Light To Lamp Lights: 01 ► Resolve to Preserve Self-confidence

There is a column in the Anuvrat fortnightly called   'I Believe'.   Since 1984 I have been expressing my views through this column. I thought positively about political, social, familial, educa­tional and other matters and different contexts and expressed my faith which could bind people's lives with threads of faith. But when I analyse my thinking process spread over a decade, I find that this faith does not have a solid foundation. In superficial terms, every individual wishes to take others into his confidence. But deep within, the doubt persists like the raised hood of a cobra. When a person does not trust anyone else himself, how would others be able to trust him? The train of life proceeds on the rails of mistrust. One cannot predict when and where some accident may take place. A doctor treats the patient. But the patient is not sure that he is being given the correct treatment. This is because he knows that his doctor has business connections with several people. He has such connec­tions with pharmaceutical companies and medical salesmen. He has connections with the pathologists who do blood-tests, urine-tests etc. After seeing the prescription written by a particular doctor, the person concerned credits a certain amount in the name of that doctor. When the medical treatment is guided by financial considerations, how can the patient have faith in the doctor?

Leaders become candidates’ in. elections. At that time, they are in direct contact with the people. They listen to all their tales of woe and promise to remove their hardships and inconveniences. They make extravagant promises in their election manifestoes, but after their success at the hustings, do they continue to maintain their contacts (with the people) when they have crossed the corridors of vote and attained the position of power? Are any attempts made in the direction of the goals indicated in their promises? Do the promises tend to be kept? If no such thing happens, how would that faith survive on the basis of which people give their votes?

Whether it is a small or a highly-placed govern­ment official, the mental attitude of carrying on the responsibility without any selfish considerations is gradually getting crippled. No work gets done at any level unless there is provision for some monetary gain or for some tip. If the same process goes on from the highest to the lowest level, who would blame whom? The bigger the job to be done, the bigger is the amount involved. All have their fixed share in it. Under these circumstances, when someone talks about honesty and integrity, he has to face the problem of getting a transfer. The principles of faith and devotion to work are being ruthlessly eroded. Is there any change of their being protected by some­one?

It is not as though this drama of personal aggrandisement is being enacted only by big people. It may be an architect or a carpenter; he too has his connections with the dealers. At the time of the purchase of good quality marbles or wood or any other material, the person concerned goes with the dealer and meets the merchant dealing with the required items. That merchant credits the amount of the commission in the name of that particular dealer. This practice is not confined to any particular person or class. The common man indulges in this practice and the common man faces its bad conse­quences. One can witness uproarious scenes in Parliament over sugar scam, securities scam and many such scandals. But nothing is done to remove the underlying distrust in all such cases. Today, when all men are losing faith and the credibility of the word, trust, itself is wearing out, should the word faith be used at all? The straight answer to this question is that those people who have lost faith may well not use that word. But it is the duty of those whose faith is alive to lend support to the shaking faith.

The year 1984 turned out all through to be the period when the gulf created between the ruling party and the opposition parties on account 0f mutual distrust deepened. Similarly, the walls 0f trusts have been shaken even in smaller fields. If 1985 is to be ushered in on the note of distrust, the coming year too would once again bear the same stamp. If this situation has to be changed, all people should agree to resolve to have trust in one another and preserve that trust. If that happens  I am confident that man's style of living and method of working would show a visible change.