Globalization?

Globalization – Regionalism – The two extremes. Each trying to neutralize the other. It is difficult to imagine both of them to co-exist. We talk of Globalization in almost all aspects of our lives. We also hear of the incidents inspired by regionalism. The irony of the situation does make it difficult to explain. There goes an age old adage, there isn’t smoke without fire or to put it more literally, there is no effect without cause.
It would be cliché to say that Globalization has become the order of the day. This phenomenon would have been impossible but for the human endeavors resulting in technology advancements. Irrespective of ones location on Earth, one can not only be in touch with the entire world but also identify himself being a part of it. We have been able to do away with the geographical boundaries for a lot of things. Efforts are on to make such boundaries invisible for all practical purposes. At the other extreme is the feeling of regionalism - a feeling which does not help people identify with their roots but compels them to be intolerant to others (with different roots). I do feel that identification with ones root is important but this identification by no means should generate a feeling of intolerance for anyone. To sum it up an era of globalization will arrive in true sense when we are tolerant enough to co-exist without loosing the identification with ones root and play our role in this ever-going process of advancement.

Liberal

“We are more liberal than others” – A thought which the entire literati and glitterati can not only identify with but also feel proud to be associated with. The literal meaning of liberal is open-mindedness. A “liberal” mind should be open to all types of thoughts and ideas. It should be free to think whatever it wants to and a “liberal” one does so. But shouldn’t it also let other minds think whatever they want to without any bias or prejudice? Is the “liberal” mind liberal if it compartmentalizes minds? Shouldn’t it treat all minds to be part of a big pool of minds and let everyone think whatever it wishes to instead of having bias against it? I myself am not justified if I claim to be liberal because of my prejudice against people who call themselves so and still are not ready to accept others thoughts and ideas. But then I do not want to claim any such thing. However I do wish is that we get rid of such bias because its effect does not stop at minds only but leads to the society being divided and eventually the entire humanity falling victim to it.

Civic Sense

Last evening while I was walking up the staircase of my apartment back from work, I found an empty chips packet thrown on the stairs. Not that this was the first of its kind occurrence for me, but such things have become an order of the day. People driving the costliest car and yet opening the window of it to throw trash on road, people consuming packed food and water and then not bothering to dispose the empty containers in the right way; such things have become a part and parcel of our lives. However, I fail to understand the urge to litter our surroundings. Is this what our education teaches us? Why do we then grow up calling Earth as Dharti Mata? Aren’t we educated enough to maintain cleanliness by ensuring that waste reaches the appropriate destination so that it can be disposed of in the right way?

United we stand divided we fall

Individual excellence does not necessitate team excellence. The two being entirely different ballgames. This has been very well dealt with in the latest release chak de India. Each of the sixteen women hockey players, with distinct capabilities is a star in herself, but they are a big disappointment as a team. The base line of this incoherence is the unwillingness of the team members to work in cohesion, a phenomenon omnipresent in our country. The irony of the situation being that all of us memorize the following adage “United we stand divided we fall” since our childhood. But we somehow completely miss the essence of it. United here does not only imply unity in the so called diversity inherent in our country, but it also implies oneness in whatever we do. There comes the cliché team-effort.

Each of us has great potential and can achieve the unachievable, a fact which has been recognized by the world also. But I am sure most of us will at the same time agree with the fact that we lack the will to work as One. Working together can do wonders, very rightly conveyed in Chak de. A group of extra ordinary players can defeat the invincible, when each individual works as a part of the team: a lesson which should be learnt, not just memorized by us.