OUR educational institutions are supposed to nurture us towards building a successful future; to prepare us for the challenges of life in the real world. They never prepare us to deal with our inner worlds of often conflicting and confusing emotions and feelings. Many of us simply do not know how to deal with them.Our perspectives are mostly informed and conditioned by what we see around us, our socialization process: home, parents (single parent) or lack thereof, school, friends or peers, workplace, religious institutions, politicians or leaders, society as a whole, all exert influence on our minds. But it does not mean we are powerless.
We always have a choice. The ability to choose is what distinguishes us from the lower species of animals. This is what makes us uniquely human with a capacity to know right from wrong and to act in accordance with our conscience and the moral norms deeply ingrained in society.
Whether good or bad, like monkeys, most of us mimic. We see and we do. True to our ‘Third World’ status, we become mimic men and women to the point of not knowing who we really are. The upright and virtuous face we advertise for public viewing as leaders, or the ugly one we zealously guard behind a mask of deception. We are all paying a price.
Empirical/statistical evidence speaks for itself. Violence, crime, senseless murder, disrespect and total disregard for others, domestic violence leading to spousal battering and death – all are bearing a younger face. Many ‘intellectual’ propositions are bandied around regarding the causative factors, with expert opinions and quotations ‘knocking dog’, even those without any scientific bearing on the specific socio, political and economic environment .
We throw them in to look smart! Something I would like to call the Guyanese phenomenon: A dialogue of the deaf, dumb and blind! Each one wants to prove some level of supremacy; each one analyzing the elephant in the room from a different perspective. Each one holding on to a different part of its anatomy and diffidently pronouncing, “AHA…this is the elephant” in a eureka moment of discovery, regardless if he is holding to the tail, trunk, neck or tusk!
Unfortunately, while fiddling in our mental quagmire, we lose sight of the fact that both the victims and the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are human beings like you and me. Not mere statistics. Both need attention and help. Statistics cannot unveil the mangled emotions which made the perpetrator a victim of himself or herself and circumstances. Notwithstanding the fact that they are victims also, they must pay the price for their senseless and abhorrent acts. While society demands this, it must not deny the fact that they also need help. These social ills are in the main pointing to an inability to deal with the myriad of conflicting emotions which are steeped in ignorance of self and the inner workings of the mind. Essentially it is an internal problem that is externalizing itself. The problem therefore has to be addressed at the levels of both the individual and society. And I firmly believe its embryonic form has strong roots in what was supposed to be the protective haven of family values and virtues, the home. We see therefore that all of these societal institutions and relationships bring to bear formidable influence on how we make choices in an unspoken, intended or unintended battle for the control of minds. And without being conscious of it, how we are in subtle ways influenced to make choices even though they may not be in your best interest! The influence is deep seated and much more formidable that most of us would like to admit or believe. It operates mostly at the sub-conscious than the conscious level of our minds. How many times have you regretted doing something and ask, how or why did I do this? That was your sub-conscious mind at work, an inner (mental) reaction leading to an external (outer) physical action. The thought automatically propels your body to action almost without you being aware at the time of what you are about to do or is doing.At the conscious level we make deliberate decisions which may be driven by lofty ideals, greed or fear. We know what we are about to do or are doing. It is a deliberate and often calculated choice, regardless if it’s not a fully informed one, if it is due to ignorance, or if one is driven to take sides based on raw emotions. Certain programs, information, services, etc. are introduced, activated, initiated to bring about pre-conceived outcomes. Some may be for the material upliftment of individuals or society as a whole. Others may have a partisan focus intended to drive political agendas which appeal to specific human traits and characteristics. Both of these are driven by desires aimed at achieving a two-fold purpose, one of which is to elevate the creators of such programs and so maintain their status quo in society. It may be status, wealth and or power as can be confirmed by experiential evidence. Sadly, the best of intentions are masked by personal and fundamental human flaws. The triumvirate of status, wealth and power are often accompanied by humongous egos, arrogance and pride! And this is not a malady afflicting any one race. Each one of us has an ego with which we romanticize our virtues and camouflage our flaws. It is as old as the human experience.
There is another kind of intervention which seeks to elevate the whole of humankind, one which transcends any desire for control, containment of the human spirit or adherence to any Ideology, Dogma, Race, Creed or Cult. It finds no expression in Political, Financial or Religious agendas, though it is within that collective environment that it exists. It is not driven by any internal, external or hidden agenda excepting the one you set for yourself. It is our personal spiritual quest.
The sole purpose of its being is to empower the individual at the personal level while living in the real material world of status, wealth, power, responsibilities, ego, arrogance, pride or lack thereof. In other words, it is available to all of humankind on this planet – the prince and the pauper.
In and through our day-to-day activities, we come face-to-face with it: OUR TRUE SELVES; KNOWING WHO I REALLY AM! Am I a material being of flesh and blood alone? Or am I something more? Something much more refined, subtle and liberating! Not who I have been conditioned to think I am! Not in a mould that I have been cast in by others, by poverty or riches. Not the stereotypical image of me and the confusing, demeaning and conflicting hypocritical roles I am forced to play as a leader, father, mother, provider just to survive in an equally hypocritical socio, political, economic and religious environment!
These are the imperfections which make you, a perfect being, imperfect, by your own thoughts, words and actions.Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped in a placid stream. It causes ripples to spread all around in ever expanding concentric circles influencing everyone and everything. That is why each of us has the capacity to change ourselves and the world in small ways for better or worse. The choices you make can have far-reaching consequences. You can make a positive difference and spread waves and waves of kindness and joy. Start at home with the family! You have the power to touch the lives of everyone you come into contact with.A morning smile, a meaningful hug, wishing your loved one a beautiful morning, a compliment given to a friend, laughter, or a thoughtful gesture, a phone call, a thank you, a get well card, lending a helping hand, offering a shoulder of comfort can send tons of energy among loved ones, friends and associates, out into your community. Experiment with yourself. Do not take them at face value thinking that you know or they are common sense things. Common sense does not mean common practice!When you think you know, then you know how much you do not know! Ask why we have become so distant from the truth that we are incapable of breaking through the barriers to selfless service or even understanding our true selves? Why most beautiful deeds are often viewed with levels of cynicism and suspicion? Look deep into yourself! My intention is to challenge us to first of all think for ourselves, then to think deeper, for us to BE THE CHANGE then become informed AGENTS OF CHANGE, not the kind of ‘two fu three cents’ experts ‘knocking dog all over-de-place’!
Written By Rohan Singh