Death of a Cockroach

It didn’t occur to me at first, but after killing a creature, suddenly it struck me that I have done something that is bad! The uninvited guest crawled into my room stealthily, and I was not quite prepared to invite him; the insecticide was there at my table, with the nozzle to spray the poison on anyone who would invade my room. It did not even take me one minute to finish off the cockroach which was emerging out of a corner of my room. Probably the innocent creature did not know that I would be so very violent with him/her, and that I had a very strong weapon to kill him/her through a violent death. After killing the creature, I had a guilt feeling for indulging in such cold-blooded murder.

But this is not the first time that I had indulged in such a violent, brutal killing of a creature, which has the same kind of right to live on earth, as myself. It was terrible to see the poor creature wiggle and die, and it took just a few seconds; the poison should have crippled it within seconds, just as cyanide might do to a human person. It was after letting the entire episode to subside that I was asking myself, from where did the human beings get the audacity to wipe out all the other creatures from the face of the earth? The numerous species of animals and plants which have been wiped out of the universe may never ever see the light of day; they are gone forever, and we still have no regret for killing them.

Human life is centered on utilitarianism; everything which is useful to humanity is considered good, and anything which does not benefit humanity is considered bad; but can there be anything bad under God’s divine plan? Are not all creatures, great and small, have a specific role and function in this vast universe? Who are human beings to sit on the seats of judgment and decide which is good and which is bad? What would happen if some other superior creature on the universe were to sit on judgment seat and condemn the human race, and kill them at will, as if we were just perishable insects and pests? It is good for us to realize that we are not the masters of the universe, but merely custodians.

Every time when a creature departs from the face of the earth, the life of the earth is also considerably reduced, even if we say that that is not true. The universe is enriched and ennobled by the countless number of creatures on its face, and whenever any of them bid farewell to the world, then their place is left vacant, and no wonder the world is slowly becoming deserted and it may not be too late before we witness the empty plains and valleys, which are barren and deserted. Even the most poisonous of snakes and animals have their specific role to play in the universe, and it would be wrong for the human persons to decide what that role would be.

I am here at this hour not so much to mourn the death of the cockroach, which it is said, is the only creature which can withstand the worst kind of natural calamity; they may have the physical and mental makeup which may be far superior to the human beings, and we may not be in a position to accept and acknowledge it, but that is a fact. Today as I bring the poor creature before my eyes, I would like to promise that next time when it is my turn to take the life of yet another creature from the earth, I will think twice. Just as I have the right to live on earth peacefully, the others too have the same right, and I would not go outright to endanger their lives.

Lords of my Life

We do not want anyone to lord over us, and that is the most insulting and humiliating thing that we can think of. Even when we work in an office as a subsidiary to someone else, we feel that she should be treated with dignity and honor, that befits every human person. Just because I am subordinate to someone else, does not necessarily mean that this person can treat me as s/he wants. When my dignity and honor are in stake, I may find ways of getting out of such situation, unless I am ready to face all humiliation and dishonor in order to cling to the job. Sometimes it is a question of survival vis-à-vis living with dignity.

If that is the case with most of us, when it comes to handling problems, difficulties and challenges, especially related to human relations, we often tend to let others take full control over us. In other words, we joyfully and unconditionally hand over the key to our inner self to others, and when they begin to control us, we feel bad for dancing according to their tunes. Most often we tend to behave according to the expectations of others, and that is the reason why it is so very easy to make us happy or unhappy. Others know what can make us tickly with joy, and what can bring tears in our eyes, and they would make use of this formula wisely in order to get the maximum out of us.

My proposition in the above paragraphs may have remained still a riddle; let me put it across plainly. I have realized that I take the words, behaviors and response of people towards me so very seriously, that everything they say or do to me affects me, positively or negatively. I could check for myself: how easy it is to make me float in the clouds of happiness; a few words of appreciation or flattery is all that is required. Or how easy it is to make my blood boil – a few words of contempt, of indifference, or insult. In either case, I have given the key to my secret inner self to others, and they can make me either happy or sad, as they wish, and they are absolutely sure I would respond to them as expected. Is it not a sad situation?

In such circumstances, our life becomes just a monkey play; if the keeper were to tell me something, I would do it promptly. If he asks me to jump, I would do; if he asks me to kick him, I would do, without thinking if I should really do what he tells me. But is it possible for me to respond differently? Of course I can, and there is not a single soul on earth who can question me why I responded differently. It is all a matter of re-programming my mind, so that when I get impulses which can either make me happy or sad, I tell myself that I would not be carried away by the impulses. Giving in to either of the impulses can lead me to doom, and I can find hundreds of examples for this.

Ultimately what would I want to do? I should not allow anyone to control me, through prompting a particular kind of impulses. It would be safe for me to defy their impulses and be what I am, and what I wish to be. In other words I should not be easily carried away by the words and actions of others; they may say whatever they may wish to, but I can still decide to take it or not, and to be moved by it or not. This is the situation when I truly become a spiritual person, not disturbed by praise or blame, and Bhagavad Gita would say that such are the persons dear to the Lord. When I do not allow myself to be touched and controlled by what others say and do, then I hold the key to my inner self, and am truly the master/mistress of my soul, and that is when I truly begin to live my life.