Discrimination and “the way I see it”

Each and every one of us would have faced religious or caste or gender or economical or political discrimination at one point of time or the other in our daily experiences. The immediate reaction would have been “why people discriminate us?” Do we have an answer for it? Let me put it in another way, do we have a reason, when we discriminate others in any one of the above mentioned aspects? I am sure, that most of us would not be doing it purposefully, but it happens un-intentionally.

UNJUST happens Just like that (Injustice happens as it is justice).

Let’s go back to history to know few more details about discrimination’s evolution.
During initial days of human civilization as per the resource availability and as per the great saying "necessity was the mother of invention" people started practicing various occupations like farming, pot making, leather works, fishing etc.. As the connectivity and dependency between the people grew, then emerged a new profession called politics which was overlooking administration of the group of lands. People felt the ownership of their occupations rather than encouraging knowledge sharing about their practices to other working groups, hence started the discrimination among people further dividing the families according to their occupations. As politicians started looking into administrative activities, they had to rate people based on the value that a particular community adds to the political boundary be it in commodity value or Spiritual value or number of warriors it provides.

As the caste system evolved from their functions people used feel great attachment towards their caste; Based on the value it provides politician gave importance to the particular caste. But as an educated person who has relatively good exposure to the reality we understand that “each and every activity that happens in a society is as important as the other” but we cannot accept the truth as our perceptions are enforced by our pre-defined social structures. We do not own our perceptions.

Lets us Re-visit the complete issue of discrimination with human body evolution.

When we came out of our mother’s womb, we do not know any one of the discriminations (Initial phase of civilization) we just do what ever we like based on the necessity and our enjoyment. We treat all our organs in the same way (As we were considering our functions during the initial phase of human evolution) But as we grow we would be getting instructions from our parents and society about the do’s and don’ts in an enforced manner (Like early politician decides what is worthy and what not our parents are initial politician). We feel those instructions are justice, most of the time this is where the discriminations starts. We might have a suspected vision on other class as we were told that.

If you look at your organs carefully today (as you read this blog) observe carefully how you are discriminating your own organs (your face/legs/hands/feet and other parts); you treat your face with highest importance, you spend lion share of your body care investment on your face. Does it mean if your face is good you will be completely healthy? Everyone is answer is NO! (If some one says YES, I request them not to read further J )

Why is the discrimination on your own of other organs???

Most of you would be entering a new home with your right leg, why do not you use your left one, we do not know the answer we just do it, because we were told to do so. Have we ever dared to try it, mostly not, because we were warned of bad consequences?
Why is the discrimination on your own legs???

If we tried giving money with our left hand to any one we would have been considered as arrogant, but if we give with our right hand we are good people.

Why is the discrimination on your own hands???

So we, by now, have become a new political system and discriminating our own organs without our knowledge, as I put it “Unjust is happening as it is Just”. As we have started discriminating our own organs without knowledge, we have started discriminating other classes (be it religion, caste, gender, political, economical), but today as educated class we know the reality about the body and each and every organs importance, likewise we know the importance of other class people. But we are still discriminating :)

When I got this thought some time in March 2010, I have decided to stop it right away. I saw my both hands as different classes in the society. I saw my both legs as different classes in the society. I want to stop the centuries old discrimination with my small step. I want to stop the discrimination of my left, so I have exchanged my right tasks to left and left tasks to right. It is almost 5 months by today, and I feel I broke my age old perceptions on left and right. I am sure from my side the same will flow to the society.

As Mahatma Gandhi Puts it “Be the change you want to see”.

Let’s stop discriminating; let’s start it from our organs.

Thanks for reading,

Yogesh Thandava.