Sunday, 28 August 2022

The Gravest Error: Self-deceit

As was once expressed by the 19th century British writer and politician Edward Bulwer-Lytton, “The easiest person to deceive is oneself.” Self-deceit, a term although commonplace, is often treated too lackadaisically for one's own good, which leads me to question the awareness regarding its implications. It is usually borne from reluctance to accept the naked truth, preferring to pull the wool over one’s own eyes rather than having the industriousness to transform one’s imagined world into reality. It is a false road to fulfillment, which vanishes as one nears its end, and one’s actuality crumbles like a house built on sand.

Think of con artists like Charles Ponzi, after whom the infamous ‘Ponzi Scheme’ is named. He knew his methods would be unsustainable in the long run, but still pursued his ways for an enviable twelve months or so, before being imprisoned for more than twelve long years, eventually dying in poverty at a charity hospital. A classic case of self-deception indeed! But we needn’t look that far, when examples in our day to day lives are a dime a dozen…

What would you call the use of unfair means in a mock test for short-lived glory, instead of using it to assess your present level in all verisimilitude, for the actual exam and improve? Or shying away from medical test results, knowing full well that they are just a reflection of what you already have in your system, preferring ignorance over haleness? Similarly, you must have come across folks who spend a couple of days in the gym, and believe they can effortlessly take on professional fighters and strength athletes. Some expert street bikers too, thinking they can always get away with their hooligan stunts on crowded roads, despite their common recklessness, without ever getting into an accident, is another worrying prospect. On a graver note, secretly wishing for the departure of someone chronically sick on the pretext of concern for the patient's discomfort, when all you want is to get rid of your own burden, is another often overlooked example of self-deceit.

So, how can we counter the sometimes overwhelming urge for self-betrayal, something that I would rate as even more negatively potent than the seven cardinal sins? I’d say every time we tend to fly off the handle, we should perform an immediate reality check and remind ourselves of our current footing. But the more we rehash this process, the more our determination needs to increase, to avoid complacency arising from repetitiveness, so that we never get sucked into the fake realm of self-deceit!

STAY REAL!!!... 

#AsRealAsRealGets! Welcoming our Hon'ble Director (Refineries) to Guwahati on the occasion of Indian Oil Athletics Meet - 2022

Monday, 15 August 2022

75 Years of Independence

Celebrating the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ commemorating 75 years of modern Indian independence, the fervor with which this year’s Independence Day is being observed in our country is unprecedented. With almost every household here adorned with the Indian tricolor, in line with the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ initiative by our Hon’ble PM, it is truly a sight to behold. With flagged bike and electric rickshaw rallies, and even small-time roadside vegetable and fruit vendors proudly displaying our national flag on their hand-pulled trolleys, and school students performing to patriotic songs in the farthest and remotest reaches of our vast and diverse nation, adding to the already zealous festivities, 2022 is turning out to be a year like none other.

Being presently located in North-East India, whose athletes had a fabulous showing in the recently concluded Common Wealth Games at Birmingham, only acted as an embellishment to the jollification, which was unmistakable at the live programme we attended at the Mahabahu Brahmaputra River Heritage Centre on the eve of our 76th Independence Day. With the mighty river Brahmaputra gushing past our venue on one side, and the fantastically lighted erstwhile DC’s bungalow in the backdrop, as well as Starbucks Coffee and Radisson Blu outlets bordering the stage area, it couldn’t get more scenic than that!

But for me, this is not just about national independence, but about personal freedom too. However, with increasing day to day liabilities, it is easier said than done... Or is it? You might have come across a truism stating that complete control is an illusion and the closest we can get to it, is by being authentic in our decision making, the hows of which I have previously touched upon way back in 2012, on this very blog in “Stop The Waiting Game!.....” While we may have control over putting in the right amounts of elbow grease in the right directions at the right instants, which undeniably have a bearing on the final outcome, it is best earliest understood that the actual outcome itself can never be directly controlled by us.

Hence, with this realization comes plenty of rope for the mind, and as a result peace, which is extraordinarily important especially considering that the next big shovel of coal that I had mentioned in my last article might not be too far after all… ;) The sooner you stop woolgathering over consequences after having done the needful, the sooner will you learn to get the most out of life! Wishing all the do-gooders of our nation bright days ahead…

VANDE MATARAM!