HOW BLIND CAN WE GET?

India has a very long history of 3000-4000 years, documented or otherwise. We had great rulers, and we have made some significant contributions to science, art and philosophy. But as a civilization, having had an early start, this should not be surprising. But changes in our society, in our way of living, have rather come slow and progress very painful. And these changes have not touched millions yet. Travellers from around the world(America was not discovered then, therefore only half the world :-)), from Russia, China and Japan (before Vasco...'s time) described a situation not very different from now. We had gold and we even knew how to make steel, but alas it never touched the mass. We could boast of heavy trade with other nations, which included silk, spices among other raw materials. (And alas even today our major portion of trade with our biggest trading partner US, are gems, spice and garments. These exceed even our software exports.) But the trade did not benefit vast sections of people. The reason is we had and have millions of people still doing farming. Farmers were/will be poor, uneducated and were/will be under the mercy of kings/politicians, and the wealthy landlords. (Note - 70 % of the population are farmers). Some might argue, that situation was never favourable, and we are a poor country, with a large population, and therefore the progress of the kind seen in the west was impossible to ask for. But it is WE who create the circumstances. If we don't have money, it is because we lack the power to make it. Having failed, giving excuses is only natural. Countries have come out triumphant from situations much worse. Therefore our failures cannot only be situational and are to a great extent attitudinal. Change cannot be stopped, and therefore learning has to be continuous. It is human to seek answers to the unknowns. Answers also come from unexpected corners. While trying to solve one problem, we often learn about others. Should we refuse to learn, we will always be trying to catch up with others who have done the learning. Will we ever be able to tell our children that we sincerely made an effort to learn? Why do we stick on to pre-historic traditions? Traditions mean different to different sets of people. But certainly, traditions are not what we invent today and call it that. And you can hardly call them "best practices" too. Some argue that each tradition had a significant meaning when it originated. But the situation has changed, and sure ways and means to solve the problem should change. But we still follow them nevertheless. Well yes, not all traditions are followed. Many have been forgotten too. Therefore here I am trying to answer why we follow certain traditions which don't add any value to our lives and pay little importance to others. Surprisingly a country caught in the shackles of old customs, give the least importance to preserving its culture and heritage. More number of idols and other historical artefacts are being stolen from our temples and museums. While Castism and dowry system remain, a few practice yoga and Ayurveda. Dowry is a grave crime, and yet dowry incidents are only increasing. Education does not seem to be making any difference. Therefore i can only conclude that people either fear society or too lazy to get out of this disturbing habit, as they earn money and comfort easily. Sudras were renamed as Harijans, and now they are called SC/STs, while the crimes against them don't change. What is that prevents us in following simple traffic rules, but continue spending considerable time and money in offering prayers. We are too lazy to discipline ourselves and are then scared of the unknown. (Circle Maramma on the outskirts of IISc, Bangalore today causes traffic jam every Friday. Due to overwhelming response, they have decided to extend it to Tuesdays too.) Look back and see how many times we ourselves have simply followed them because we were scared of their consequences. Laziness and unable to take risks are two single most dominating attitudinal abnormalities that have stricken us. Invasions into India were possible because we were either very lazy or we were too scared. Even today we are too lazy to change our political scenario, or too scared to raise our voice against bureaucracy. Corruption in our societies are so high, thanks to our laziness. After the middle ages, almost all Inventions have been made outside India. Our fear of the unknown has cast such a shadow on our society, it will take us ages to reach the standards of living as seen today in China. Our software exports are service-based and not product-based. We claim to be the best brains in software, but every theory of computer science has been written outside India. We invented ZERO, and that's what we are going to be. For a country of over 1-billion population, the cost of being lazy and fearful will make us extinct one day.