the lowest common denominator

In this world full of problems and turmoil, with skyrocketing costs of living, terrorism and relationship issues, we should attempt to take our lives back to it lowest common denominator.

What is it we want in life? How do we want to achieve it? Can we achieve it given the unique constraints of our lives, and the compromises we have to live with? What is our best compromise and can we live with that?

I think if we answer those questions honestly we can really find out what our real problems are and then try and solve them. In similar fashion the society’s problems can also be looked at in this light and solutions found without making a career out of trying to solve non-existent problems.

In my occasional cynical moments I look at people trying make something out of nothing so that they can live without having to do much. We have given up on responsibility and taken on the path of least resistance.

We don’t need an army if we have no one to fight. We don’t have to buy arms if there is no war. We don’t have to employ security guards if we are not worried about security and the list goes on an on.

We have therefore created problems and make a living out of trying to contain them, and minimize their effect because we don’t actually want to solve them as that would mean nothing more for us to do.

NGOs make a living out of other people’s misery, so they don’t want misery to end, The aid business is so big, imagine them all thrown out of work if no one needs aid. So I can’t help thinking that it is in no one’s interest to solve problems and we continue to perpetuate them as that is human nature.

It is so easy to be a sermonist of any religion, as one can see clearly what is right and wrong and one can preach to the listener. This is because it is very simple if one just lives simply. We however choose not to take in what is said, as we think it is good in theory but in practice it is not possible.

If we go back to basics, ‘kalpanakaranna’, we can then address the real issues, personal and societal, not wasting time on areas that are merely designed to take our focus away from what is important.