Whose Truth and By what Facts do I Live?
I exist. My family, friends, and people I wouldn’t say I like all exist. I face situations both comfortably and disquietly. I feel happy and sad, relaxed and anxious. Like a flowing river, the stream of thought in my mind sometimes flows smoothly, sometimes torrentially, sometimes transparent, and at times muddy. Many fish keep lurking in my consciousness. Maybe I am lucky not to have an alligator!
Who am I? What do I know? Do I express my feelings to others without fear? Am I firm in my values and beliefs? Am I free of biases, pride and prejudice? Am I calm, serene, grounded in my faith in the One Consciousness operating across the cosmos, and believing that whatever is happening is the only way it could have happened? I have aged every year, and will be 70 soon. People my age have already started departing. After all, the average age of an Indian is 67 years, and I have already lived longer than that.
Confined to my home on health grounds and having retired from work long back, I read a lot and write regularly. I am connected to some good-hearted, thoughtful people through my blog, which is read across five continents. I have seen the world transform – from postcards, public phones, and bank tokens to the Internet on mobile phones and digital money transfers. I can access any library and read any newspaper sitting in my home. I can order my medicines and hot food online. There is no need to go to the cinema, where I once stood in the queue and bought tickets in black.
A lot has happened for the good. Although the poor people remain poor, they are not as miserable and helpless as they used to be. Things have improved for everyone – roads, water, electricity, and a sense of social equality cannot be denied. But what has not changed, or may I say has worsened, is the peaceful contentment with which my middle-class parents lived. They struggled with their meagre means but provided what was necessary, and my three siblings and I never felt uncared for on any account. Now, well-off people are complaining about almost everything. Why is it so?
Human society is a well-evolved system. For centuries, people have developed ways to live together with their own methods and manners, different in different places but suited to their surroundings. Some people are knowledgeable, scholarly, forceful, authoritative, enterprising, transactional, and happy in their servitude. As we say in the language of System Engineering, a balance is somehow arrived at that may not be the best but is optimal. This local equilibrium has been disrupted in the last two decades. Mobile phones and the Internet have turned what was considered ‘privileged’ into ‘commonplace’.
Well-crafted dramas circulate on TV, seeding discord and rivalry in families and violence in communities, and criminals have become role models. Politics has been hijacked by big money, and governments, instead of being the custodians of public interest, seem to have become facilitators of corporations. Consumer culture has been unleashed, encouraging people to buy fancy things and products. They are lured to borrow money even if they don’t have to spend it, creating a new form of slavery. No wonder there is discord in families, unrest in society and a general climate of unease everywhere.
We no longer live our truths but ‘the roles defined’ by the powerful electronic media machinery. Everyone has been given a mobile phone with ‘free’ bandwidth, which can ‘trap’ their inquisitive minds from exploring, just as rats are captured in homes. Food has been industrialised – cooked in large quantities and ‘delivered’ to the house. Hospitals have become more like hotels, the insurance system supports high tariffs, and the premiums have become more like a ‘tax’ on the living. All roads collect ‘toll tax’, drinking water has become a commodity, and education has become a farce. Whatever you study, a competitive exam system that runs like an industry selects only the ‘best’.
The world as it has emerged is a consumer base of 8 billion people eating, procreating, getting sick, and competing among themselves for their little comforts and conveniences, where a few corporations have amassed wealth that is more than the economies of nations, and turned mankind into ‘consumer machines’ and the world into ‘a marketplace’. Apple Inc. is as giant as the Indian economy in terms of money. This is the truth, and as for the facts, it depends on which TV channel you watch, your social-political orientation, what your Internet search and ChatGPT tell you, and what you want to know and ignore.
However, certain realities remain. I will state three of them here.
The first reality is impermanence. What was there yesterday is not there today, and what is there today will not be there tomorrow. For example, when you bathe in a river, you have new water every time you take a dip, as the earlier water has already flowed downstream. You are getting older, and your children are growing up. Livelihoods are changing, roles are changing, and the standards of right and wrong, proper and improper, are changing too. General courtesy, respect for elders, compassion for the poor, charitable hospitals and schools are memories.
The second reality is mortality. Whoever is born will die. Here, I must mention my observation that disease and death do not necessarily go hand-in-hand as they are made out to be by the healthcare industry. I have seen many people with disability and chronic diseases praying for death every day of their lives but continuing to live while healthy and happy people suddenly drop dead. (I am not including accidents here.) Even alcoholics and smokers may live longer than many health-conscious people.
The third reality is Maya, the illusionary power that clouds our minds and refuses to let us see things as they are. In Hinduism, Maya is created by God Himself to sustain materiality in which ‘an experiencer’ has been introduced who has given himself the name of ‘Human’ and started believing himself to be God, forgetting that the earth is merely a sand particle in the cosmos and that he is only one of the eight billion people who are already living there. Maya operates through hubris and greed, fulfilling your ‘larger than life’ image and attitude of ‘entitlement and privileges’.
While it is very appealing to read Shri Krishna telling Arjuna that he is a soul and not the body, the disturbance we experience due to things like a delay of an hour in getting food or an electricity breakdown on a hot and humid night, or someone ignoring us, not answering our calls or not replying to our emails, is testimony to the sordid state of our being, which is nothing more than our bodies and minds. I am inclined to consider myself as an actor who was given the role of a king in a drama, and after the show was over, the crown, the sword, and the dress were taken back. No payment was made as it was a charitable show, and everyone participated as a volunteer. The worst was that no one even recorded the video.
That is how I dreamt about myself recently.
MORE FROM THE BLOG
Reskilling in the Era of AI
I arrived in Hyderabad in 1982, and since there were no official housing options, I rented a section of a house in the Vidyanagar neighbourhood. From there, I would take the local train to Uppuguda, and as a form of physical exercise…
The Idea of Universal Orthopraxy
The Mahakumbh Mela, one of the largest gatherings of people for religious purposes worldwide, has just concluded in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The Kumbh Mela takes place every 12 years by rotation at four locations—at Haridwar, on the banks of the Ganga River…
The Fabric of the Universe
Nestled in a family and career, it may appear a little unsettling to consider oneself part of a cosmos, primarily unknown. But when this realisation dawns that not only one but everyone else around, and indeed everything, are a mere part of a larger drama that is rolling out…
This blog beautifully captures the complexities of life sir.
I was listening to this podcast the other day where the host mentions “ironic tragedy is that life has to be lived forward but only makes sense in reverse” and it resonated deeply with me. You depicted the simple content lives of the past and the restless, consumer driven world we live in today and the tension between the rapid material progress of society and the spiritual and emotional decline that has accompanied it. When all the innovative tech was first introduced, we could never have fully grasped the impact they would have on us. We’re only beginning to understand them now, and the choices we make moving forward are deeply personal, shaped by what truly matters to each of us. It is a meaningful reminder to reflect on the life’s deeper truths, beyond distractions of the modern society.
Dear Sir, Greetings! Thank you for sharing such a profound and reflective piece. You’ve captured the complexities of existence and societal evolution in a resonating way. The balance of accepting impermanence, mortality, and Maya while acknowledging our challenges in modern society speaks volumes about how interconnected our journeys are with the world around us. Your reflections on consumerism, societal expectations, and the shift from meaningful living to ‘defined roles’ offer a reminder to reconnect with our inner truths. Your insights on age, time, and acceptance of our transient roles left me much to ponder. I look forward to reading more of your thoughts—thank you for bringing such clarity and wisdom! Warm Regards
Very well-articulated thought process on contemporary curated facts, Prof Tiwariji !
The recent dream of yourself is intriguing in the appealing background of soul !!
Sir, Virtual life is bound to expand due to its multiple benefits. I can meet people from all over the world. Attend suitable classes and learn from home. Meeting like-minded people improves social life by allowing us to filter out negative influences. Virtual life is problematic only when video games distract people from their social lives and activities, leading to a focus on harmful or violent content rather than happy experiences. Allow children to live their life. They are often enthusiastic, which is typical. The only helpful strategy is to discuss what they are “doing” in their virtual worlds and participate rather than critique.
A very profound blog you have written, Sir. As I grew up in the last decades of the twentieth century, the amount of television humans saw rose. Every year, we collectively watch over one trillion hours of television, analogous to tipping the free time of the world’s educated citizens down an intellectual plughole. It’s not that television is wicked or even harmful. It’s just that, as a medium, it excels at absorbing leisure while generating very few tangible outcomes. It tells stories, makes individuals feel less alone, and helps pass the time. However, the younger generation, my son included, watches less television and is replaced by interactive media, particularly online activities. “Activities” is the essential word here because action is the defining aspect of modern media. Where it will lead can only be guessed.
Respected Sir , as always a great message conveyed by you. We think TV has changed the world. However, scale is essential to the profound character of the social shift implied by the digital media – mobile phones, computers and iPads. The world has 2 billion people online and over 3 billion mobile phone users. For the first time in history, we live in a world where being part of a globally interconnected group is the typical case for most citizens, given that there are approximately 5 billion adults worldwide. Thank you for raising an essential point. No one knows about the coming times and what type of adults today’s children will become.
Very apt. The algorithms behind platforms like Instagram prioritize certain types of content, which can skew perceptions of reality. They often promote posts that generate engagement, sometimes amplifying misinformation or unrealistic portrayals. The curated nature of social media can lead to feelings of inadequacy or anxiety, particularly when comparing oneself to others’ highlight reels. As for whether it’s “right,” it depends on how you engage with it. It can be a valuable tool for connection, creativity, and information, but it’s important to be mindful of its effects on your perception of self and reality. Balancing your online presence with offline experiences and critical thinking can help create a healthier relationship with social media.
The three realities you shared about life are worth reading and re-reading.
Impressed
Thank you Arun ji for sharing the nice blog. I am also concerned about the worsening of the peaceful contentment of my next generation. Three realities of impermanence, mortality and maya are well captured.
The story of life very simply out. We miss the opportunity to live the fulness of life by shrouding ourselves with many distractions, some necessary, some not. May we learn to tap into the essence of life as we contend with the realities that will never change.
Lots of best wishes to our respected Arun Tiwari jee on this Deepaawalee, praying GOD bless him with all his lights. The real truth of life this blog presents. Believe it or not but the only truth and hardcore truth.
Great piece of writing Arunji!
Ever since I was born in early 70’s, have seen how the world has transformed and you perfectly penned your experiences, thoughts here of what you have seen… And reflects the truth and facts of life.
Some of us have experienced all the world’s – A world with absolutely no technology to a whole world in our palm. You are right, now using these gadgets, we work, learn, buy, sell, seek medical help, watch movies, news etc sitting at home.
My bigger worry is about the current and upcoming generations as they are born into a completely digital world and not exposed to playing outside or physical activity leading to fitness issues.
Back in my childhood, I was a Zepto to my mom to bring milk, groceries or vegetables from Kirana stores but now even I order online
End of the day as you said, what doesn’t change are impermanence, mortality and Maya!
Wishing you a very Happy Deepavali and your blog opens your thoughts during the festival of lights. Very thought provoking!
Happy Diwali to you Prof Tiwari!!!!
Very interesting perspective sir. Gets us thinking.
Thank you, Professor Tiwari, for encouraging us to reflect on our truths and the sources of our trusted information. A critical examination of these influences would lead us to a more nuanced understanding of reality. Introspection about the nature of truth and its implications for personal and collective existence is a new perspective.
Dear Prof
Happy Diwali to you and your loved ones!!
Very important truths of life you have shared, thank you!