Page 19 - Seniorstoday February 2022 Issue

society’ and ‘unity in diversity’ appellation Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jews,
to India, and by extension to its people,
became an ‘appall’ation. Little wonder
that this polarisation in an infinitesimal
group at a micro level is mirroring at the
macro level in the collective psyche of
our country as it is in nations across the
world. Grandstanding and hardstanding of
opinions have divvied up people. Come to
think of it, the group is made up of educated
and well -meaning people like you and me.
Fortunately, thanks to some balanced
views, a disquieting quiet descended on the
group with a dose of agreeing-to-disagree
diversion to other topics. We don’t wish to
listen, but we wish to speak. We all extoll
and want freedom of speech, but are shy of
giving it to others. As people and nation, we
have lost our ability to have a conversation
on difficult subjects, whatever it be.
There is a concept of ‘langhanam parama
aushadam’. It essentially means that
fasting (langhanam) is a supreme (parama)
medicine (aushadam) to heal the body. The
sagely have been following this practice for
eons, as have been animals. Many of the
readers would be doing upvas ( another
word for langhanam ) or fasting on one
day or the other in a week or a month or on
one religious occasion or the other – be it
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #32 | FEBRUARY 2022
Parsis, Buddhists or any other. It is not just
about bodily sickness, but the principle
and practise of ‘langhanam’ or restraint, to
put it differently, can be extended to every
aspect of our existence:
a) in what we see
b) in what we hear
c) in what we think
d) in what we speak
e) in what we do
f) in how we respond
The point is to pause before and after the
use of any of the above faculties. The point
is that if we can stay away periodically, say
once a week, from seeing the negative in
everyone, hearing a rumour or gossip and
giving credence to it, not let the sound in
and around influence our thinking, filter
what we speak, respond but not react,
introspect before formulating a view,
almost every issue can be addressed. A
simple example – stay away from Twitter
or Facebook of WhatsApp or OTTs for a
month and you will soon notice the serenity
that is bound to envelop you – no rocket
science here, but plain common sense.
The periodic abstinence from these 24x7
intrusions into our very being will make
us epitomes of ‘bura mat dekho, bura mat
suno, bura mat bolo’.
It requires extraordinary equanimity
and restraint to practise langhanam, but
it will be well worth it and will ensure
holistic well-being. Tolerance can replace
intolerance, compassion can replace
passion, empathy can replace apathy,
wisdom can replace knowledge, love can
replace hate, friends can replace foes. Just
imagine the cascading effect on our great
civilisation and making it a utopia on earth,
for happy people will make for a happy
nation.
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