Overcome Mental Apartheid

 

Overcome Mental Apartheid

The human mind is cannonaded with innumerable thoughts. It is estimated that around 60 thousand thoughts arise in our mind, on any given day. When the human mind is not at rest or lacks peace, this acts as an obstruction in the pursuit of spiritual growth.

The Banana Swing bowler

Accuracy and rigor were the forte of the master swing bowler John Kenneth Lever.

This ubiquitous workhorse for Essex had the uncanny ability to prodigiously bring the ball into the right-handed batsman (universally termed the Banana Swing) with quotidian ability.

The infamous Vaseline incident

However, in 1976, this consummate fast bowler was charged with applying Vaseline on the red cherry to produce English like conditions at the arid Feroze Shah Kotla grounds in Delhi. It was perhaps the first recorded incident of ball doctoring. The then Indian captain Bishan Singh Bedi vehemently opposed this blatantly unethical method deployed but Lever was acquitted of the charges.

One can safely argue that had bowlers from subcontinental countries resorted to such unethical tactics against teams like England, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand (SENA teams) it is quite unlikely that deservedly rasping punishment would have been meted out. This is a crystal-clear case of mental apartheid.

Monetary figures from international economics

It will be noteworthy to peruse the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures of two Asian giants, India and China as calculated by Professor Angus Maddison, Emeritus Professor at the University of Groningen, Netherlands.

The figures are quite revivifying and inspiring. India’s share of world GDP was slightly more than a quarter of the total in the year 1000 AD, and just a little less than a quarter between the years 1500 AD and 1700 AD.

Reclaiming a piece of the pie

It is indeed revealing that the Oriental world, in particular, India and China had acquired a significant world share of wealth and economy. Thus, several European trading companies, following the doctrine of Gold, Glory, and God – adopted overt and covert methods to target these gargantuan economies. Over time they successfully subjugated and enslaved these economies. Meanwhile, India’s share of world GDP dropped to an insignificant 3.65%. How did things come to such a state? The vastly superior Indian culture reached a plateau. But now once again we are poised to be a $5trillion economy.

Yogic power and spirituality: our salvation

However, much Indians themselves condemn and denigrate it, no matter how much the people disparage it, yet it is the Yogic power (Shakti), techniques of meditation and our spirituality which has again catapulted India to status of prima donna and helped the country scale exalted heights.

The contribution of Maharishi Patanjali, our Vedic literature, the splendacious epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana, various philosophical schools and the contribution of Jainism, Buddhism and subsequently of Islam and Sikhism had all made India the hub and cradle of mental invigoration and wondrous contribution.

It is indeed the very same mental invigoration led to the discovery of the concept of zero or even the existence of galaxies in the universe. We were then not victims of mental apartheid.

Way out

Today the world has become a yoga mat. Indians must strive beyond Hatha Yoga and repose faith from within and work on certain cardinal principles that have stood the test of time. These are to lead a regulated life and endorse the belief that life is something sacred and precious, acquire immense spiritual wealth and understand the universal law of attraction.

It is only then that we Indians can unshackle mental apartheid and gain ascendancy in various spheres of human life.