Last night, we had a power cut for more than 4 hours; generators kicked in at 8:00 when the power cut began. At about 12:00 or so, diesel ran out in our building. By 1:00, diesel ran out in a neighboring building. Several flats in Bangalore have a generator system. I wondered what would happen if there was an extended power cut for a much longer time and diesel ran out at more places then today.
A parallel can be drawn to the lack of order, lawlessness, and other aspects in our country. Folks having resources have resorted to creating their own “backup” systems to stay away from these drawbacks. Some friends live in other countries to escape these problems, creating their own little India’s; others use their power or wealth to bypass the correct process; still others crib and refuse to participate in their civic responsibilities. I wonder what they would do when the problem overflows their systems and the “diesel runs out”.
BTW, there is another aspect about people creating their own little India’s; they think that other cultures are a piece of shit. I guess this is part and parcel of every “way of life” out there. North American and most of the West in general thinks that “urban, consumer-driven, sex-based” lifestyle is the best representation of a free, developing world. India, well for most parts it thinks that the place is the epitome of ethics. The West pishes its lifestyle by way of foreign policies and IMF/WB. The latter groups behavior gets reflected in the personal lives of each Indian. This can also be extended to the behavior of a regular “Desi” – Each family will want to stick to their own little India’s, Sri Lanka’s or Pakistan’s. A closely related point is raised in the movie "Khuda ke Liye"; It is a Pakistani movie with a strong message.
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I think that this is because most people at a point in time (no matter which country) tend to fall into one of the two categories: The ones who believe in the "me" worldview and the ones who believe in the "we" worldview. There are two videos that come to my mind, when I read your post:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4nWdelhxME
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShrD0zjPGrs
The reason the conservatives are afraid to come out of their well, is because they are afraid about what they might find when they come out into the sea, and wonder whether they will be able to handle the new knowledge or experience. And hence, comes the desire to protect what they have.
At some point, most people will realize that we become enriched by appreciating the good in others and learning from it (irrespective of caste, creed, religion, sect, country etc.). Compassion comes when one sees that there are more similarities in people than differences. Fundamentally, we all humans seek similar things.
As Teilhard Chardin said "“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
Eventually, we are all souls (or spirits) that are evolving as the days go along. We are souls at various levels of spiritual evolution. And then comes the fundamental question: "What does it mean to be spiritual ?". To be spiritual means to be a good person - compassionate and loving.
As Brian Weiss said (I quote): " One characteristic of the spiritual experience is to radiate compassion and love to others without expecting anything in return. The person feels a oneness with every other person and being, with all there is. You know so much more than others. You understand so much more. Be patient with them. They don't have the knowledge that you have. Spirits will be sent back to help you. But you are correct in what you are doing....continue. This energy must not be wasted."
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