2020

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To say that 2020 has been crazy is an understatement. It started off with a virus that brought the world to a standstill. 

For all our human intelligence and science and medicine or vaccines or whatever else we have to offer -  we stood powerless when confronted with something unknown and of this magnitude. The best we could do was to stay home and wait for this thing to pass, while the scientists and world leaders try and figure this out.

When the vision is 20-20, one can see clearly. I wonder if the year 2020 also means that we should start seeing more clearly or at least try.

As if the virus wasn't enough, the disregard for human life and dignity whether this is based on race or color of skin or country of origin or legal status.  People treated poorly, their voices unheard, their issues pushed aside as insignificant.

We are now aware of this, because information is freely available, via technology (though many do not see value in technology). An average person has proof and can demand justice because of a cell phone, data or media at his fingertips. Knowledge and power do not belong to a select few anymore.

We might find all of this annoying and remain unaffected since it does not concern us. We could brush this off as political which it very well might be, but none of this is new. 

We could also perhaps attempt to take the smoke screen off our eyes and admit that there are many things in the world that are terribly wrong, which we might never understand on this side of eternity because we don't walk in someone else's shoes. 

Many have been proclaiming "Faith over Fear" and disregarding recommendations for wearing masks and social distancing. It is ironic that the masks are not about the individual but more about protecting other people - the immuno-compromised and the older folks. 

I wonder if we proclaim "Faith over Fear", based on our convenience. We don't have any indication that God is telling us to disregard rules put in place for protection. 

If people during Noah's time had the same attitude, they would probably venture out during the flood proclaiming faith. Maybe, faith should also let us sit in a burning house without the need for fire extinguishers or leave our front door unlocked since we would never get robbed. I guess there is a fine line between faith and stupidity. While we can't let fear run our lives, we still have to exercise our God given wisdom and caution.

After spending the past few decades in America, I have come to the conclusion that Americans are not as racist as the other nations. In other parts of the world, racist tendencies are stronger. Most Americans want to do what is right, and many take up causes and express dissent about discrimination, more so than other nations. The capacity that the American people have to recognize issues and seek change is commendable. 

In India, the caste system is just an excuse for treating each other poorly. Law and order is non-existent. You can get killed for eating meat. Police brutality is expected as a norm. An Indian may come to America and point out what is wrong with America but remain blissfully ignorant to issues in India. Or, an Indian may come to America and point out what is wrong in America because they recognize the wrong from their own experiences. 

 An average Indian is less entitled than an American because we have to work hard to do well in a nation of one billion people. Putting education aside or making poor choices because of freedom is rarely an option. Putting all the blame on white people or a country for their issues and not accepting personal responsibility is an easy thing to do but not helpful, by any means. 

May we never reach a place in our lives where we KNOW everything. A person who stops learning is stagnant and ignorant. We have a great deal of things to learn from each other. Let us not blindly follow or support a group, a political party or a cause when they do wrong. Not a single one of us has it all figured out. That's why we pray and seek and ask God for guidance, each and every day.

Let us be willing to learn and unlearn and ask the hard questions. That is the beginning of change and progress.  Just like a kaleidoscope, maybe each one of us has some understanding on a subject that is greater than the other. That is why - together, we are stronger.

A teachable heart
A willing spirit
A bendable will
A loving attitude
This is a woman guided by God
And this is who I want to be

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