Give Me Some Sunshine, Give Me Some Rain
Give Me Another Chance, I Wanna Grow Up Once Again
These are the lines from the famous song of the movie "3 Idiots". There is enough for everybody's needs in this world, but not sufficient for the greed of even a few. A few people control all the world's resources and exploit others. That's what the British did when they colonised so many countries and depleted them of their natural resources. When the people rise to fight for their rights, they will treat the freedom fighters as terrorists and kill them.
This phenomenon is quite common across the world, at all levels. A few organisations grow large and monopolise the industry, suffocating small players. They resort to monopolistic and unfair trade practices to maintain their dominance. They influence policies and somehow undermine the level playing field, ensuring that a young entrepreneur cannot stand up. Even if someone dares to stand, they spread the news of greed, buy the venture, and kill it or merge it into their own brand name so that their monopoly continues.
It happens in a very big way in societies. Society develops certain beliefs over time. Every member of society has to live life in accordance with these beliefs. What if somebody sees through? What if somebody realises there is something fundamentally wrong with this? What if he questions? He will be trolled. He will be publicly humiliated. What if a person realises the futility of going through the cycles of pain and pleasure and feels like discovering the true meaning of life? The moment he discusses his realisations in a group of friends or in a social gathering, people will ridicule him. He will be termed a Baba or philosopher. Not to praise him, but to demonstrate the anguish of the masses. How can this tiny creature challenge what all of us believe in? He has gone mad. How can he see what all of us have not been able to see?
There is a very strong "ego" of the masses. Let us call it "Herd ego". It's a fact that until and unless we become aware of our "self", we will always be fragile. There is a very simple reason for the same. The moment we are disconnected from our true selves, we seek security in some concept or material thing. We will try to identify with the wealth we have accumulated, the position we work at, the service we belong to, the family we are a member of, the community, the society, religion, or the self-image of being good. But all these things are quite temporary. They change very fast. Then, how do we get security? What's the easiest way? You scratch my back, and I scratch yours. You call me safe and secure, and I call you. It spreads very fast. These beliefs are very assuring. "So many people can't be wrong". When we seek security in all these beliefs, life becomes easy. Do whatever most people do. It's very difficult to search for the meaning of life, but it's quite easy to accept what the masses say. That's why "herd ego" is so dangerous.
When so many insecure people gather together to form a "herd ego", any person who dares to look through and enquire becomes dangerous. Since the very foundation of this "herd ego" is ignorance, and this person challenges the very foundation, he becomes dangerous to that "herd ego". The "herd ego" tells him, " My way or the highway". If you do not do what we all do and if you do not believe in the same things we believe in, then you are useless. Not only useless, but you are a threat to our existence. The enquirer just cries, "Give me some sunshine, give me some rain". But the "herd ego" feels insecure. The "herd ego" knows very well that even a ray of light can destroy the strongest of darkness, and that's why it is afraid. Fear brings aggression, even when so many people are together. That's why mob-lynchings and khap panchayats take place. Once somebody realises the truth, it's difficult to settle for anything less than that. That's why people like Socrates, Meera, Jesus, and Buddha speak truth despite society's collective resistance.
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