I am not unaccustomed to feeling sad or low. The one theme about which I have written the largest number of posts is my unhappiness about relationships that I attempted to build that did not work out.
In the past few weeks I have been saddened by a development in the campus community that has consumed a considerable amount of energy of a section of the people.
I will not reveal many details about the incident out of respect for the people involved. Instead I write this to record how and why the episode left me feeling unhappy.
The incident revealed a dark side to many of us, where I saw a strong streak that argued vociferously that justice would be seen to be done only if the most drastic punitive measures were extended to those who we all were convinced were guilty.
And that feeling that there was guilt appeared to be sufficient, no matter whether there was evidence that would not leave a shade of doubt. Usually such prejudging of guilt is associated with mobs that are fuelled by passion rather than reason.
The clamour for punishment was based on many specious arguments. The most noteworthy among them for their lack of reasonableness was this: If the individuals concerned were not extended the most severe possible punishment it would be seen as a license for all the others to indulge in similar inappropriate behaviour.
The consequences of this line of reasoning are troubling. Stated differently it meant that our own standards of behaviour are decided by the likelihood of being censured for misconduct rather than based on our sense of right and wrong. That again is not the sign of educated people.
The second noteworthy reason is that not extending the severest punishment would tarnish the institution's image. I am not convinced of that.
Possibly the world might note that the institution possibly soft pedalled the issue. On the other hand, the world may not even notice that. What with a government at the Centre that is in a rush to prove itself, a government at the state that seems to be hell-bent on and leaving no stone un-turned in discrediting itself and the country being filled with men whose testosterone levels seem to rid them of even the fear of capital punishment, the media has enough else to catch their readers' attention with, than this relatively inconsequential episode.
Why am I sad? Well, for one, I think it has exposed to me the proclivity among some members of the campus community to use matters that do not even to seem to affect them as sticks to beat others with.
I pray to God to give me the good sense that I may not let my judgement fail me. But then as Shankaracharya noted the Indian mind is like a monkey that is not easy to control. And who knows when that monkey might go crazy!
I am also sad for another reason. It made me realise that the father-daughter relationship that I enjoyed with some special people in these past few years was not without its issues. First and foremost, through these days I got the sense that the world may not quite see it that way. And with that realisation I more or less decided to discontinue the quest for adopting a daughter.
What is more, on that note I came across many programmes where no matter how sincere the motive there is the risk that the world might see it differently. That apprehension in turn has made me wary of cultivating any such relationship, even if there be no workplace connection around which the relationship is built.
In short, it has changed in a fundamental manner the way I see my relationship with the workplace community that I am a part of. I feel a lot more restrained in my relationships with people I work with, except with a small handful of friends that I hope will stick up for me. On an extremely cynical note I am not sure if I am realistic in even expecting that!
On developing relationships that involve anything beyond professional or academic transaction, that is another matter altogether. I do not see myself ever venturing beyond whatever remains as absolutely essential for the execution of work.
It is a sad world that I will inhabit to that extent. But then that is what it entails I guess.
Nanni....Namaskaaram....
In the past few weeks I have been saddened by a development in the campus community that has consumed a considerable amount of energy of a section of the people.
I will not reveal many details about the incident out of respect for the people involved. Instead I write this to record how and why the episode left me feeling unhappy.
The incident revealed a dark side to many of us, where I saw a strong streak that argued vociferously that justice would be seen to be done only if the most drastic punitive measures were extended to those who we all were convinced were guilty.
And that feeling that there was guilt appeared to be sufficient, no matter whether there was evidence that would not leave a shade of doubt. Usually such prejudging of guilt is associated with mobs that are fuelled by passion rather than reason.
The clamour for punishment was based on many specious arguments. The most noteworthy among them for their lack of reasonableness was this: If the individuals concerned were not extended the most severe possible punishment it would be seen as a license for all the others to indulge in similar inappropriate behaviour.
The consequences of this line of reasoning are troubling. Stated differently it meant that our own standards of behaviour are decided by the likelihood of being censured for misconduct rather than based on our sense of right and wrong. That again is not the sign of educated people.
The second noteworthy reason is that not extending the severest punishment would tarnish the institution's image. I am not convinced of that.
Possibly the world might note that the institution possibly soft pedalled the issue. On the other hand, the world may not even notice that. What with a government at the Centre that is in a rush to prove itself, a government at the state that seems to be hell-bent on and leaving no stone un-turned in discrediting itself and the country being filled with men whose testosterone levels seem to rid them of even the fear of capital punishment, the media has enough else to catch their readers' attention with, than this relatively inconsequential episode.
Why am I sad? Well, for one, I think it has exposed to me the proclivity among some members of the campus community to use matters that do not even to seem to affect them as sticks to beat others with.
I pray to God to give me the good sense that I may not let my judgement fail me. But then as Shankaracharya noted the Indian mind is like a monkey that is not easy to control. And who knows when that monkey might go crazy!
I am also sad for another reason. It made me realise that the father-daughter relationship that I enjoyed with some special people in these past few years was not without its issues. First and foremost, through these days I got the sense that the world may not quite see it that way. And with that realisation I more or less decided to discontinue the quest for adopting a daughter.
What is more, on that note I came across many programmes where no matter how sincere the motive there is the risk that the world might see it differently. That apprehension in turn has made me wary of cultivating any such relationship, even if there be no workplace connection around which the relationship is built.
In short, it has changed in a fundamental manner the way I see my relationship with the workplace community that I am a part of. I feel a lot more restrained in my relationships with people I work with, except with a small handful of friends that I hope will stick up for me. On an extremely cynical note I am not sure if I am realistic in even expecting that!
On developing relationships that involve anything beyond professional or academic transaction, that is another matter altogether. I do not see myself ever venturing beyond whatever remains as absolutely essential for the execution of work.
It is a sad world that I will inhabit to that extent. But then that is what it entails I guess.
Nanni....Namaskaaram....
