Gerald D'Cunha

  “People are, often, illogical, unreasonable and self-centered…   Love them anyway.” Dr. Kent M. Keith   W hen we say, ‘Humans are complex beings’, it includes all of us. If I think, others’ behaviour is, often, illogical, unreasonable and self-centered, others, by all probability, would think the same way about my behaviour… People are thankless… Well, people say, I, too, am… One of the toughest things to do for me is to take things less personally – if not completely avoid taking it so. My interpretations of others’ behaviour – their mood swings, sulkings, reactions, words etc. – are the reasons why there are mood swings and sulkings in me, too. So, why someone behaves towards me the way he/she does – well, the more I refrain from interpreting and weaving stories around it, the better it is for my mental hygiene… You see, I have no control on others’ behaviour. Their mood swings, reactions, blame, accusations – are not my creations; it’s their own… Ju...

Pic.: Swati Gangurde T he man next to me is not – and he can not be - like me. If I am polite and gentle, he may not be. If I am very patient, he may not be. If I like to be dependable, he may not be... If I am good-mannered, he may not be... That’s world... The imperfect world we live in! Sometimes, I ask: Why should I be patient with my neighbor when he is not? Why should I show courtesy when he doesn’t? Why should I greet his reactive behavior with my proactive one? Yes, why can’t I treat him with his own medicine - Tit-for-tat... An- eye-for-an-eye? But, the more I ask these questions to myself, the more silent I become... I reason out: our goodness can be tested only in an imperfect world... The nastiness of others can be handled more effectively by our assertive gentleness... That, I need not stoop to someone’s level to bring peace within my soul...   My anger is my reaction to my own inefficiencies... When I constantly react to other people, ...

I am Anna! Nobody became an ‘Anna Hazare’ just by donning that ‘sexy’ Gandhi topi! Nor did the scourge of corruption go from this country… No, the Black Money worth crores and crores of dollars, stacked in those Swiss lockers – as the folklore goes – has come back to India. No, not yet.  The Delhi fast ended… and, we thought Anna had won. The Mumbai fast flopped… and we thought Anna got cow-dung on his face! Yes, in this great national pastime – the ‘tamasha’ -  we are either with the Government or with the opposition or with Anna. We are seldom with ourselves! We expect Anna to do the ‘the scavenger work’ for us… Clean this mess. This ‘S..t’ called corruption!  We are fools of the first order… We have pinned hopes on Kasab. Means: When he is hanged, our nation will be free from terrorism! Now, we have pinned hopes on this old man, Anna… Means: When he fasts, the Government will pass the Bill… and, Bingo! Phut goes the corruption! Anna has promi...