HumBug..

Do you feel you can make a difference to the present state of our being.?

Maybe by teaching, lecturing, and sending good meaningful forwards through social media and other platforms?

For if you think you can change another’s perspective, please rethink.

And if you still think so, you live in an illusionary world.

Life’s illusions are attractive, so we quickly fall into their trap.

And the net is vast, for everything falls in its ambit.

The thought that you work for a good cause doesn’t escape its clutches.

Please do not misunderstand; I am not talking about the help you give to one in dire need. That is when you act as you see.

It is humane and compassionate if you see someone suffering to go out to help, take him to the hospital on time, or if you see someone hungry, you offer them food etc.

But trying to be righteous by thinking of doing good, being good and thinking of others is “Humbug.”

It gives instant gratification to your ego, leading you to a fraudulent purpose and boosting your persona.

This happened to me a few years ago when I thought I was doing things for a good cause, a very purposeful drive.

A green environment, pollution-free, clean locality, a task which just needed the right tweaking and conscientious individuals who needed to put in a little of their time.

I spoke convincingly,

“Believe me, I promise we will change the face of our lane, and it will be quite simple if we unite”.

Continuing, purposefully, “I assure you it will not take much of your time, as we can take turns doing the needful”.

One of them replied rather vehemently,

“But you see, we are busy, our daily schedule is tedious, and we cannot be as accessible as you are, so I don’t think it would be possible.”

Undeterred, I said, ” Don’t worry, you won’t have to do much, but a little bit, as we are so many, and we could take turns. Please volunteer on the days you can, and on other days I’m sure we’ll have others to volunteer to.

I thought giving back to society and the community we live in was understandable, for we owe it for our stay here.

It sounded great. I wanted everyone to participate in what I thought was a long-term goal.

The lane ladies reluctantly agreed, and our group was called ” Go Green”. We then formed a What’s App group under the same name.

There were over 75 members in the group, and initially, there was a lot of excitement, with promises of co-operation.

The group served its purpose of announcing meetings, assessing progress, and assigning duties to each other.

Inspiration led us to believe that we would create an ideal model of community living to be replicated all over.

“Let us create a model in our locality so it can be replicated”, we often mentioned.

So we formed an ALM for our locality and worked day and night to organise things. We were 4 to 5 active members who took up all the problems our locality faced right up to the BMC and the officers in charge.

Smt Jyotsana Dighe was the corporator at the time. She diligently listened to our complaints and queries and set up meetings with department heads to listen to and solve our problems, helping us find apt solutions for the same.

For about three years, we worked relentlessly, from 2014-to 2017.

The problem of hawkers, segregation of wet and dry waste, traffic congestion in our lanes due to wrong parking, and opening of various pubs and restaurants in residential areas and a massive school on our street lead to congestion and disorder.

A cleanliness drive was organised to bring awareness, where school children enacted the effects of pollution and non-segregation of waste, in short, increasing civic awareness etc.

Waste composite methods were discussed, and the BMC began recognising and working hand in hand with the residents.

Weekly fumigations and dry garbage vans were organised to pick up dry waste collected in all societies.

Meetings were set up, with the BMC heads of all departments, like town planning, traffic police, waste management, sewerage etc., to lodge complaints and find solutions for the same.

Though we were 5 of us in the forefront, we still needed everyone to put in their bit, in their societies, in helping us implement civic sense, segregation of waste etc.

More critical, we needed representation in large numbers at the BMC to voice our complaints to ensure effective action from time to time.

The first few meetings in our garden and the society office were fruitful, discussing segregation, garbage disposal, and recycling.

Members joined in, and things seemed to be looking bright.

Then after a few meetings, suddenly, things fizzled out.

Somehow the message received by the members was distorted. They thought it was our responsibility to organise things since we were the initiators.

It was not their concern, it was our dream to live in a clean, pollution-free environment, and they were obliging us by joining in.

Soon we were bombarded with calls from members of different societies to help them get through the BMC for their specific societal issues.

We kindly obliged, thinking they would understand the general needs too, as they did their specific ones.

Then as we organised meetings with all the BMC officers of different departments to take up the causes of all issues ( Traffic police, town planning, garbage etc.) we faced, we needed their attendance, which was a big block.

They were not willing to come out of their cocoon and steered away.

Soon the Go Green group became another What’s App group, which forwarded soul-rendering messages with replies like WOW, Great and beautiful emojis.

“The ladies used it to promote their businesses and advertise on it, like”Pl forward to friends our latest designs etc., for more details contact so and so”.” etc.

That is when I realised that only realisation helps you change. I also realised that I had expectations from the others and that friends are a dooms call.

If I realised, as did the other four, it was ours to go ahead without expecting from the others.

We just had to do what we could and eventually did so.

That is when I realised there is no such thing as changing anyone or expecting anything from the other.

I asked myself, ” Why do you expect anything? and a new realisation set in.

Do I pause and think about them? Their state of being, and where they stand. For friends, conditioning, and past experiences define you as a person, unless you are willing to shed it all and see life as it is today.

Then the definition of you cannot be defined. You are new today and will see things as they are today.

No past can influence you, and no future is doomed, for you will be the change to a new change.

History will not repeat; foras we welcome a new era, it will change.

It’s simply that simple.

And as you move ahead on the long path in life’s journey, aware of what you see, you dodge the ferocious lion and the venomous snake on your way by changing your course.

But it is sad to see that most of us are asleep, and we cannot see the ferocious lion and the venomous snake.

We haven’t reached there yet, for we move about in circles, mechanically living life, cooking, cleaning, earning money, etc., and live in sleep, in a world of illusions,

And if you’ve moved ahead out of illusions and see the lion, tell the rest, ” Watch out there is one round the corner, ” they look at you suspiciously and say, ” Is there one? I can’t see it, though”.

Then they carry on their mechanical work relentlessly until such time when the lion overpowers, and an accident occurs.

And if you think things will change, do not think, for that is “Break time” dearies, until the accident is repaired, and then back to sleep for most of us.

The ones who awaken can join the bandwagon of the aware ones, who know that as the sun sets each day, theirs has not been wasted..

They have dodged the ferocious tiger and the venomous snake on their path.

Today, we are faced with the most ferocious lion and venomous snake approaching us in the form of environmental damage.

But we cannot see it, as we are ” Gainfully Occupied “, we pay taxes, and so are licenced to litter, spit, create dirt and pollution, wastewater, and power, and do all sorts of damages to the environment”.

If anything goes wrong, we have te government to condemn, and those who are stupid enough to take up such causes.

Believe me; they will not be able to change a thing, for we are the change.

Unfortunately, the ones who don’t understand the above, are in majority, and so we can get no respite unless our numbers increase.

” Sorry Mother Earth, as we see you breathe your last, can we do something?

Can we stop by and give everyone a piece of mind, telling them to stop any further damage to its giver.

But will they lend their ear?

No, said Earth, but it’s not too late yet.

Go ahead and transform yourself first, ” Be the change you want”.

It’s not OK, dear, but then you don’t get deterred, do your bit.

For as you do yours, the one next to you, sees you and is inspired as well.

Slowly and steadily, you’ll see a change, a new revolution will begin.

All I can say is that the only way to change, is to change, and if you know it, ” Just Do it.”

Change, but don’t waste your time telling the other to.

So saying, it faced the ferocious storm, which washed away most of its material elements.

Friends, your realisation is your change. Then , you will know of the poisonous snake or ferocious lion ahead..

Then instead of sleeping in the illusionary lullaby of countless heart-stirring designed to stir your heart outwardly, you will go inward and stop being distracted by them.

Then you’ll be content as you will see the actual content of what is.

“WHAT IS” is reality.

.The rest is all HUMBUG.

“Oh, just shut up,” I say as I push away the wandering mind which comes up again with those righteous thoughts of doing good.

“Come on, do some good work, join an NGO, form a trust, teach the poor, etc. it urges, and that is when I feel that I am not true to myself and want to establish a persona of the righteous.”

Pushing away such thoughts, I tell myself to mind my own, and surge ahead on my path, to raise my level of being.

This is my arena, and I will always act according to my state.

Then, mindfully minding my own, I realise I’ve done it all. It’s as simple.

For each one minding their bit is the only solution to a better world. The rest is all “HUMBUG.”