Sunday Reading

New Delhi, 1 December2010

Complexity Disease

IS INDIA COMPLEX?

By Mithun Dey

“Complexity” is more lethal than “cancer,” it is said. In contemporary India, most people suffer from high complexity. From schools to offices, sports ground to politics, home to marketplace place and every where many have it. Complexity is very predictable and it is very easy to spot. It detaches a person from feeling compassion for others and his conscience must be callused.

True, there are certain compulsive choleric temperament traits that all complex-minded people have in common, given that no one has been born with complexity. Wherein the mind must be corrupted as complex behaviour gives nothing. Add to this certain environments, like extreme and intense, which are more conducive than others.

Everyday, guardians take their children to the schools. And every warden looks for the first bench in the class for his ward. If unavailable, both child and guardian begin to feel complexed. Moreover, when school results are declared, some of the students secure the highest percentage while others fail the examination. As a result, complexes strike both the student and his protector.

In cricket too, complexities set in if one is out for a duck while another batsman scores 50 runs and another 100. This happened recently in Team India when complexities cropped up. This is one of the key reasons for players giving a smashing performance on the field.

In our country, in Government or private sector offices workers behaviour is complex. While some employees fritter away office hours by merely gossiping, others feel jealous and pass rude comments about a well-dressed colleague.

God forbid, when a person is promoted and provided other facilities and benefits. Then from the senior-most to junior officer all suffer from some complex or the other. Some feel envy and not a few feel ostracized. Time to remember that office is not a place for words like complex behaviour, jealousy, slander et alto be bandied around.

Clearly, a vicious envy-filled complex environment in the office leads to inferior work output and wipes out the all-round goodwill and relationships between staff members with whom one spends the maximum time. Indeed, what a shame it is!

Sadly, identical behaviour is seen in the market place as well. If one is indulging in healthy shopping, others feel jealous and pass snide comments about the “marketing skills.” How does it matter if one shops a lot, another only a wee bit and the other nothing.

What is there to suffer a ‘complex’ from a rich guy who squanders his money or a miser who has the money but does not want to part with it, or the poor person who would love to buy the goodies but has no money. All in some way or the other suffer from a complex. Especially in middle class families.

Arguably, can the political field be far behind. As we all know it’s the biggest game in the country. In contemporary India, all politicians have complex behaviour. Either they suffer from a “messiah complex” or• are very self-centered. Most behave like a “school bully”: very unruly and disrespectful of others and tramples on the common man’s rights. Wherein, when complexity strikes, it can damage or kill a political brand.

For our polity to operate in a society and nation there must be unrest and moral confusion. There must be a situation that calls for change. There must be a general disregard for the True and Living God and His ways in a nation like our country for complex behaviours to thrive. Complex minded people will do everything they can to cause a “problem”. If there is none, they will manufacture one. In his warped way of thinking, the problem the person manufactures can only be fixed by his unique solution.

This is not all. Complex behaviour affects our children profoundly. They intriguingly observe it in their parents. This results in the birth of false ideas in children’s mind about how the real world works and how to deal with it. This effect is called Habituation.

Habituation simply states that strong reactions grow weaker with constant exposure to the stimuli. How can we better, yet save the future of our country and our world? There has to be a way and the best answer to date is the new curriculum to change children views.

There should be no doubt in anybody’s mind that complex behaviour changes children’s mind and in turn causes other long lasting effects as adults. Whereby, the behaviour of adults not only changes children behaviour, but also changes society in general because children eventually become the adults of today. At first, things start out with the child just getting into minor trouble, but as time progresses their behaviour becomes inferior and complex.

In sum, it is one of the most central problems that India suffers from. Complexity is a deadly disease. While cancer spoils one part of a person’s body, complexity is a sort of cancer that can mess up the whole body of the nation. Liberality is must for the people of India. As Churchill once said, “If you’re not Liberal when you’re 25, you have no heart. If you’re not Conservative when you’re 35, you have no brain.”

India is the land of great liberals like Ramakrishna, Buddha, Srimanta Shankardeva, Shankar Acharya, Kabir, Ramanuj, Swami Vivekananda and Tagore etc. We need to follow in their footsteps. Else, we will not be able to escape complexity. Wherein, all will ask: Is the real India complex? INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)