Spying Sherlock Homes

There are many in our society, who would defeat even Sherlock Homes in spying, and in attempting to resolve the mysterious riddles. Spying on innocent men and women, tapping their phones, and reading others mails are some of their trade secrets, and it is hard to stop them from doing it, either in public places or in their private circles. It is sickening if they try to do it when they are living with others. Where there are parallel phone connections, as soon as the phone rings, they would rush to the other set, and wait for the person concerned to start talking, and they would quietly pick up the other set and eavesdrop all the person speaks, so much so they do not feel even a qualm of consciousness to do such a dirty job.

I have come across quite a few people who enjoyed doing it, though a good part of these people belonged to the fairer sex, though I would not overrule the other sex as well. What is at the root of this kind of attitude which impels them to spy on others is more than obvious: it could be looked at on two levels, one is that they would like to know the ins and outs of other persons, so that they would be in a better place to blackmail them and therefore force them to do what they want; the second reason is that they have certain emotional needs and wants, which they wish to fulfil through passive pleasure. This is in straight forward language a perversion, and they take pleasure in such a perverse thing, and there is none to question them.

Unfortunately the people who do such a thing are those who have not received the kind of love and attention that the younger people receive these days, and they are all full of jealousy, and cannot tolerate this happening. But if someone were to confront them and ask why they pick up the phone when another person is talking, their answer would be more than innocent: oh, I wanted to make a phone call, and so was checking if the phone is free! Everyone knows that this is just an excuse for them to continue with their eavesdropping. But it is another matter, if someone else were to do the same when they are on the phone.

Phone tapping had been a big issue on the national level some months ago, and it had been said that it was undertaken by officials under the direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, but when ordinary men and women spy on their brothers and sisters, what pleasure do they get. When children become unruly and disobedient, some of the parents do spy their children, to catch them red-handed with something they can accuse their ward of. But in such cases, spying is done with all good intentions, and sometimes it does good to the children too, but not in the case of adults, where it can only create bad taste in the heart of the members involved. This is a reality many struggle with silently, and there may not be a solution in the near future.

Every information that I share with another person is purely private and no other person has the right to eavesdrop; such a person can be taken to task, but we do not do this, because we do not want to create problem unnecessarily. When younger persons are victims of such vile tactics of some senior persons, the juniors are helpless victims, who cannot do anything to stop such a menace. Life has to go on, and they most often tolerate such senior persons, though the juniors have all the right to pull up the senior and teach them a lesson. In a respectable society, such a thing may not happen, but there may come a time, when such senior persons may be confronted squarely, and then people may relate to one another freely and without fear.

Seeking Self

I am selfish, and let me not pretend that I am selfless, because it would not take more than a minute of dealing with me to realize how selfish I am, and I do not feel bad about it at all. In fact, this is one thing which is so very common to all of human race, big and small, young and old, men and women. Maybe selfishness is the trademark of humanity, and if you don’t believe in it, all that you need to do is to put the person in a situation where there is a need to struggle for survival. To fulfill one’s personal need is the primary concern of every person; the safeguard and protect one’s body, mind, spirit, and the security of one’s future, all form part of that search for one’s survival in the midst of decay and death, and how can I be exempted from this rule of life?

It may sound non-sense, but one has to constantly defend one’s position, even to the extent of justifying one’s wrongdoings and crimes, in order to strengthen his/her own survival. There are not too many takers for the new law of die-to-live rule of Jesus, and even most of his disciples may think twice to apply this golden rule to their personal lives. But that is how the world operates, and all those who would stand against the world may have to feel the wrath of untimely death or prolonged agony. But if that be the case, am I not constantly fighting with the world to protect my own skin, even if I had exhibited my meanness and hardcore selfishness through daily actions? To acknowledge one’s defeat and mistakes is sure to cast a shadow on every tomorrow, and affect my future days.

True awakening can take place in me only when I begin to become conscious of the rottenness that I have landed myself into, and feel an urgent necessity to get out of the rut. Until I get the stench filling my entire body and mind, I may not feel the necessity to own up what I truly am. In such a situation, I may not like anyone else to remind me what kind of person I am; in fact, when someone else might try to instruct me who I truly am, my spontaneous reaction may be to protect myself in public, even if I am ready to acknowledge my commissions and omissions in private. Transformation can take place only when the awakened mind can vouch to turn a new leaf.

But the world is blessed with more than its own share of people who are professional “naggers”, who can quicken the untimely death of normal, sane people, and such a kind of people are not easy to live with. We also come across people who can play the role of catalysts to quicken the process of awakening and the subsequent transformation, and the voice of such people can hardly be heard, because in their case, more than their lips, their hearts speak louder, and they can effect change in others through their very presence, and may not require to go after people to mend their ways. This only requires that the people who struggle to come to terms with their own ugly selves (in fact, all sane men and women go through this process at some time or other) should have enough time to go through the process.

Behind the virtue of patience with the people who struggle to turn a new leaf, is the greater virtue of compassion; it is this virtue which makes one to look at one’s own image in the other person, as if the other person becomes a mirror to become conscious of one’s own shortcomings. Compassion can smash the hardest hearts, melt the strongest metals, and there is nothing that cannot bend its brow before genuine act of compassion. It is a Godly gift, which cannot be bought or sold, but it has to germinate in our hearts, grow to maturity, and when it is in full bloom, there will be several birds of the air coming to take shelter in its shade! That may be a moment of celebration, when all can rejoice forgetting the narrow selfish boundaries, each one crisscrossing with the personal boundaries of others. That is indeed a moment to celebrate!