Appearances are often misleading and as far as the average mass of mankind is concerned, especially the breed of politicians and business houses, it is very much the same. The variations are only in dress, demeanour and the language. Also we are often looking for the right thing in the wrong places. I can speak about my own experience. I have travelled to each and every state of India, closely interacted with people of every strata, and, having also travelled fairly extensively to the five major continents, i can only say that even a poor and illiterate Indian is inwardly more rich in his intuitive understanding and sattwic self culture than most of humanity world over. Unfortunately there is a strong adverse influence of the Western Corporate culture where the soul is sold for gold, and the false socialistic propaganda where State and its machinery stifles the soul. But the average Indian living in small towns has so far escaped this influence. This is where the hope lies and not in the corridors of power and money or in the slums maintained for political purposes. The average Indian led quite a sattwic, contented life before the commercial toys for pleasure and amusement were brought in here and desires flooded the market like snakes let loose. India’s mistake was in aping the Western materialism and the Russian/Chinese model of Socialism and Communism. But that is a different story. There is a wide resurgence of India’s innate dharma, the Sanatana Dharma and things look better and the future better and luminous in spite of the present difficulties.
Of course ego is never an easy thing to conquer. It can wear a million deceptive masks, the most illusive being the mask of righteousness and the elite, the supremacist as it is called today. Conquering the ego is a difficult task with which very few are entrusted. But if mankind in general can cultivate at least the sattwic ego instead of the ambiguous rajasic mode, things would be so much better.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
