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P. Lankesh series

Mareyuva Munna (Before we forget)

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(Adhunika varase)

This is about my recent interaction with a young girl. I am writing this because that day I felt strongly about something. I felt that these half boiled young guns were developing an unhealthy attitude about things. It seemed so pathological, but sadly rampant.

Earlier, we had officers, traders and even politicians trying to lead truthful, honest lives. Even if they were to do something bad, they would do it secretly, and suffer guilt.

Once, Sajjan Rao, a trader with clout, was building a huge temple in Bengaluru. He was disappointed to see that people spoke ill of him behind his back, and attributed ulterior motives. They said he was doing it not out of devotion to God, but to show off his wealth or to make his black money white. Mr Rao confided in his friend. He consoled him by stressing on how people’s faith in God was more important than complex intellectual issues like whether God existed.

Now, the number of people who deny the existence of God is increasing, so is the suicidal tendency to proclaim that cheating is okay. The girl that sat before me that day, said the same thing.

But I corrected her by saying: `` It is wrong to achieve success by cheating, betrayal, dishonesty or fraud’’. But she would not listen ``All that was fit for your generation. Not now. No one can grow without cheating now,’’ the girl smiled.

``You seem to place a great amount of faith in cheating,’’ I said. ``Yeah’’, she replied. There is no use blaming you. I will tell you something and I speak out of experience. I suffer more when I am cheated, than when I tend to cheat. When some one who I trust cheats me, or when a stranger hoodwinks me, I get angry. My anger is as much towards me as towards the swindler. I feel I don’t understand people. I blindly believe that I can succeed by hiring bad assistants.

Since we did not take a stand about fraud, we are routinely conned by traders, producers, labourers or doctors. No you tell me, would you like it if you were cheated?’’

``No. I will be careful and save myself’’

That is the point. The only difference between animals and humans is that humans have wisdom. They have a sense of what is right and what is wrong, even if there is no absolute clarity. Similarly, the thief and the thieved both face insults. We should all think of something else here. If everyone turns into a thief, there would be nothing left to steal. You may think cheating is modern. It is not. Man has been cheating since he can remember. Guilt by stealing and insults after being deceived are part of human memory. The fear of God affects only the gullible. Those who are street smart rationalize trickery, by labeling it as practical wisdom.

``I don’t know all that. But I know a hell lot of people who have been destroyed by the kind of honesty that you are speaking of,’’ she said.

Take corruption for example, I said. Corruption, cheating, betraying yourself are not different from one another. At one time, lectures had no way to cheat. Nor did he have the power that officers had. But today, while there are chances that an officer may go corrupt, there are several incentives for him to stay honest. There is no need to explain this, I said.

But she did not seem convinced. I was beginning to lose my temper. I kept quiet for a moment and then told her: `` You can’t hear a thing when you become so petty –minded that you fail to realize that you can face the injustice suffered by others’’. ``You may go now’’, I said.