This may be the shortest article that I would have written so far, but I still would want to continue with it. I really do not know when we as a country would stop religious hatred. I am sick and tired of it. Punjab has been peaceful for many years now, thanks to the iron hand of Mr. Gill - who rooted out violence in a fashion that deserves credit. I am amazed that in a country like ours where virtually every religion is given its due, we still fight and more importantly kill in the name of religion. Until and unless we realize the true purport of religion we will never be able to come out this malady which has afflicted us. The insane notion of my God versus yours is a theory that we had put to rest millleniums ago, but yet we continue to perpetrate the theory because none of them who participate in these demonstrations have actually made effort to read about their religion. I hope A DAY will come when we can fight over more pressing issues than these. I hope I will live to see that Day.

The human mind is a very curious thing. One never knows what goes on in it. We can never fathom the mind of anybody. The outside persona is no way totally indicative of the inner workings. The recent brutalities in Noida emphasizes my point. History is indicative of the fact that the human mind is essentially brutal, callous and completely selfish. The depths of depravity that we have reached over the last two thousand years is staggering to say the least. Numerous studies have been made on the reasons for mind degenerating to such levels and the conclusions drawn are unanimous in that the mind is shaped and moulded by society; and ones place in it. The reactions of the individual’ genetic structure to the experiences around him places each one in a unique position and hence the inner world of any man is something that is true only for him.

Colin Wilson - a Criminologist, has made incisive studies on the nature of serial killers and has written numerous readable works on it. His conclusion on the nature of these killers is pretty interesting. Almost all the serial killers are very normal people with normal behaviour.In some cases, they have been found to be extremely intelligent too. It would be very difficult for the outside world to perceive any difference in any of them. One common background all of them share is that most of them would have had an abused childhood or an environment in which a lot of violence and brutality was displayed. Parental dysfunction coupled with neurotic upbringing of the child would invariably result in a distorted or schizophrenic personality.

A psychological investigation into most serial killers would reveal they have no compunction, guilt or sympathy for the victims. In fact, they are totally convinced about what they have done. It simply doesn’t strike them they have a laid an innocent life to waste. In some rare cases, the killer confesses and seeks pardon of the relatives of the deceased, but largely they are insensitive to their acts. Sometimes, one does get to sympathize with them. They are according to me, victims of circumstances. It is hardly imaginable to assume that all of them were born with such brutality and cruelty.

Unlike in the west, we do not make an attempt to study such characters. Our only aim is to prove them guilty and show them the gallows. It is a fact that they have to punished for their crimes but that should not stop us from trying to understand them- their motivations and reasons for turning into cannibals. I truly believe that such a study would reveal a lot many things, some of them very unpleasant for the government and the society that it governs. More often, it is the abnormalities identified in a system that will help us change and evolve into something better, but it requires guts to accept that there are imbalances, which many societies unfortunately don’t possess. Let us not solely focus on the incident at Noida but look at the meaningless violence that is rapidly increasing around us. Rapes, murders and insensitive behavior are all signs of a society wherein a rot has set. The glaring differences between the have’s and have not’s has furthered fuelled the fire. The rift between people is inevitable in a growing society, but we need to deal with the transition in a sane and healthy manner. A mature society is one wherein an individual has the freedom to deal with his life in a healthy fashion and is not confined to confirming to a set of rules and regulations. The more the psyche is suppressed, the more will it lead to psychotic behavior? And, once the dichotomy happens, the human being is no more in control and he plummets into abyss of moral and physical depravity which no law or morals can deter. It is better to address the root cause first than to blame the end result. The Noida case can become an eye opener to us if we learn something from it apart from punishing the guilty. If its is going to be another political gimmick orchestrated for the benefit of an select few, then we are totally missing the point. The choice is ours.

To succeed in our professional careers, we need to have a lot of commitment and passion. The successful ones have both of these characteristics in plenty. But today unfortunately, young professionals want to have it the easy way. It doesn’t dawn on them that success is a byproduct of an activity and canot be tasted without hardwork. The early days of ones professional life is very crucial towards achieving great things in life. Money should not be the first prerogative during that phase. It is the learning that is important. In those formative years one must cultivate good attitude, wiliingness to give oneself to the job in hand and a passion for whatever one is doing. Once these characteristics have taken seed, then there is always a chance that succes may come your way. I am the head of a software training center where I mostly employ young graduates as trainers. These youngsters have no clue about the industry and its requirements. All that they know is that there is money in the field and they want to make as much of it as possible in quick time. At the outset they are not interested in training, but have joined us because they could not get employment anywhere else. After having gotten in, their attitude is so pathetic, that we regret why we employed them in the first place. In spite of groming them, they are always on the look out for a different job. To them, Training is a menial job meant for people who are not capable of anything else.Astounding!!!!.

I have dedicated my career to training and I dont regret a wee bit. My point is not everybody can teach. So its perfectly acceptable that one may want to move on life to more suited areas, but once into a job there must be total commitment to it. Otherwise ,there is no justice at both ends. Any job for a fresher should be a dream come true. Its the first straw they hold to climb up. They must use it as an oppurtunity to refine themselves for better oppurtunities. A time will come when the organization cannot hold them, that is the time to leave and seek greener pastures.

I have witnessed innumerable cases where despite tutoring freshers in all these aspects, they would still go their own way. I feel sad when that happens because they will learn the importance of all these the hard way, when they will have no choice. Well, if it is their destiny then nobody can change it. It is my firm opinion that any job done with sincerity and commitment would result in the betterment of that person. Successful lives are testimonials to this principle.

As Human beings we have this immense need to feel important and to be given importance. In fact this need is greater than that of Money. Other species too exhibit this characteristic, but in them it is more of physical and territorial strength more than anything else. In humans, we need this importance more in the form of a Psychological craving. At office, at home everywhere we need to be seen as somebody great. Lets then understand this phenomenon in some detail.

I suppose as children, we are taught to respect and revere our parents as somebody bigger than ourselves. We begin by imitating the way they behave. And as our education progresses, we are shown various role models for us to follow. Internally, we are in awe of these idols for the adulation and respect that they get. Our school lives are full of episodes that express the need for praise and glory. The debate competition that we have won; or a sport that we have excelled in; or a first rank in the class – all these are illustrations of the psyche’s need to be appeased. By and By, as we pass on to adolescence, our character’s become pretty complex and consequentially the demand for importance takes on various hues. Jealousy, infatuation, intellectual superiority are some of the manifestations of this phase. Then as career starts rolling along, work related cravings set in and after marriage ego related issues between the Husband and the wife brings in a new dimension to an already complicated scenario.

According to me, the reason for the complexity of human existence is this need to feel important at all points in our lives. We crave for company so that we may exhibit our superiority. We can never accept the fact that we are unimportant. Recently, near my office I witnessed a classic example of this. For nearly twelve years an auto stand is functioning at the door step of my office. About two months ago due to the some complaints by the nearby residents they were asked to vacate the place and move to the other side of the road, which was thoroughly disliked by the auto drivers. To aggravate them further, the municipality demolished a fence that they were trying to build around a tree. I could see on their faces a rage that would come only when one is treated with disdain. Now to prove their importance they sought the allegiance of politico-social party and had the stand inaugurated with great fun fare. There was absolute glee on their faces, as they were trying to prove a point to the people who seemly haven’t given them their due respect. Well, at their level this was all that they could do. But isn’t it the same story in all facets of our life- The need to prove a point.

In a horrendous storm, the grass does not get uprooted. But the Bamboo tree will. The reason is simple. The grass will gracefully bend to allow the storm to pass away, but the Bamboo tree tries to prove a point. Streams don’t fight with the boulders that come its way. It meanders away slithely towards its final destination. We as Humans need to learn the art of doing that. Being important and decisive is not required in everything that we do. Our lives could be lot simpler if we could shed out sense of being important and start going with the flow of life. The cosmos has thought you important enough. That’s sufficient. We need not have to strive for it. Let us for a moment contemplate upon our position not in society but in the expanding vastness of this Universe. We are all privileged enough to be a part of this exotic cosmic dream. We just have to relax and let go. We all have a part to play, and it will be played immaterial of our efforts. This is not a fatalistic view of living. No. It is understanding the beauty of life and bowing down to it with reverence and humility. To know that the pulsating gene that’s makes me throb with life is the same stuff that enlivens everything in this Galaxy is a thought that makes me shudder and relieves me at once of any sense of self importance and I start perceiving life in a new light. My false sense of ego dissolves in this knowledge; and what’s left of me is a mere organism that participates seamlessly in the glorious ride of life.