"Catholic Priests Abused Boys"
"Nithyananda caught in a Sex-Tape with an Actress" "
Delhi Sanyasi hires call-girls"
These headlines are seen on the Front pages of newspapers almost daily. So what kind of religion are these men practising? Or should we worry about that at all? Isnt it their private lives and should we worry about what they do with their spare time? These are issues I have mulling about this week....So here goes.
1) Preach what you practise.....or vice versa. If as a sanyasi you have been telling others day in and day out that women are evil-temptresses and salvation of the soul lies in control over the senses -shouldn't you atleast make an effort to "listen to yourself"? If you find that you cannot control your own bodily urges please dont falsely label natural physiological urges as someting evil to be avoided...you dont realize the pschylogical damage you are causing to innocent young IDIOTS who listen to you.
2) Decide if you are a real Sanyasi ...A wise man once told me that a lot of people who should be house-holders (temperamentally) turn sanyasi's and there a lot of sanyasi's who would be better-off being house-holders. So these people should get their act together and really decide what they want out of life instead of muddling along...can I suggest pscho-therapy? Long long ago the ancients prescribed the four stages of a mans life - sanyasi comes last when you have already had a satisfying forty years(two stages-grihastha and vanavasi)of married life and sexual pleasure and are atlast mentally prepared to move on from matters of flesh.
3) Marriage- there is view that enforced celibacy is the reason for these trangressions and that the example of Protestant Pastors who are allowed to marry can eliminate this problem. But I would disagree - marriage has got nothing to do with this. You can be married and you can still be a lecher- looking at a neighbours wife - priest or not. Most men will stop at this - some dont....in fact you are more apt to stray if you are getting it daily - then if you have totally sublimated all your bodily desires to spiritual accomplishments.
4) So the whopper comes now.... does sex impede realizing God? Can we do both - have sex and be religious?. I see no contradiction- it is simply a matter of living in the moment- God rules everywhere - but inside the bedroom wife rules. As simple as that. There is no need for high-falutin discussions on attaining god through sex, like Osho says. Just compartmentalize your life and you can be a sanyasi within a marrige too. And as for those who mix up the two - my message is "get real guys".
These views are very personal and I am not accusing or advising anyone... so keep the rude comments to yourselves.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Wall- E and Gans-P......On Feeling Lonely.
This will be an intenesely cathartic post for self-analysis so readers please excuse- if found boring.
It's been a long time since I found the time/inclination to blog but now I feel an itch to do so - courtesy Star Movies. Specifically - Courtesy of a Friday Premiere show of the movie Wall-E. For those who haven't watched it yet- it shows a lonely robot on Planet Earth cleaning up the garbage in a post-modern world. There was one scene which was an "Epiphany"(with bugles blowing) of sorts for me- Wall-E watches a Classic movie where the hero and heroine hold hands together and then in a fit of sudden desperation almost unknowingly it joins its two hands togther as a metaphor for the loneliness it feels as the sole survivor of planet Earth.
Something struck me then and I realized (this was a late-night 11PM Show) that I too was in a similar mood. How could this be? Haven't I always prided myself as "THE LONE WOLF?", "The El- Mariachi?" the lone Gun-slinger who walks into town, biffs a few bad guys and walks away. The one who never has any Romance in his life, because, face it - any Emotional involvement means Commitment to hang around in one place long enough to gather moss and turn meek. Wasn't I Clint Eastwood with the Swagger and the Sneer? Didn't my life consist only of what I could carry on my horse-back with me? So why this sudden weakening?
And then I realized that I was no longer in my twenties- the biological clock was ticking and I could no longer feel like travelling "LITE" in this world. I found it strange to feel that I no longer considered romance and family as Extra-baggage- something which holds you back in your life/profession. I have been a hard-worker all my life- worked my butt off to get where I'm today. But strangely, as of recent times, all that success which hard work brought me doesnt have the same flavour. I no longer feel the elation I used to do when i Kick-butt professionaly- when people praise me as "the Next Best Thing" or congratulate me on "having a National Reputation"- which was what I could have killed for a few years back.
Coming home late at night- after leaving home with early light- and then to find that my parents have retired for the night and I have nothing to do but watch TV - no one to talk to or share stuff with/have fun with has brought home the message to me that Professional Success/making money is not everything of life. I suddenly miss my Twenties- how I never even tried for romance- never waited in bus-stops or malls for girls, never bought film tickets for two and kept waiting at the entrance while everyone else went in. I have always watched moives alone- because I felt it was a waste of time/money to go watch a movie and then keep talking in the theatre. I missed so much that others of my age enjoyed back then- of course, I was making a lot of money, but it doesnt seem to have made me happy.
I now realize the errors of my ways. I know now that a certain amount of money is enough and too much/too soon means sacrificing everything else. Is it too late to change my life? Can I suddenly go back to being a youth? Start romancing a girl? Any girl? Will my middle-class upbringing allow me to cut back on earning money to spend it on enjoying life? Wont everyone from my parents on-wards say Gans-P has suddenly gone mad? But thats society for you- unreasonable, biased etc.
But, I do feel like Wall-E that I have no one to hold hands with. With all my money and success and fame- how pathetic is that? So, there are Lots of dilemnas/unresolved issues to think about....
It's been a long time since I found the time/inclination to blog but now I feel an itch to do so - courtesy Star Movies. Specifically - Courtesy of a Friday Premiere show of the movie Wall-E. For those who haven't watched it yet- it shows a lonely robot on Planet Earth cleaning up the garbage in a post-modern world. There was one scene which was an "Epiphany"(with bugles blowing) of sorts for me- Wall-E watches a Classic movie where the hero and heroine hold hands together and then in a fit of sudden desperation almost unknowingly it joins its two hands togther as a metaphor for the loneliness it feels as the sole survivor of planet Earth.
Something struck me then and I realized (this was a late-night 11PM Show) that I too was in a similar mood. How could this be? Haven't I always prided myself as "THE LONE WOLF?", "The El- Mariachi?" the lone Gun-slinger who walks into town, biffs a few bad guys and walks away. The one who never has any Romance in his life, because, face it - any Emotional involvement means Commitment to hang around in one place long enough to gather moss and turn meek. Wasn't I Clint Eastwood with the Swagger and the Sneer? Didn't my life consist only of what I could carry on my horse-back with me? So why this sudden weakening?
And then I realized that I was no longer in my twenties- the biological clock was ticking and I could no longer feel like travelling "LITE" in this world. I found it strange to feel that I no longer considered romance and family as Extra-baggage- something which holds you back in your life/profession. I have been a hard-worker all my life- worked my butt off to get where I'm today. But strangely, as of recent times, all that success which hard work brought me doesnt have the same flavour. I no longer feel the elation I used to do when i Kick-butt professionaly- when people praise me as "the Next Best Thing" or congratulate me on "having a National Reputation"- which was what I could have killed for a few years back.
Coming home late at night- after leaving home with early light- and then to find that my parents have retired for the night and I have nothing to do but watch TV - no one to talk to or share stuff with/have fun with has brought home the message to me that Professional Success/making money is not everything of life. I suddenly miss my Twenties- how I never even tried for romance- never waited in bus-stops or malls for girls, never bought film tickets for two and kept waiting at the entrance while everyone else went in. I have always watched moives alone- because I felt it was a waste of time/money to go watch a movie and then keep talking in the theatre. I missed so much that others of my age enjoyed back then- of course, I was making a lot of money, but it doesnt seem to have made me happy.
I now realize the errors of my ways. I know now that a certain amount of money is enough and too much/too soon means sacrificing everything else. Is it too late to change my life? Can I suddenly go back to being a youth? Start romancing a girl? Any girl? Will my middle-class upbringing allow me to cut back on earning money to spend it on enjoying life? Wont everyone from my parents on-wards say Gans-P has suddenly gone mad? But thats society for you- unreasonable, biased etc.
But, I do feel like Wall-E that I have no one to hold hands with. With all my money and success and fame- how pathetic is that? So, there are Lots of dilemnas/unresolved issues to think about....
Sunday, December 27, 2009
COP15- The climate change story
I am vindicated. Although it gives me no pleasure to say so - i still feel vindicated. Long, long ago, back when the primary elections for nominations to the US Presidency were going on - I supported Hillary Cinton for the reason that she was pretty much predictable. But the American Public rejected my advice in favour of Obama and see where we are. As I rightly feared Obama as president has been all show and no substance- what we in India term a "benami" - a front, a smooth talking presidential front, for all sorts of vested interests. A no-name African-American waltzing to the front of the presidency with campaign contributions raised on the internet- seriously how gullible can you get?
And now its there for all to see- President Obama waltzs into Copenhagen, bullies and threatens a core group of nations to provide him with what he wants - a "historic" photo-op and jets back to Washington. Meanwhile the climate talks are dead- the planet is burning - everyone keeps passing the buck to the next person in the line and by the time we get our act together it is going to be far more difficult to cut back on the ever increasing emission levels.
Add to that the world wide paranoia against nuclear energy - ironic isn't it, considering that the very sunlight we need for survival (plants eat photons of sunlight-photosnythesis, animals eat plants and we eat animals, hence we eat sunlight)- ultimately everyone on planet earth derive their energy from the suns rays, which are produced by a fusion reaction inside the sun- a natural nuclear reaction - clean nuclear energy.
The future of mankind lies in directly harnessing the sun's photons(solar energy) or in controlled fusion reactions. we have reached the end of fossil fuels.. time to kickstart the nuclear energy research race, isnt it? And what happened in Copenhagen? everyone was indulging in blame games- demanding compensation and atonement.
People it is time to move on - and for our species to do that we need effective and intelligent leadership. Sadly the whole world seems to be missing that. We dont need publicity hogs, we need real leaders with working agendas. so who is to bell the cat?
And now its there for all to see- President Obama waltzs into Copenhagen, bullies and threatens a core group of nations to provide him with what he wants - a "historic" photo-op and jets back to Washington. Meanwhile the climate talks are dead- the planet is burning - everyone keeps passing the buck to the next person in the line and by the time we get our act together it is going to be far more difficult to cut back on the ever increasing emission levels.
Add to that the world wide paranoia against nuclear energy - ironic isn't it, considering that the very sunlight we need for survival (plants eat photons of sunlight-photosnythesis, animals eat plants and we eat animals, hence we eat sunlight)- ultimately everyone on planet earth derive their energy from the suns rays, which are produced by a fusion reaction inside the sun- a natural nuclear reaction - clean nuclear energy.
The future of mankind lies in directly harnessing the sun's photons(solar energy) or in controlled fusion reactions. we have reached the end of fossil fuels.. time to kickstart the nuclear energy research race, isnt it? And what happened in Copenhagen? everyone was indulging in blame games- demanding compensation and atonement.
People it is time to move on - and for our species to do that we need effective and intelligent leadership. Sadly the whole world seems to be missing that. We dont need publicity hogs, we need real leaders with working agendas. so who is to bell the cat?
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