Little that he knew

Someone knows something about my future that I don't know

Sunday, October 17, 2010

The arrogance of the intellect

Today is just another day of the year. Like all other days it comes once every year but ends up hurting me more than anyone else. It’s a great day for you, I know. But strangely I know quite a few of you are oblivious to what you are doing, why you are doing it and what I really did?

I erred, I accept. I had my opportunity to rectify things and make life as it is. Even my brother warned me of it but I squandered that chance thinking I was right. My sons, my people who trusted me all my life supported me. They told me they will be with me till their last breathe. Did I betray them? Wasn’t I the learned one, the one who mastered knowledge of all three worlds? Wasn’t I the brave one, the one who defeated every living and the dead, the devta, the asura and the human? How could I have faltered? But I did.

I know you won’t like comparisons between me and him. He is your blue eyed boy poster boy or should I call the blue bodied poster boy of yours. Incarnation of some God you revere, gifted archer, dad’s favorite son, brave, noble, educated, loved and respected by family and friends and probably bestowed with every good virtue possible. As for me you have already painted my eyes in black and red, given me a monster like look and made me sound so unreasonable. Trust me when I say I was no different from him. Ok, you can do away with the God’s incarnation part and being blue bodied. I am glad I am not the former and my normal skin color is fine with me. But despite similarities look where we ended up. Today we both are perceived so differently, placed at extreme ends of a spectrum.

The difference as I see today is while his strengths made him look godly, mine made me the devil. But wait a second didn’t tell you we had similar virtues. Then how come this difference? I abducted his wife because I thought it was the right thing to do. I took my people to complete destruction because I thought if that be the end then so be it. I thought I was thinking right. Wasn’t I the learned one? With benefit of hindsight I find a simple logic behind my mistake. If you believe whatever you think is right, then what ever you think becomes right. From preserver of the right and the wrong one starts defining what’s right and what’s wrong. In my definition I was right and I believed in my definition because I was the learned one.

So today when you burn my effigy remember, remember there is no difference between me and him. We are two extremes of spectrum imbibed deep within you. It’s simple a choice which side of the spectrum your burn and which side of it you keep.