Gerald D'Cunha

“ My pain may be the reason for somebody's laugh. But my laugh must never be the reason for somebody's pain.” -        Charlie Chaplin D uring the campaign for Presidential elections in America in 2016 (Donald Trump Vs Hillary Clinton), Michelle Obama’s one statement had inspired me the most. She said: “When they go low, we go high.” Now, reflect on this statement… How profound it is! I had nothing to do with Trump or Hillary, nothing about who wins or who loses there… Still, when Michelle said that, I felt she was talking about a universal truth – an everyday truth – of Life… I come across this challenge every day… There are those bullies around me, who are chronically insecure and operate from fear, hatred and complete lack of trust. They can stoop to any low level to defame you and destroy you… And, often, they seem to succeed in what they do… And, this is where the true test of my charact...

W hat is genuine and good reveals itself, sooner or later… Yes, no matter how much our opponents try to tarnish it with taint or bury it under muck. They cannot stop what is genuine and good from revealing itself, when time comes. Similarly works its counterpart: What is fake and bad reveals itself, sooner or later, too… Yes, no matter how desperately and aggressively we try to ‘sell it’ through our might and propaganda, along the way suppressing and oppressing the genuine and the good. When time comes - and as they say, when the tide changes – the bluff gets exposed… That’s the cycle of Karma: If we do good, the good comes back to us… It’s only a matter of time. The question, therefore, is this: What about those who hurt us and try to destroy us relentlessly?   Yes, many a time, we find ourselves helpless in front of this tyranny. We do tend to think, often, that there is no divine justice… There is… There is! Time doesn’t spare any tyr...

T he judges, who dispense justice to us, are humans just like us. They think, feel and act just like us. They may be the judges of the Supreme Court of India… But, they rise and fall just as we do. They have families – parents, siblings, wives, children, grandchildren, in-laws and other relations… They attend social functions, worship in temples, mosques and churches just as we do… They watch movies and matches, listen to songs and read books just as we all do… Above all, they argue and fight in private and seek justice and forgiveness just as we all do… So, the other day, when four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court revolted in public against the Chief Justice of India, we all were shocked and called it ‘unprecedented’. It was… But, to me, a justice dispensed by a human being – whether he is local sarpanch or the CJI - yes, to me, it is a justice dispensed by a fallible, vulnerable mortal just like any of us. Thus, when I hear some saying, “The Su...

Pic.: Avinash Mantri Y ears ago, when I had decided to do something about my poor English, one of the things I did – and found very effective – was telling a nice story in two tenses… the Present and the Past. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of people, who were earnest about improving their English, with the same method… Yes, write a nice story down in both the tenses… and, then, tell it to someone… There ‘are’ these people in this world… and, like this monkey did, they who keep harassing others… and, they get away with their misadventure only till they receive a treatment they really deserve… I call it ‘Bhagwan ki lathi’… THE MONKEY AND THE BUFFALO PAST: T he   legend has it that, long time ago, Lord Buddha was born in the form of a buffalo. So, by his very nature, this buffalo was very kind, tolerant and loving to every creature around him. No matter how unkind and unloving others behaved towards him, the buffalo did ...

We live in an imperfect world… and with imperfect people all around us. Above all, we are imperfect people, too. This imperfection should instill in us the wisdom not to keep unnecessary expectations from people around us… Rather, keep them to the minimum and keep only reasonable ones. Similarly, it should not turn us bitter when we see others spreading false propaganda against us… even plot against us. It is an imperfect world, and people around us are imperfect. We, too, are imperfect. So, people can be unreasonable, ungrateful and vengeful and vindictive.  The main thing is that we have to live in this world and with the people around us. It is important that we keep our respective faith in our values, our God and life itself… in the goodness of life. We should remain buoyant… Pro-life.    The persons who act mean towards us are there to make our faith in life even stronger… and not to rob us of it. It is not ...

  “We get back what we give to others.” Today, this thought has been playing on my head. And, each time the thought returns to play, it leaves me a lot relieved – lighter, happier and peaceful. What I give to others… I, certainly, know. If I consciously try to be kind, just and loving to them, will it help me? What if, the other person doesn’t reciprocate? What if, he behaves towards me in an unkind, unfair and cruel way? And, let me see it in its opposite way too: What if I consciously try to be unkind, unfair and cruel to the other person? What will I get in return? Which is better: to be consciously kind, just and loving to my fellow-being, or, to be unkind, unfair and vindictive? There is a popular Jataka Tale. Each time, I recall it, it makes me smile…  To be kind, just and loving to my fellow-being is my ‘duty’…, my dharma, my religion… When he doesn’t reciprocate – tries to ...

 What happened in Denver, on Friday night, can happen anywhere in the world. The shoot-outs like that need no logic. The gun-men are young and they can enter any school, any mall, any cinema hall and any prayer place – and go on an insane killing- spree. And, it all will be over in just a few seconds or minutes! It can happen anywhere, any day… any moment. Aurora cinema of Denver is just a symbol. The 24-year-old suspect, James Holmes, is just a symbol. He being a neuroscience PhD-student is just a symbol. The reported claim of the suspect, that he thought he was ‘the Joker’, is just a symbol. That he chose to do it while screening the most-awaited Batman-movie – ‘The Dark Knight Rises' – is also a symbol. And, yes, that his senseless act took away or battered so many innocent lives, too, is a symbol. The symbol is: ‘the Joker’, the famous villain of the Batman movie, inspires some of us. Makes us do what he does… like: rob mi...

Long back, when I had first come across the phrase, ‘The larger good’, I remember I liking it immensely. I also remember deciding to make it one of the driving forces behind all my future actions. Yes, I have been consciously striving to go about my life, carrying out almost every thing I do keeping the principle of ‘the larger good’ in my heart. I said, I have been ‘consciously striving’… earnestly striving. I know how powerful this principle is… how empowering… how constructive.  However, as another human being, sometimes, I find it difficult to stick to this principle. I tend to overlook it, and, invariably the consequence is: a feeling of isolation, low confidence and regret and even anger. Yes, it does happen to me every time I tend to place ‘my good’ before the ‘larger good’.  I have realized this, very clearly, by now:  The larger good includes my good.    But, my good need not – and, mostly, doesn’t –...