Change

CHANGE

-THE PLAGUE OF SOCIAL INERTIA

SYMPTOMS: Widespread Terrorism, Corruption, disparate wealth distribution and poverty, sore lack of developmental work, communal disharmony, illiteracy and insufficient education

Around 2100, Wednesday, 26/11/2008: The start of an absolute catharsis of ‘the system’.

I say catharsis; even though it might not suit the mood, because incidents like this have been happening so frequently that all the usual adjectives used to describe the ghastly dread no longer seep into readers.

This may be the 'new cliché' but tomorrow, Mumbai will get back on its feet and people will tout the resilience of the city - but this, more than resilience - is just an acceptance and the abandon of hope of things getting better. Civic power is a utopian concept for most of the Indian population, and as long as it stays that way, the siesta facilitating climate of the subcontinent, and well fed, pot bellied government officials - underpaid with respect to their abilities, frustrated in terms of bureaucratic tangles, tantalized by numerous opportunities to fulfil personal needs while still having assured pensions; are never going to be effectors of a change in any powerful policy. The lower legislature such as MLAs - who are all in this for only a term; exploit their power, showing little care for the people or development. Knowing that their charisma will always be drowned by their national / party leaders, and that integrity will never be a clincher in a materialistic election - perpetuate exactly that sad trend. This, as a matter of fact is the root of corruption - the “babu-dom” just serves as the hitman of this godfather and becomes a convenient, headless, powerless scapegoat.

No, relying on the quagmire entrenched, yet morally and reasonably practically sound 'system' - is not going to rid us of these irrational elements of humanity. What we need to do is to change ourselves. We need to rise to a level where we don't need a government to set tough policy and intimidating laws (sans loopholes) to deter the actions of these madmen. We need to be that change ourselves.

But there, I've already succumbed to what happens to the rationally stable and intellectually unfazed just after incidents like these that rouse conflagrational urges to express, lambast, lead and change - misdirecting this energy. I've gone through about 300 words without actually addressing implementable suggestions. All this needs to change.

What do we do? Simple. Unite, Assume Responsibility, Express, Reach out.

It's a proven concept at every level - from broom sticks to chemical kinetics – the latter which portrays this situation surprisingly accurately. If you're united, you stand, divided you fall. Divided, you’re easy to break. Divided, you offer lots more surface area for volatile, corrosive substances to act. And as they act, they speed up the speed of action of future agents such as themselves.

Every time this happens, fingers point, accusations are fired, and sweeping generalisations made - communally inciteful ones at that. 60 years of independence? Hah, that's only on paper. We're still slaves, straitjacketed by the disease that our wily conquerors introduced in our minds. There might be overwhelming evidence to prove that one or more communities are involved in such activities, but that doesn't change the relationship that you would have with someone you know who professes that faith... If it doesn't, then why backstab that person? Why violate his trust in your friendship by subscribing to what is only a very easy way, to pin the blame on a known entity rather than the true unknown enemy? This is why: it makes you feel better that you think you know what you're fighting - but if that was the case, we would have rid ourselves of this menace a long time ago.

Getting back to the problem of the roots of corruption: the fault of mis-representational democracy might be inherent to the system of a federal government; but that is no roof to take shelter under. Democracy, by its inherent practice still, thankfully, remains as described by that great leader Abraham Lincoln – it still is ‘for the people, by the people, and of the people’. Is it not us who gullibly fall for the short term subversive material and preferential incentives offered to us 3 months before an election? Is it not us who approach ‘our men’ in the legislature to get things done, or disputes favourably resolved? Is it not us, who pay for the traffic constables’ easy dinner and then complain about accidents caused by drunken drivers? We hurt ourselves. I’m not saying that we’re to be blamed for everything. But, reflecting another physical principle, it is “easier to stretch two springs by an inch each, than one spring by two”. In other, less quotable (forgive my esoteric literary mood) words, it is easier for all of us to exercise a little bit more restraint than for an MLA to repeatedly turn down 100x80 sites beside a new highway or job offers to his relatives.

W-E have to make integrity and true service based politics the need of the hour, rather than pinning our hopes on a leader with the same core values establishing himself amongst the flock. WE’VE also got to start believing that development is overall, and not for any one particular community. WE have to come across an electorate that ‘votes preferentially, and not in elimination; for a candidate and not his promises’. WE have to highlight measurable developmental, infrastructural and educational needs, and ensure that they stay as top priorities.

Now, as ideal and Gandhian as it may seem (Why should ‘Gandhian’ synonymise ideal?), a call to arms to our youth, and our educated population. WE need to spread these ideas among the larger populace, and convince them of their importance. Let me retract that – we need to allow them to realise for themselves – their power and their responsibilities. WE have to ensure that we’re not lulled into scholastic, detached political debates about various ‘fundamental issues’ when inquiring into and demanding answers to various questions, and the government’s response to various issues. WE need to eradicate civic apathy – the kind that makes you throw an ice cream wrapper onto the street; the kind that is ingrained into the laid back demeanour brought about by living in the most luxurious of climes in the world. WE need to share our knowledge and most importantly, “WE NEED TO BELIEVE THAT WE ARE THE EFFECTORS OF CHANGE. PLEASE. IF NOTHING ELSE, LET’S ATLEAST BELIEVE IN THIS.”

14:56, Thursday, November 27, 2008

An Introduction....

This is to cater primarily to me and the sense of the lack of a book containing my own contemplations, to flick through: and that desire usually afflicts me from time to time. I sit at my computer console at an unearthly (and that term in itself evoking delightful vagrant wanderings) hour, turning sleeplessness into something tangible...

Finally down to this Internet Phenomenon...

I've been reading lots of various blogs recently - mainly from friends whom I did not know had pastimes apart from immersing themselves in mind numbing activities - read generic fun, and school / college / tutorials, a passion or even the inclination to pursue something to document the unique, vast library of information that is their lives on a public forum. I've been inspired, to give them due credit - by these numerous acquaintances - these partakers of delight and joy; and will endeavour to try and make this a colourful archive of those very experiences, and in general create a medium to test out one of my newfound pastimes - the exploration of thought and the creation of ideas....

This seemingly philosophical jabber does have some substantial meaning to it....which has probably been summed up by a young school going Einstein. Retorting at a History teacher when reprimanded for not being able to remember a date; stating very succinctly that it was much more interesting to try and explore ideas rather than facts

In the course of a conversation, the bane of an endocrine system often takes over and causes fellow homo sapiens to cut one off in the midst of a sentence - leaving a ghastly lacuna in the communication of one's true perception. This parasitic infestation of oral communication, may not be all that evident, but it is there - and I know from personal experience. The inner voice refuses to be muzzled though, and like many others I have developed my writing as a form to bridge this gap, and trivialise the shortcoming of the other forms of communication. It was almost as great an eye opener to 're-discover' people through the written (or typed... in this binary age) word as it was when I could finally make sense of linguistic symbology, and learnt how to read.

The recent spate of discovery of these other blogs, and a fair grasp of the time takes to create one of these chronicles has left me retrospectively regretting - well, not so much regretting the actual time spent in the pursuit of more immediately gratifying activities; as the lack of attention given to poring over them and trying to comprehend their place in the larger picture. An archive of experiences seemed to be a good way to pin point some of the maxima and minima of the curve of my life through the domain of the fourth dimension - for later pondering and reflection; and hence this effort.

And now a little bit of rationale (and in the future - there will be a LOT of this particular construct - the looking glass of human perception through which we comprehend the world) behind the name of the blog and my display name merits inclusion.

Display name:

Eponymous - "symbolising the name"

In this case, the word is simply (perhaps the best adjective in the world - something all undertakings should strive to be [:D] ) a way to describe the notion : that "I am my word" - an extension of Descartes - "I think, therefore I am". Appropriate for a true-to-self blogger.

The Blog:

Nebulae of thoughts is something that drew itself out of me. Those who know me know the fanatic passion with which I engage myself with, discover more about and love all things cosmic - Astronautics, Spaceflight, astronomy, flight and the universe. With the detailed definition of the reason for the blog, and a not so subtle reference to the vastness of my mind in pursuing these boundless thoughts needed to incorporate itself.

Nebulae are gas clouds- primarily composed of the lightest and simplest stable element discovered thus far - Hydrogen. Physics - another of my loved forages of mental activity transforms this essence of simplicity into quite literally everything we know ; and more..... into things we haven't even dreamed of...(exciting yet intimidating, isn't it??)

Nebulae coalesce - fusion creating bigger elements in a self perpetuating colossal "star attractions", culminating in the creation of solar systems, planets, and life itself. Life evolves - over thousands of millenia, reaching its present state today (what--with all the payback we're giving this planet - I daresay its the zenith - and its all going to be downhill from here...unless I can do something about it [;)] ) . Reaching a level where it gives us the power to understand its very creation, setting up a cycle where we have the ability to think about where we're going, how we got here - and to think about thought itself. In this very way, we've reached a point where thoughts are like the nebulae themselves - in essence fountains of simplicity, yet so powerful and varied that they spawn and give birth to everything we know; allow us to know what we know; and result in the self-propagating genesis of themselves. At this point, its relevant to wonder whether they're synonyms or,


eponyms...

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This metaphysical discourse of a blog-post is hopefully the first batch stored as aligned magnetic crystals - somewhere on this earth; and a harbinger of things to come - things that will sometimes lull me (or you if you so choose) into the deep abysses that the mind can wander into, and at others serve helpings of humour and milder insight to - making for a good read, and a tool to aid reminiscence.

I hope this blog serves my purpose.