The child of 21st C

I am the child of 21st C

I have witnessed the horrors

of war and mass destruction. 

Rapes and murders 

I see , are media's play

I am the child of Terrorism

I am the child of Communalism

I am the child of Consumerism

I am the child of pure Violence

I am the child of 21st C

It is hard to find one social cause to be passionate about when society is brewing in violence and corruption. Media reports are about scams, rapes, abuse, political abuse of power and much much more. It is hard to pick one, so I decided to bring them under one umbrella :Violence and Corruption.
India has seen people's movement in the past few years like never before. The public anger and outrage against violence and corruption is evident,  but does the solution lie in making a news headline alone? Even the media has forgotten the Nirbhaya incident and  Anna has left us with a dream for reformation.
In my teens, I remember , the news that shook the entire world: 9/11 attack: a terror attack unheard before. But that nation replied it with a horrifying wars. All the time, watching news , I would feel sick in my stomach. The idea of killing innocent in such huge numbers was something I couldn't digest then. Now I think, perhaps that was the one solution that civilization could come up with. We do not know any other way to react to such forms of violence without being a schmuck.
 It is in human survival instinct to react violently when threatened , but is there a way to reduce the threat in the first place or  even check the reaction  towards such a threat? Is there a way to stand tall , stay your ground and not be mentally agitated? Is there a way to not succumb to the greed of bribe? Is there a way to humanize the entire civilization?

To my good fortune, I did find a way and that too at a very young age. Here is a man that I know, who has inspired millions in the world to take the path of non violence. Not a passive -non violence but a very pro- active non violence. It may seem contradictory but when I see him practicing it very single day, I find the hope in me, that I too can become That. Be it the Gujjar protest, the Kashmiri militancy, Assam Naxalists , Bihar caste wars and the conflict resolution in Kuwait, Russia, Srilanka and many other nations; I have seen this man intervene and bring peace in the area. I am referring to HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and his NGO the Art Of Living.

Generally it is the human mind that complicates the problem while the solution remains simple as the root of the problem. Likewise, the problem of Violence and Corruption now seems huge because it has not been contained when needed. To contain the problem, violence and greed in the minds of people need to be addressed because minds make people, people make society. How to contain the violence in the minds? Meditation.
In the deepest state of relaxation, there is no violence, no hatred and the more one practices meditation, easier it is to stay calm amidst all the chaos. Soon you realize, it is part of your very nature. People do not offend you, things do not disturb you because your mind listens to you, instead of other way around. The freedom from societal conditioning can happen in easiest way through meditation, the clarity in thinking is so much that you no longer project your ideas or judgments unto others but see things the way they are. Psychology tells us of defense mechanisms, but meditation frees us from it.



Sudarshan Kriya taught by the Art Of Living foundation functions like a precursor to meditation. When you are angry or upset, meditation may not be possible. So Sudarshan Kriya frees you from it, the daily stress, emotional toxins and prepares you to dive into the meditation. The cool dip within your self for just 20 min can bring a change in your very soul. If every individual on the planet meditates for 20 min, then I guess world peace is no longer a dream but a reality.

I meditate for the better India

I meditate for the better world

I am peace , I am joy

I am the child of 21st C

Photo courtesy: jerrystocking.com
Details on Art Of Living: www.artofliving.org

I thank Indiblogger and iDiya for an opportunity to take part in the blogger contest.  You can read other entries here : http://www.isb.edu/idiya/