THE GOOD THE BAD THE IRONIC

THE GOOD ,THE BAD, THE IRONY

This happened as if nature were trying to prove me right. In an earlier piece I had written that most Godmen, saints, avatars etc were surrounded by mainly two types of people. One was the set consisting of crooked politicians, bureaucrats on the take , ultra greedy businessmen who subverted the system and such other banes of our society. A couple of days later I was proved right .

THE GOOD ,THE BAD, THE IRONY

The passing away of Sai Baba was mourned sensitively by his many followers .But I could see the irony in the kind of people whose tributes were highlighted in the media. The first type of people—referred to above—made the most effusive tributes like—Baba had inspired me, Baba is an embodiment of love and compassion and charity,, Baba has shown us all the way, Baba rose above all religions , Baba will live in our memories and inspire us forever etc etc. Many of these people are involved in scams or are people suspect in our eyes.

Now isn’t there irony in this? Baba may have tried but has failed in making any change in these people . It is not his fault. All avatars, saints, prophets have tried and failed to bring about change of heart in the people who surround them. This may be a reflection on human weakness rather than of the saint.

This kind of irony is visible in many walks of life. Take Sai Baba’s medical treatment. US Resident Obama ruffled Indian sentiments when he called upon his people not to rush to countries like India for medical treatment merely because it is ‘cheap’. He suggested that they get themselves high quality treatment in the US. India’s Health Minister expressed indignation at the usage of the word ‘cheap’. ‘Our doctors are the best in the world ‘ thundered Ghulam Nabi Azad wagging a finger in the general direction of the White House. Days later when Sai Baba was critically ill a doctor had to be rushed to Puttaparthi from—you guessed it right-- the USA. The list of the rich, the famous and the powerful who prefer treatment in the US makes me wonder if Obama has a point about quality. The sheer irony !

Psychologists tell us that people in countries that are rated very high on the Happiness Index also show the highest rates of suicide .In the US regions with high happiness index also show high suicide rates. Irony again.

Osho once said that there is irony in how a man who wins a massive lottery reacts to his windfall gain. He said that if you are a happy man to begin with you may continue to be happy when you win a lottery. But if you are unhappy to begin with then a win in a lottery will make you more unhappy. In the US-where lottery is big business—it has been found that often people who win lotteries tend to return to bankruptcy in a few years –far more unhappy then they were before they got the windfall. What is more , more than half of US billionaires take anti depression pills everyday. Irony again.

For those who like to gloat at the US’s discomfiture here is an ironic fact. There is more economic inequality in the US than in India [Economists refer to the Ginni Index]! That may explain the U.S national obsession with lotteries.

The final irony is best summarized in a statement whose authorship slips my mind now. The man said that good people will do good. Bad people will do bad. But to make a good man do bad you need religion. What irony !!

K.R.RAVI