
extremism at all costs. Consequently,
the so called war on terror turned out to be a power game by both sides viz.
the impulsive instinct discernible in the scores of thoroughly brainwashed
youth lining up to face suicidal mission and the collective resolve by a
determined world throwing their weight in to one whole in a bid to rid the
world of extremism.
Where in the world is a
whole universe heading for? First man
brought in democracy that gave people a right to air their views, hammer down
their demands and stand up to higher-ups in a show of defiance tantamount to
flouting all norms of discipline. Apparently, it amounted to peasants rising to
be kings. Gradually, such clamor for
achieving people’s rights eventually got transformed in to a free for all
tussle between haves and have not’s, weak and the powerful, people and the
government, each unable to contain an urge to transform a demand for an
otherwise assumed right in to a spate of devastation and mayhem. In short, mob
playing the role of high heeled judges as though assuming the world to be at
their beck and call. Close on the heels of democracy came Law & Judiciary
followed by a honking media as if owning a license to blare out all
that occurs or are uttered, at times even blowing incidents out of proportion.
The media apart, the
focus has now shifted to the internet. An area free of all hazards which gives
a free ride to people of all walks, to yell their unholy judgments in the
manner they desired. As a matter of fact there is no dearth of sites on the net
for those aching to yell hoarse any and all abusive comments the manner they
desired, on any topic that suited them best. And the individual writers freely providing ample opportunity to
these morally polluted muscle-wielding traders of utter nonsense to proclaim
their views unleashed.
A free democracy has
brought the inevitable upon a world of innocents. Provocative comments rebutted with equally
provocative remarks are traded freely on the assumption that the world was
approving their judgments.
In the meantime, a process
of reconciliation started ages ago between India
and Pakistan
In the meantime,
extremism took the Indian sub-continent too by surprise and the confronting
parties are unaware of what needs to be set right first, the border dispute or
the extremist strikes. Where the mob
considered one particular section as their enemy, the fellow community confirms
that they have nothing to do with the incidents being carried out by their
fellowmen.
Then came about a
26/11. Things got aggravated and instead
of bringing to end a conflict of views and news, people just keep humming away
their own side of frustration. In the melee, Ajmal Kasab, one of the extremist
elements nabbed during the shootout in the 26/11 came to take the centre stage
and all the ire is now directed against him.
Incidentally, there is no
let up in the outrageous comments against one side or the other. To leash the
mob fury on the net is nearest to impossible. Man needs to bear in mind that
the world is running behind time. People have lost their morale and standard of
ethics. Man has lost control over man
and life moves on with one group indulging in devastating acts while the other
looks on in utter dismay.
Enough harm has been done
to vitiate the atmosphere, the society, the nation and the world. But there is more to follow.
It should be borne in
mind that while the Law & Judiciary was fiddling with case files pertaining
to 15 years or more, the 26/11 took place. So that meant another file added to
the archives of human indulgence. Will man ever learn reason?
Mikhail Bakunin is
forthright in his assertion when he averred that “to revolt is a natural
tendency of life? Even a worm turns against the foot that crushes it. In
general the vitality and relative dignity of an animal can be measured by the
intensity of its instinct to revolt”. Do we see essence of reason in his
statement?
Enough harm has been done
in the name of chat and rights. It is time to bring the world around. The
surest and safest way to achieve this is “Silence, simplicity and steadfastness
of resolve”.
The immediate need for
man is to come out of the reverie he is in, set aside his self complacency, and
don a positive approach through ‘Silence, simplicity and steadfastness’. It is
crucial to bear in mind that every word, deed or act would spontaneously invite
a reaction from the other. Even a casual say once uttered to satisfy one’s
impulse would meet with a response which could go either way, ignored or
received in good part or with a retort that could wrong the ego of either of
the individuals. As such, it is vital
that the world gave a serious thought to utterances lest the issue became a
point to be regretted at a later stage.
It goes without saying that as long as the former is conceived in the
right direction within the ambit of balanced perception and keeping general good
and the well being of the universe in view, the reaction would not tilt the
balance. Otherwise it is disaster for
the world, humanity and God. Yes for God
as well for then the gain of life changes hands. Therefore, it is crucial that
we adopt a dual approach to seal any recurrence by first balancing our say, our
action as also our reaction before passing on our mind or message at the court
of another.
We discover scores of
anomalies, in individuals, in the society we live in and our lives as well. Primary
among them being, our temptation to overact or react to trifles, even if they
never caused any injury. May be a slip of the tongue or an un-intentioned
‘bullshit’, a comment by way of humor, a frustrated retort or even an impatient
frown. Unfortunately, we use different yardsticks for different people. We are
low in “Ethics, Manners & Etiquette” and carry an extremely impatient ‘ego’
which might appear a stumbling block for those with whom we come in contact. We
deliver homilies extolling lives of virtuous men, living or dead. But really,
do our hopes, expectations, exhortations and the world of good we intend to
project for others to follow carry the desired thrust? How we go about holding
profiles copied to perfection but drawn from someone else’s imagination and
holding certificates issued by men who might be worse off than ourselves in
terms of righteousness with the sole intent to impress upon people who
mattered! In retrospect, have we retreated in to our real selves to find out if
we have undergone the required formation to place ourselves in a position to
deliver? Can we rectify our tendencies, our advances or our utterances by
adding a pint of sugar in to other’s lives, with a refined approach, calculated
wording or an appealing smile? The sweeteners known as ‘smile’ could remove all
ailments. If adopted, the world might take a leap forward!
Man makes light of even
the weightiest of initiatives with least regard for the well-meaning
intentions. This amounts to outdoing
one’s ignorance and bargaining for what the world or even God would not deign
to give. Man reacts hastily, sleeps over
issues, procreates matters, and formulates replies to get back ready to trounce
the opponent who least suspects these behind the screen maneuvers. Then, armed with ready-made replies the
former gets set to confront the opponent only to find the efforts go awry when
cast. The reaction does not coincide with the well intentioned gestures of the
latter. As a result provocation reverses by the latter. Both come under the
grip of impulsiveness and the matter gets precipitated with a not-so-accurate
an action that trounces the former to seal his fate. Both go down with none
gaining an edge.
In a world diminishing in
attitude and standards of morale, human beings have developed a penchant to
physically possess, snatch or hold sway over tangible goods, benefits,
territories and areas in abundance beyond human need and capacity to possess.
This disposition has got man transformed in to a creature with instincts akin
to Satan. As time progressed in to centuries, this instinct to possess took a
sudden turn for the worse absorbing with it a farfetched stigma to annihilate
human beings having no other course to prove their point. However, it only
proved these killers and marauders to be losing a battle of conviction with no
one, not even the ones professing their faith hastening to their rescue. It is
proving the point that no man can claim victory by undoing God’s own creation
through destroying life in entirety. Man’s instinct has thus become a
farfetched dilemma to act supreme with intent to belittle human beings by
outdoing ignorance. Man has thus become a hostage to man at the hands of satan.
Curiously though, with
all the gruesome atrocities giving man sleepless nights, should one accept life
as measuring up to a cheap hangover of fate to befall man when he least
suspects or is it all a hallucination? A dig in to reality might provide the
answer. Imagine for a while one such horrendous element getting trapped by way
or an earthquake or similar disaster and ending up with a massive wall of earth
shutting him out of any form of rescue by human beings and confined to a
dungeon of death and destruction. If in such a state, Almighty Himself stole up
to him and offered the saving grace of a choice to make, to either live a
thousand years but in that very state and situation, or to die an instant
death, what would his choice be, life or death?
Man submits to life on
the plea of enjoying an uncertain life, a wee bit of comfort, a bagful of
wealth, a company of relatives and friends accompanying him in life, which if
snatched by fate, he would but opt for the pain which we name death.
A spirited silence can
rout your opponents and drag them on to the back foot. It can reverse the thought process of
critics, leaving them gasping for breath. Silence would leave the staunchest of
hardliners in the lurch, with loss of composure and utterly confounded! What need you further to launch your show of
attitude under “Ethics, Manners & Etiquette?
Formation of life demands
a certain degree of maturity, a realization of one’s aptitude and a conviction
which should surpass the opponent’s thrust.
To this end one needs to own the right say at the appropriate time. Till
then hold on to your ‘Silence, simplicity and Steadfastness of resolve’.
Why harp on the same
theme namely ‘Silence’? Silence amounts to stretching a moment for reflection,
contemplation or to regain the tempo.
Either way, it amounts to a pause or suspense! Silence may be at will,
deliberate or forced upon but provides one with a chance to listen to another,
to analyze the existing version or for a larger perspective for taking a peep
in to how the world around us intends to react.
Silence has the capacity
to deliver but not the age or experience. To succeed in areas of competition,
one must cultivate a vibrant and emphatic attitude which can convey a strong
and positive say across without thrusting one’s ego on another. It is here that
the triplets namely ‘Ethics, Manners & Etiquette’ come in handy for
transforming a down to earth human being in to a successful person.
Remember, a good listener
attracts a keen friend, renders an atmosphere of congeniality and also assists
in forming a circle of like minded people. However, in order to cherish an
everlasting friendship one must have within him a sublime attitude, an
unblemished morality and a sophisticated mode of ethics. Silence conforming to
such a formula, where impulsiveness can be kept at bay, can supplement
friendship. Friendship draws like minded people around. Winning over a friend does not warrant an
ability to influence others; rather friendship gives one an opportunity to
broaden one’s outlook, enlarge one’s vision and provides with a soothing
relaxation to mind. But in order to
achieve a celestial friendship, one ought to have the capacity to translate
attitude in to words for which one needs to repose trust in ‘Silence,
Simplicity and Steadfastness of resolve’. This segment of life deals with the
oft forgotten and sidetracked topic viz. Ethics, Manners & Etiquette.
‘Ethics, Manners & Etiquette’ can garner friendship or enhance one’s
reputation at public places.
Before tracing our
footsteps towards ‘Friendship’ there is need to base ourselves on a firm
footing namely ‘attitude’. Let us not forget that friendship accords us a
plank, an opportunity to theme our lives on and a circle to rely upon.
In
order to get acquainted with right people at the right place and in right
numbers, it is necessary that you uphold a morale that should speak for your
personality. Always project an image that should appeal to those around. When
people are about, you need to ensure that you project a clean image in
you. At the same time, make that image
appealing to your colleagues especially your friends. But take care to seal
this projection of yours within the minds of those around you, so as not to be
construed as an ostentatious gesture. Rather, make it a spontaneous by sharing
the image with others. Impress upon people your unique image but keep within
limits and of course avoid bragging. Let
not your image allow harboring ill will or hatred for any one who may have not
acted the way you would have expected.
The
writer is a Roman Catholic hailing from Kerala (a state known in India St. Thomas Constantine
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