SHADES OF BELIEF

 As a human, our greatest limitation is the tendency to limit our thoughts and notions to what we are fed by parents, preachers, colleagues, teachers and media. . As we grow over the years, we presume these data as truth and subconsciously convert these 'truth'  into our belief. These beliefs get deeply entrenched in our mental system and become our conviction which we then start dogmatically preaching and reiterating. In the whole process, we do two things: first, voluntarily or involuntarily ,we forget verifying them in the first place. Second, we, unconsciously,  block all our doors of self-exploration and self-certify the unverified data that keeps on infecting our mental database.
Such a cognitive belief is the belief or the disbelief in the concept of an omnipotent and omnipresent being whom we often refer to as `God ', a concept which divides the whole world into contrasting groups called 'believers' and 'atheists', each of which prove their bigotry by their own logic and experiences. The whole discussion of the concept of God boils down to a black and white picture in terms of either an absolute assertion or an absolute rejection of this being(God). Is there any room for some shades of grey. Well, possibly.

-There is an unexplained and mysterious perfection and elusive precision in every component of the nature giving a thrust to the ever-thinking human mind to conceptualize an originator, controller and processor of all these natural processes. Thus a force called God is mentally created or its presence is logically discovered. The former is what the atheists assert and the latter is what the believers conceive. Nevertheless,the meticulously and perfectly designed universe and each of its components amazingly balanced, no doubt, give an indication of the presence of a creator or creators having utmost wisdom. The perfect equilibrium in each element of nature, from the whole big universe to the immaculately build human body to a nuclear particle, from smallest electron being stable in its shell to the stability of innumerous celestial bodies in the universe, everything is designed to perfection with intricate details, reflecting a wisdom beyond human capabilities, thus making the concept of a supreme being, plausible. But apart from omniscience, do these observations also give any reasonable sign of the omnipotence and omnipresence of that Supreme being? Should everything mysterious and baffling be attributed to ‘God’?

‌-It might be a case that the supreme being only has the power to create and not to control or intervene or rather it chooses not to do so. This possibility is reflected in the ecological imbalance, unanswered supplications, social chaos, disorders, tragedies and injustice that is so ubiquitous. 

‌-Can't there be two or more creators each tussling for its own hegemony?
‌-It might be that the creator or creators had never been eternal and would have themselves perished.

‌-It might be that our supplications and prayers doesn't reach our creator in the first place , or even if it does reach, responding to these is not under its ambit or capability? So we've been just fooling ourselves imploring and beseeching our Creator.
‌-God in our belief and minds, is a  perfect and constant embodiment of all virtues, powers and values. Is that necessarily true? If we can impart humanlike positive attributes to God, why not some negative ones? The personality and characteristics of our Gods might be nothing but our personal and cultural injections and projections of the values that we revere or idiolise. No wonder ,the cherished and  human personality is congruent with the personality of our Gods. Personification of God might also be the outcome of our necessity.Oppressed and  fearful societies tend to personify wrathful, violent, submission-seeking deities (or God), while prosperous and secure societies tend to personify loving, non-violent, compassionate deities.
We have restricted the mental construct of God to our religious beliefs which is largely inherited. It might be that the correct God is yet to be discovered. There are endless possibilities. And in this pursuit of our endless deciphering we must resist our urge to preconceive the idea that a God has to have human virtues of kindness, justice and compassion or it has to be omnipotent and omnipresent. We should not forget that we are searching for the truth and not a wish or a ray of hope or an object of worship to cling to.

CASHLESS INDIA

The Central government’s decision to demonetize the notes of rs500 and rs1000  is being hailed by most of us and is being widely glorified as a “master stroke” and “surgical strike” on black money. It is being publicised as a panacea to end all the evil of the culture of Black Money and the industry of Fake Currency and the gullible citizens tend to be believing this.
Is it really that easy to flush out all the “black Money” in one go?.

Gone are the days when ‘Black Money’ consisted of undeclared wealth in the form of piles of cash hidden under pillowcases, mattresses or safe of Almirah or beneath the ground. Today, none or little portion of this Black Money finds itself in cash. Idle cash does not fetch profit so it is circulated. In the  present developed financial ecosystem, most ‘Black Money’ is stashed away in domestic or foreign Bank Accounts, or are invested in Gold, share market or are used in buying stocks or assets or invested in real estate or some kind of business. Even Government agrees to this fact and Tax data reflects this.

Income-tax probes from April 1 to October 31 this financial year, black-money holders accepted having stashed Rs 7,700 crore worth of ill-gotten assets. The cash component was merely Rs 408 crore or 5%. The remaining was invested in business, stocks, real estate and benami bank accounts, the data show. Financial year 2015-16 saw the highest black-money detection in the period, of which 6% was cash.The actual proportion of cash would be even lower as the tax department’s classification of seizures considers currency and ornaments as one unit.(Source: Hindustan Times).

The small fishes will be disturbed to an extent and forced to find some innovative ways and jugaad for this temporary inconvenience. Nevertheless, The big sharks have little to worry as they hardly keep illegitimate wealth as cash.

Black Money: a vicious cycle

It is important to understand that Black money is an outcome of corrupt black practices and the money thus generated feeds other practices which in turn generates more black money.Thus, the real evil that has been jeopardising the economy is the whole set of black activities which are either entirely illegal,such as smuggling, or drug-running or the undeclared activities mixed with declared legal activities. If actually 100 tonnes of minerals are extracted but only 80 tonnes are declared to be extracted, in order to reduce tax payment, then we have a case of “black money” being generated.If $100 of goods are exported but only $80 are declared, and the remainder $20 are kept abroad in Swiss Banks, then we have a case of “black money” being generated.

Unearthing “black money” lies therefore in tracking down and checking these 'black activities' and this requires honest and systematic monitoring and investigation and patient and efficient tax administration and Data collection. Attacking the holdings and stockpiles of stashed cash is like giving a painkiller for temporary relief.

Aftermath of this decision
Demonetisation is not a strategy that the present government has thought out of the box.In the past, It has been implemented in many countries including India but with limited success. Morarji Desai government had demonetized 1000, 5000 and 10000 rupee notes from the midnight of January 16, 1978.But this had caused no hardships for the ordinary people, since most of them had hardly ever seen such a note, let alone possess one.The hardships that this decision has been causing to the public is being ignored by the government. The worst hit by demonetisation are people belonging to the low income groups ,farmers, daily wage-earners, labourers, domestic workers — who entirely depend on petty cash and who, unlike us, don’t have a digital wallet or a debit or credit card.

Given that more than half of the population don't even have bank accounts,what about the low-class people who do not have a bank account or people who do not have an Identity-proof. How would they exchange their hard-earned money?

90% transactions take place in this country offline. All the transactions of small and medium enterprises are done in cash. Will the government compensate for the huge loss these business are suffering?

If the government is of the view that terminating the currency of larger denomination makes it hard to stockpile wealth, how can it justify the introduction of rs2000 notes. Given that. Rs 1 crore in Rs 1,000 notes, if stashed evenly, occupies one sq ft and weighs 13 kg, notes of Rs 2000 will make the task of hoarding wealth easier.

What about middle-income people who have been saving each month a chunk of their taxed salaries for marriage, admission or medical purpose? In spite of their saved cash being legal, they would have tough time legitimising it  and answering tax authorities when depositing their saved cash in their accounts . 

This demonetisation decision would certainly serve a s blow to the fake currency system and to a little extent, turn the accumulated unaccounted cash into piles of worthless paper but it is like a temporary medicine which does not hit the root cause of the menace. Offendors would soon find ways of Counterfeiting Rs2000 notes and corrupt practices that generate black money will still rot the economy  An artificial shortage of new currency notes will give a boost to counterfeiting.Even if we assume that the demonetisation strategy would have some long-term benefits, it is sure that  these would be outweighed by the inconvenience ,disruption and hardships it has been causing to the public in general.

A HEART'S PLEA

A heart cries out, deep is its pain

Beseeching help but all in vain

Penalised for being against the grain

Dismantles each day, with pieces hard to regain

Impaled by indelible betrayals

and tired of unjust trials

Brooding what was its offence

Maybe it was adhering to the conscience

Maybe it was being too clingy

Nevertheless,the efforts never were mingy

Maybe being naive was the fault

or trusting You caused all the assault

It implored but You tantalised

Truth loses is what it now cognised

Deeply entrenched faith got a blow

When You gave it wounds in a row

Myriads of prayers and prostrations

Perhaps were only delusions

It still loves You to the hilt

Confiding in You is its only guilt

Hitherto, it is trying to connect the dots

Though impossible is it to clear the blots

A heart cries out, deep is its pain

Rudderless and confused,has gone inane

If You could listen

Dearest Almighty,

Since the inception of mankind, People have been worshiping you with intense ardour. They praise you day and night, amain observe all strenuous rituals and practices just for approval of their prayers. Some are enthralled , others fawn on you , while the rest being credulous are just swayed away by the rhetoric of the self-acclaimed 'agents' of their religion. Nevertheless, You are the fulcrum of the lives of your creation. You are the last and only hope of most. Since time immemorial your stories and hearsays have been propagating which convinces us how just, merciful and powerful you have been. Though obfuscated, the meticulous patterns and intricate perfection of the nature and your creations reflect a supreme wisdom and the concept of your existence seems plausible. In your pursuit, people have been swinging from Asceticism to Mysticism to even exorcism. Famished souls like me, with an insatiable appetite for truth, keep pondering over your existence and whereabouts, only to be perplexed and mystified. All approaches to find you lands one in a labyrinth.

The world you gave us to dwell , is full of chaos and predicament. Injustice, sufferings, hatred, bloodshed are incessant and ubiquitous. Minorities are being persecuted. Unabated Genocide and pogroms are a common scene. Violence has become the only way of conflict resolution. Millions die of hunger and poverty while some have so much to waste. Innocents suffer and perpetrators prosper. Truth perishes and falsehood triumphs. In a nutshell, the concept of Peace and tranquility now seem far-fetched and utopian.

In such a bleak situation, You are the only one we cling to, but to our sheer disappointment ,sometimes you hold the justice in abeyance while most of the time you don't deliver it at all. Please don't be apathetic and indifferent to your own creations. If everything is at your beck and call( which most of us do believe is), what is it that prevents You from mending the chaos and sufferings that envelops our world ? Is justice and harmony not under your ambit or are you just being indifferent and stoic? Is despondence and pain of Your creations a mundane affair for You? Why are You being impervious to the call of your own creation? I hope we have not been fooling ourselves by having a strong faith and conviction in Your existence, perfection, wisdom, power and above all, justice.

With my hopes obliterated; heart confounded; hands clasped; eyes wet; i sincerely implore you, "Please change the status quo."

Your response is imperative.

Profound love and admiration,

Your Creation.

THEY TOO FEEL

When the butcher goes to catch a lamb to slaughter it , does the lamb readily offer itself? No, Never. It tries all possible ways to escape death, though all in vain.

Animals want to live. They love Life and fear death and above all, they feel mental and physical pain no less than we humans. They feel joy, affection, and pleasure, as well as fear, grief, and pain. Like us, they form deep friendships and emotional bonds and like us they seek to preserve their lives and, like us, they will fight and plead for their lives till their last breath. Like us, they also have an individual and social life.

-When we love our pet dogs and cats, why don't we extend this compassion to other animals as well? Farm animals also feel pain and emotional stress the same as humans, and certainly as much as your domesticated pets do.

It is imperative that we should abstain from non-veg items. The basis of temperance could be logical, personal health-concern, environmental. Or better it could be visceral, ethical or spiritual.

WORLD HUNGER:

1. LAND: Meat production is actually taking food out of people's mouths. A large percentage of land is used to grow crops in order to feed the livestock industry .This land could have been used for agriculture to feed human population. Forest are cleared for Cattle ranches.Twenty-six percent of the Planet’s ice-free land is used for livestock grazing and 33 percent of croplands are used for livestock feed production. Livestock contribute to seven percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions through enteric fermentation and manure.

2. WATER : Raising animals for food requires up to 10 times more water than growing crops for direct consumption. Already limited freshwater supplies are diverted to animals for their hydration, sanitation, and the cultivation of the forage used to feed them. a cow will drink up to 90 liters of water every single day. Grain-fed livestock consumes 100,000 liters of water for every kilogram of food they produce. It takes 100 litres of water to produce 1 kg of potato; 4000 litres for 1 kg of rice and 15000 litres for 1 kg of Beef. Not to mention the Oil guzzled in the production process of meat and its transport.By eating a vegan diet, National Geographic says an individual saves an average of 600 gallons of water.50 percent of the grain trades around the world is used for animal feeds or biofuels. Some 38 percent of the world's grain crop is now fed to animals, as well as large quantities of soybeans. There are three times as many domestic animals on this planet as there are human beings.It takes twenty-one pounds of protein fed to a calf to produce a single pound of animal protein for humans. The output to input ratio is so less.

HEALTH:

one of the single most significant causes of heart disease is dietary cholesterol. Our bodies make all the cholesterol we need, so consuming animal products contributes excessive levels. (There is no cholesterol in plant foods). Animal products are also loaded with saturated fats, which, unlike unsaturated fats, cause the liver to produce more cholesterol. Scientific research shows that saturated fat and cholesterol clog arteries. X-rays show that giving  up meat and dairy and adopting a low fat plant and starch based diet can re-open those arteries. Fortunately, for most people, preventing coronary heart disease is as simple as eliminating animal products, eating a healthy plant-based diet, exercising, and avoiding cigarette smoking. But beyond prevention, a plant-based diet is the only treatment that has been scientifically proven to reverse heart disease.

ENVIRONMENT:

According to the 2006 United Nations report Livestock's Long Shadow, "the livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." The livestock sector is probably the largest source of water pollution (due to animal wastes, fertilizers, and pesticides), contributing to eutrophication, human health problems, and the emergence of antibiotic resistance. It accounts also for over 8% of global human water use. It is by far the biggest cause of land use, as it accounts for 30% of the global land surface. It is probably the leading player in biodiversity loss, as it causes deforestation, land degradation, pollution, climate change, overfishing, and invasions by alien species. Livestock is also responsible for 20% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main cause of the current climate change. This is due to feed production, enteric fermentation from ruminants, manure storage and processing, and transportation of animal products.

Some 60 billion land animals and another approximate 60 billion to 1 trillion marine animals are slaughtered each year globally. It is a pity that billions of innocent lives are dependent just on food Choice made by humans. If we can live healthy lives without harming anyone, without inflicting pain, why wouldn’t we? Is our craving for taste and tongue pleasure more important than a being's life?