Finger Pointing

Grumbling has become a sort of national past-time.

Many things in life are not the way we wish them to be, and almost everyone we meet moan and groan about something or the other. The best part is someone else is always at  fault. We point the finger at something or someone else.

The usual villains are;

The government:  Faceless, nameless and formless, constantly growing and consuming increasing amounts of resources, this is the black hole of our existence. No one knows what it really is and how it actually functions. The only thing you know about it is that it makes life more difficult. So if we have a problem that we cannot put a finger on, it must be the government's fault.

The political leaders: Unlike the government most of these are highly visible people. Usually obnoxious, blatantly insincere, unduly aggressive and surrounded by a bevy of people who hang on. Many of their companions look a little shady. If something is going wrong, people believe surely that these guys in starched white 'khadi' clothes must be behind it.

The foreign hand: This is a very convenient item in the closet of the grumbler. Anything that cannot be attributed to any logical analysis or observation is attributed to this element. It could be Pakistan, China, Al Qaeda, America, Britain etc. The antics of the elements named easily permit any dim wit to blame them. The advantages of blaming 'the foreign hand' is that it is almost impossible to prove and conspiracy theories are extremely engaging to the average person.

The illiterate masses: This is the poor Indian whose numbers are swelling. They must remain in misery and not make their plight known to the more fortunate of their country brethren. They are blamed for the squalor and the lawlessness that surrounds us. Yet statistically they are more law abiding than their fellow 'educated' countrymen. Since they are often desperate and therefore to provide a better future for themselves and their  families they must be doing something wrong. They get unfairly blamed for many of our problems.

We almost never ever accept responsibility for our actions and more so for our inaction. It has become fashionable to blame someone else.

We should ask ourselves, "What have I done to remedy the situation? If I have done nothing nor made any effort then maybe I should be silent until I am willing to participate in bringing about positive change."


Grumbling, lecturing or voting once in a while can hardly qualify as doing something. If we feel that we cannot do anything then all hope is lost and we are doomed.

As my brother Varinder always said; "Whenever you wake up it's morning. "Sat Sri Akal, Namaste, Salaam, Good Morning, whatever you may say, please wake up. It is your life and if you do not do anything about it yourself, no one else is likely to do anything about it for you.

Let us also stop rubbing our national nose and self respect into the mud. We as individuals are also a tiny part of this great land and rich civilization which is going through testing times. If we prevail, then we shall once again rise to reclaim our heritage and our sanity. If we fail then ....................

We will be amazed at what each one of us is capable of achieving , once we are clear in our minds and true in our spirit.