08-20-2006, 03:47 PM
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Are we looking for miracles to happen?</span>
Thereâs despondency, hatred, hostility, discontentment and most of all terror around us and in our lives. I know the picture looks very pessimistic but isnât that true? If we think itâs not true then we are in some kind of self-denial. This is true not just in our lives or country but itâs same around the world. There seems to be no peace anywhere in the world. Even in a country like the US people live in fear and are insecure about their lives everyday. A classic example of this insecurity is what has happened recently in the US where a flight had to be landed midway in an emergency because a lady passenger was carrying a screwdriver. If we look at extreme cases like Iraq, even highly educated women keep weapons at home for security because they are not sure about seeing the sunrise next day. Most of them swallow intoxicating drugs for a peaceful nap. Women are living in worst conditions compared to men. Actually, the conditions are much worse than what we read and hear in news/ papers. No nation is free from terrorism. We can be attacked and terrorized anytime and anywhere.
At the personal level too most of us are looking for an escape route. Yes, we have the art of living, yoga, personal management theories, therapies, spirituality etc. to deal with our daily problems and anxiety but still there seems to be no remedy to the teething troubles that we are going through. There are no second thoughts about admitting that it takes great courage and will power to fight these evils in our lives.
We can combat with them by bringing into line all our physical and mental faculties. Thereâs not even an iota of doubt in saying that we lost all our confidence in our so called leaders and politicians. In such situations people need to be directed. Their strengths need to be tapped and directed towards building a new and peaceful society. Perhaps we are looking for a leader who can help us achieve it. When incidents like Lord Ganesha drinking milk and the sea water turning sweet happen people conceive it as miracle because they are desperate. Desperate for miracles to happen and eventually give them hope of a better tomorrow. The intellectual, scientific and rational mind does not accept this theory because it believes in what it sees and senses but the sensitive and emotional heart believes it. Nobody would want to drink filthy and poisonous water but the crowd was so desperate that it cared less to listen to the authorities warning them of serious diseases. I donât say that we have to be superstitious. Thereâs a difference in being superstitious and optimistic. Belief and faith make us optimistic. It is this belief and hope that makes life worth living. Perhaps, this hope lies in the space somewhere between the head and the heart. The leader we are looking for can be one of us and if we are not then we would look for some form of miracle. Whatever or whoever it is we do need miracles. I do need a miracle to live in a peaceful world.
Thereâs despondency, hatred, hostility, discontentment and most of all terror around us and in our lives. I know the picture looks very pessimistic but isnât that true? If we think itâs not true then we are in some kind of self-denial. This is true not just in our lives or country but itâs same around the world. There seems to be no peace anywhere in the world. Even in a country like the US people live in fear and are insecure about their lives everyday. A classic example of this insecurity is what has happened recently in the US where a flight had to be landed midway in an emergency because a lady passenger was carrying a screwdriver. If we look at extreme cases like Iraq, even highly educated women keep weapons at home for security because they are not sure about seeing the sunrise next day. Most of them swallow intoxicating drugs for a peaceful nap. Women are living in worst conditions compared to men. Actually, the conditions are much worse than what we read and hear in news/ papers. No nation is free from terrorism. We can be attacked and terrorized anytime and anywhere.
At the personal level too most of us are looking for an escape route. Yes, we have the art of living, yoga, personal management theories, therapies, spirituality etc. to deal with our daily problems and anxiety but still there seems to be no remedy to the teething troubles that we are going through. There are no second thoughts about admitting that it takes great courage and will power to fight these evils in our lives.
We can combat with them by bringing into line all our physical and mental faculties. Thereâs not even an iota of doubt in saying that we lost all our confidence in our so called leaders and politicians. In such situations people need to be directed. Their strengths need to be tapped and directed towards building a new and peaceful society. Perhaps we are looking for a leader who can help us achieve it. When incidents like Lord Ganesha drinking milk and the sea water turning sweet happen people conceive it as miracle because they are desperate. Desperate for miracles to happen and eventually give them hope of a better tomorrow. The intellectual, scientific and rational mind does not accept this theory because it believes in what it sees and senses but the sensitive and emotional heart believes it. Nobody would want to drink filthy and poisonous water but the crowd was so desperate that it cared less to listen to the authorities warning them of serious diseases. I donât say that we have to be superstitious. Thereâs a difference in being superstitious and optimistic. Belief and faith make us optimistic. It is this belief and hope that makes life worth living. Perhaps, this hope lies in the space somewhere between the head and the heart. The leader we are looking for can be one of us and if we are not then we would look for some form of miracle. Whatever or whoever it is we do need miracles. I do need a miracle to live in a peaceful world.