Augmentation of the Fragmented Reality
“The end is Lurching around us and we don’t even know about the coming demise.”
This line fairly summarizes what I am about to describe in the coming passages. I had a vision, a vision devoid of any troubles facing the current world, a bliss. However, the vision was short-lived as the moment I opened my eyes to the colourful yet bland real world, it shattered. The world as we know is composed of people or warmongers raging war with outside forces but more so with our own self. Everyone is fighting their own demons eating them away like a parasite on a prey, consuming them abstemiously piece by piece.
There are three kinds of people in this world; Winners, losers and the ones who advise how losers can become winners. It’s the third kind which are the most interesting ones. They feed on people’s insecurities about themselves.
A small story I want to share. A businessman comes to a fisherman as he was sleeping in the middle of the day. He asked the fisherman why he wasn’t fishing, to which the fisherman replied, “I have already completed my catch for today, so I am resting.” The businessman sensing laziness in the fisherman said if you catch more, you can sell them to earn more money. The fisherman innocently inquired what he would do with extra income. The businessman snapped at his comment that he could spend it to get a bigger boat with which he could catch more fish, and he went on to describe a business plan ending his suggestion with a comment that with plenty of money left he can relax peacefully without worrying about the future. Hearing this, the fisherman asked the businessman, “Why do I need to go through all these troubles to achieve something which I already possess, i.e., peace of mind?” The Businessman was dumbstruck at his comment. He was speechless, and he left hurriedly muttering something to himself.
In our conquest of material desires, we continuously try to overstep others, even those who don’t deserve our lecherous behaviour. The fallacy of our methods is unfathomable, yet we continue to do so. In the recently concluded Test match series between Australia and India, the propensity to win by Australians was so big that they sacrificed their moral judgement fearing defeat will wallop them or the bashing that they would receive from media & general populace if they fail would be unbearable. The actions which unfurled due to this fear of defeat are uncondemnable. Indian parents are infamous for expecting too much from their offspring. The burden put on the infant becomes too big for them to handle many a times. We need to realise the importance of enjoying our life rather than just trying to conquer one goal after another. I’m not saying one must not have a goal but merely achieving a goal without enjoying the process of achieving it is like eating for the sake of eating without savouring the aroma or flavour.
To be free from material desires and achieve inner peace is a victory in itself. Mahatma Gandhi, aka the Father of our Nation, said that “The world has enough to satisfy everyone’s need but not enough to satisfy anyone’s greed.” Greed can take many forms, but its inevitable result is destruction of the entity which possess it. The East India Company was at one time one of the wealthiest companies in the world, its current valuation runs into trillions. Their greed to attain more led to the destruction of many civilisations and was also one of the reasons for the World War in the 20th century.
The current political landscape is composed of self-proclaimed messiah propagating the idea of change. They realise that what people want is self-evident from the very nature of entropy. Zero Entropy is hypothetical, as is developing a Carnot Engine, but the idea of achieving the same has been enthralling scientists for centuries. Change is inevitable, but the real question is whether the required change is beneficial to mankind. Development of Nuclear Technology led to the nuclear holocaust in Hiroshima & Nagasaki ravaging entire cities like a puff of ash. The mushroom type cloud which was formed in the aftermath of the bombing enraged the entire city, and to this day the ill-effects of the same can be observed. In the current scenario, each country wants to have an arsenal of nuclear weapons without realising the consequences of it falling in the wrong hands.
The reality can be overwhelming for people who are maladaptive, unable to thrive, they try to cocoon themselves within a confined space, often an invisible bubble; thereby creating walls both emotional and physical between them and others. These walls make them paranoid to a certain extent, which inculcates into downright schizophrenia. People facing it are mocked in social groups. This leads to low self-esteem, anxiety and higher oxidative stress leading to hypertension in the diseased.
All in all, one can say that the fabric of our existence is in dismay. However, not all hope is lost. There is still hope amid all the distress surrounding us, and I hope we find happiness in our life.
