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Proving people wrong— a pointless pursuit

Well, there are times, when we, too, try indulging in the pointless exercise of proving others wrong
Last Updated 04 August 2021, 17:53 IST

Sometime ago, I was seeing a spectacular film based on Satyajit Ray’s short stories that had spawned scintillating reviews. In that, there is this intriguing character— an intrinsically good human, going irredeemably roguish due to harsh ineluctable circumstances. After inheriting from his grandma, the magnificent art of making myriad facial masks, he moseys around, masquerading as someone else, maliciously indulging in misdemeanours, maligning images of those, who’d have mistreated him.

During his one such escapade, he encounters an eminent seer, endowed with an enigmatic power of clairvoyance, with rare ability to read others’ minds. Coinciding with this time, would be a criminal, on the run, after having molested and murdered a young girl. Now, this aforesaid man, grabs the opportunity to prove the seer all wrong. So, masked as that wanted criminal, he appears before the seer. When enquired about his name, this man, concealing his true identity, utters the same criminal’s name, just to prove to people, the seer was incapable of interpreting minds.

The seer, by his supreme power, sensing sinister designs of this spiteful imposter, keeps on asking for his actual name. And, every time, this wicked person would be mouthing the molester’s name, being stark sure the seer couldn’t see through him. Finally, the seer would say, “So be it”. Feeling pretty exulted, for having proven the seer wrong, the evil person later tries pulling his mask down. But, lo! The mask would have mystically got stuck to his face forever! Now, the people around start pelting stones at him, going by his own admission of being the criminal.

Well, there are times, when we, too, try indulging in the pointless exercise of proving others wrong, just to pitch ourselves higher up. Sans realising, by this awful trait, we’d be unduly antagonising others and alienating ourselves. To an extent, when besieged by baleful situations, there’d be none to step into the breach, to bail us out. Besides, we find our own inner peace getting extinguished, all for that exiguous amount of ego-gratification. A typical case of “Cutting the nose to spite the face”, right?

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(Published 04 August 2021, 17:43 IST)

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