So this post was supposed to be about my Pandemic lesson #2. But then America just went crazy and I decided that I was going to instead put my current state of mind down here (seemed like a healthy outlet).

This morning started out on a positive note (for me at least) - it was the day of the electoral college certification and it looked like the dems would get the senate (which happened btw). And then, the craziness began. All the news sites are now reporting that Capitols across the country are being stormed. It all feels surreal and scary. Like the beginning of the handmaids tale. I've been finding it hard to focus today so my mind started wandering into how we got here. Note that everything I write below are simply my thoughts and opinions and I fully accept that you may not agree with some of the below.

Us versus them: I've heard about this concept from a few articles and books now. The basic concept is that there is an us, and us is different (and better) than them and that's how it should be. When I think of income inequality, racism, discrimination, populism, there are always hints of an attitude of us versus them. This happens at every level and in many countries I know (think feudal wars to colonialism to the French revolution to slavery). I have seen myself do it too, where I often build my first impression of a person based on how they dress, smell, or look, versus who they actually are. I have clearly seen people demean other people growing up - sometimes in subtle ways and sometimes openly - because of the color of their skin, their accent, their weight, their marital status, if they have kids or not, if they work or not, their religion or lack of religion, and so on. The judgement is constant and everywhere. People who think like each other, look like each other, are from the same place gravitate to each other because it is what they know. While its understandable to want what's familiar, the flipside is a lack of acceptance of a world with all types of people who are all special in their own way (if we only cared to see). If not consciously controlled, "Us versus them" can easily escalate, leading to disaster.

Power: A thirst for power by a few and a quest to keep that power regardless of the consequences has resulted in the situation we see today. Clearly, a lot of wrong has been happening for a while now. But when people in power are willing to give up on their ideals and morals to maintain the status quo, bad things go unquestioned. This encourages hatred. It is hard to turn back time and undo the damage that is caused due to the short sightedness and greed of a few. The powerful feed on the hatred of a few and nurse the flames of that hatred for their advantage. As Uncle Ben says "With great power comes great responsibility" - there is a definite lack of responsibility by many that landed America in this situation. Checks and balances matter when they are actually enforced - if not, they are just words.

Misinformation: I won't write much about this since we have all witnessed a lot of this. With the spread of social media and certain unreliable news outlets, misinformation is running rampant. The number of times things get forwarded that are blatantly false is terrifying. Or outright lies spoken in videos and on certain "news" channels. IMO, it is an example of noble intentions of building social media with not so noble use. I do not believe this is an unsolvable problem but it definitely does require arm twisting to get change to happen.

No-one is listening: Thinking about why people support some of the hatred spewed by Trump has often baffled me. Is it because there have been a number of people who feel their voices have not been heard? When Trump demeans politicians who they believe have never paid attention to them, do they feel like he is talking for them? Inequality has become so big that we have not seen how this situation has been gradually getting worse for a while now. With technology and context and social media forming a bubble around us, we unknowingly (or maybe knowingly) missed a whole other part of reality. How could we have avoided this situation? How can we fix it now?

Change can happen: In a democracy, an elected government is supposed to be for all the people - irrespective of the majority population, religion, color, state or who voted for whom. Any democracy should uphold that above all. And we all should care, because even if something does not impact us today, it is easy for injustice to keep creeping wider and wider until it does touch your life. Next time you feel the need to defend a wrong action against an individual or a group, take a minute to imagine how it would feel if you were that individual or belonged to that group. Because change begins with you. It happened in the 2020 election because people came out and made change happen and it can happen in our everyday lives as well.

The world has seen much and will see much more. World wars, colonialism, populism, pandemics and more. People are resilient and I am sure we will get through. But today I am angry! I am very upset! And what's happening now needs to stop.

P.S. This was definitely not going to be my first post of the new year. But its as good as any. Happy New Year my friends! Here's to hope for a better, nicer, happier, and more caring world.

“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.” – Mahatma Gandhi