<p>The other day, I got a text message from a friend-philosopher-guide whom I hold in high esteem.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It was a quote which read: “Oh the comfort, the inexplicable comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keeping what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away!”<br /><br />Such persons are few and far between. They sustain one’s faith in humans and their innate goodness. I would like to mention an incident in this regard. A person, wishing to cause a trouble, approached Yamuna who cut her short. “Should there be a controversy, can I mention your name?” she asked in her forthright manner. The tale-bearer, whose intention it was to fish in troubled waters, was shaken. Her face blanched and she beat a hasty retreat.<br /><br />Human nature is frail. Trying to poison people’s minds by giving garbled versions of any incident or happening is an act of cowardice. Even the most grounded, the most mature, the most level-headed are at times swayed by what they hear, especially if the tell-tale is subtle enough to make what is reported sound plausible.<br /><br />Brutus was an upright man with high ideals and principles. But once Cassius began to work on him, using those very ideals and principles to malign Caesar, convincing Brutus was a matter of time. The tenacity with which such people work yields the desired result. When the balance tilts, the tale-bearers exult, having accomplished what they set out to do.<br /><br />The seeds of doubt are sown and will take root soon. Is this a contagion caught from the visual media (which go into a tizzy when ever there is a ‘scoop’ and feel compelled to ‘break the news’) or does the media reflect human nature?<br /><br />What makes them tick? Is it a sense of inadequacy or a sign of insecurity? Do they deserve our condemnation or our pity? The mean will choose to condemn but the generous in spirit will choose to pity.</p>
<p>The other day, I got a text message from a friend-philosopher-guide whom I hold in high esteem.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It was a quote which read: “Oh the comfort, the inexplicable comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keeping what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away!”<br /><br />Such persons are few and far between. They sustain one’s faith in humans and their innate goodness. I would like to mention an incident in this regard. A person, wishing to cause a trouble, approached Yamuna who cut her short. “Should there be a controversy, can I mention your name?” she asked in her forthright manner. The tale-bearer, whose intention it was to fish in troubled waters, was shaken. Her face blanched and she beat a hasty retreat.<br /><br />Human nature is frail. Trying to poison people’s minds by giving garbled versions of any incident or happening is an act of cowardice. Even the most grounded, the most mature, the most level-headed are at times swayed by what they hear, especially if the tell-tale is subtle enough to make what is reported sound plausible.<br /><br />Brutus was an upright man with high ideals and principles. But once Cassius began to work on him, using those very ideals and principles to malign Caesar, convincing Brutus was a matter of time. The tenacity with which such people work yields the desired result. When the balance tilts, the tale-bearers exult, having accomplished what they set out to do.<br /><br />The seeds of doubt are sown and will take root soon. Is this a contagion caught from the visual media (which go into a tizzy when ever there is a ‘scoop’ and feel compelled to ‘break the news’) or does the media reflect human nature?<br /><br />What makes them tick? Is it a sense of inadequacy or a sign of insecurity? Do they deserve our condemnation or our pity? The mean will choose to condemn but the generous in spirit will choose to pity.</p>
