Are we tolerant?

We take pride in saying we are Indians and native to the land of mahatmas who preached and practised non - violence and Ahimsa. The time has come for some introspection, really. Look at the increasing number of 'street justice' incidents rampantly seen in our country, especilally in Bihar. What is really happening to us?
Well, the savage instinct is in all of us, the instinct to survive, to harm, to injure and to kill. But where is the redeeming feature that is also there in us - the ability to restrain. Where has thou gone restraint, the much needed redeemer, the only balm to all our instincts of savagery.
At times i wonder if we are willingly going barbaric so much so that it seems fashionable today. All the TV Channels continue to beam such gory incidents in the name of news and in the process perhaps augment their ratings also. What about the damage that such telecasts have on impressionable minds? A speeding car driver attempting to kill an engineer on duty in broad daylight was horrible. The mob venting its fury on an accused in Bihar was even more horrible.

Where has the spirit of tolerance gone? Where are those finer sensibilities that we associate with human beings? What has changed us so much - that we have become so horribly barbaric? Who's got the answers?

Is Conformism really a sin?

One of the major difficulties that a teacher encounters in his/her career is non-conformist attitude / tendency in students /youngsters. Is conformism so bad? The way we look down upon it as if it is a deadly sin intrigues me. Don't we all conform to many things in life? Can we not conform for the sake of a common cause and still be happy? Why are we so rebellious about everything, vociferously protesting against all norms. 'We want freedom' is our refrain. But can freedom come without responsibility? Are we mature enough to handle freedom? Were the girls who stripped under the influence of alcohol in a public place in Kolkata "free"? Physically and literally - yes they were. Did they behave responsibly? Certainly not. Why do we try to abuse / take undue advantage of the freedom that we already have? Is freedom something that is given to us? Or is it something that we already have? And the biggest question is, are we in the name of freedom trying to go too far? "Ah! You are a puritan," "generation gap - you don't understand," "You are a traditionlist - to hell with you" - choicest expressions commonly used to attack those insisting on order. Is the attack really fair, especially when it comes from those who expect fairness from others. How long can we go on like this? Will the situation change?

Hi

What a way to begin? To begin with failure. The first attempt to blog didn't yield desired results, despite spending a few hours on the process. Learnt the lesson, however-never give up. The result is here to see. Perseverence has paid off - i'm about to publish my first post.

Now why did i want to blog? Is it because my colleagues are at it? Or because the whole world is hooked to it? I'm not sure. But i know one thing for sure. This is a wonderful, faster, swifter medium to get across ideas, to get to know a lot of people, interact, discuss anything and everything and in the process learn a lot more about life and discover your own self.

I have decided to take the plunge. With the support of the sea of humanity all around me i'm sure i'll be able to swim through.

Welcome aboard.