Gypsy time is set to move
Time you old gypsy man will you not stay
Put up your caravan just for one day. THIS was and is the ardent desire of all the men and women of the world. All of us want that time should be our captive for at least one more moment if not for one day. Time is a treasure chest or wonder lamp, whoever has it on his side rules the roost (previously seven seas). A visit down memory lane would reveal that time began its journey from Judea (Egypt) and kept moving to Babylonia to Assiriya to Sumar Akkad to Greece to Rome to France to Britain, and has now stopped in the US for a while in relation to ages that it had journeyed and the endless journey that lay ahead of it. Every occasion that the gypsy, time, was ready to depart for the next destination, everybody offered everything available in the places that it left to implore or entice or cajole it to stay just for one day. Cruel time did not oblige. It demands loads of happenings to break its journey. It stopped at places that promised a beginning of a happening called civilisation. It witnessed the development and destruction of many civilisations, and is now helping Digitalised Civilisation to take root. Who will provide the cradle for Digitalised Civilisation to grow? The ingredients for development of civilisation are harmony, hyper-activism, honesty and holding fast to commitments. In this process, one should not lose sight of ethical and social values that chastise corruption (moral, political or economical) prone homosapiens. The outlook for development should not be locked within its own realm, it should rather go beyond boundaries so that it benefits one and all and wears the look of universality. Any vile effort to subvert the pledge made in various declarations to globalise civilisation will jeopardise philosophical globalisation. Currently, environmental insecurity poses a major threat to the development of an international charter that will be able to check unbridled emission of pollutants (CFC or CO2), deforestation, topsoil erosion and other kinds of biodegradation. Developed nations are the major violators of whatever restrictions that the concerned world bodies have been able to impose to guard against violation of their charter. A number of summits were held, assurances were obtained from major stakeholders, yet violations are continuing unabated. Time releases its bounty till such time as it is utilised for the cause of one and all that inhabit Mother Earth. The physical texture of the world has gone through many ramifications (both natural and artificial) over the millennia, but its nature of endowing has not transformed. Mundaka Upanishad contains the true character of the earth when it maintains;
Two birds.
Inseparable companions
Perch on the same tree.
One eats fruit
The other looks on. The first bird is comparable with mankind, which feeds on the pleasures and pains of our world; the other is time, which silently witnesses all, showing enormous endurance to enable us to make hay while the sun shines. We, the homo-sapiens have been committing excesses to feed our insatiable greed for food, wealth and power, often at the cost of millions of our neighbours. Who then should be blamed? To my understanding, it is, as of now, the Western Alliance. They must know that time will finally let loose its resolve to move fast if they continue to "see the food supplies, fossil fuels and other common resources collapse even once, let alone a hundred times" because of their excessive use for commercial gains. Many conferences were held where emphatic declarations were made to cut back on the consumption of all resources. It seems to me that their ego is prompting them to resist the changes that the world needs. This is an exploitative mode of consciousness, which must not be pursued as these natives are standing at the verge of receiving the wrath of time, which may move to a new destination. Although it is said that "we no more know our own destiny than a tea leaf knows the destiny of the East India Company," we at least know about the emergence of a few power centres in the Southern Hemisphere. They are well poised now to receive gypsy time, which is readying its caravan to move. China, Japan and India are individually competing to hit the top spot, which does not seem to augur well for time to volunteer its surrender to any of them. The west formed a syndicate (in business parlance) to put up a formidable front by constructing an economic plan or military blue print that no country outside of the alliance could drive a wedge to share the boons of time. Since the West is getting divided on economic and environmental issues and approach towards emerging power centres, it may find the task of keeping its unity monumental. On the other hand, the emerging power centres of the Southern Hemisphere might find it an uphill task to confront the West, the villain of earth's desecration and elusive time's chief detractor, unless it is ready to think "I and all things in the universe are one." Emerging nations are competing to gain ascendancy, but this may not be an achievement in the consideration of time and space. The reason behind this formulation is that achievement will not be long lasting unless backed by the neighbouring countries who have supporting goods and services. So the countries of the Southern Hemisphere should feel that they are one at the core, and united to confront the West whose power seems to be fading. So the emerging nations should promote building up on the anomalies until a point is reached where the West's exploitative character is no longer tenable and begins to lose its status and strength. The South's identity must be tuned to oneness to take advantage of each other's bounty and avoid what the West wants to impose. China, Japan, and India have been victims of the West's unabated exploitation, because of which development in this part of the world has been blunted. Dialogue, NAM and other forums of unity could not garner enough strength because of mutual suspicion with regard to each other's intentions. The other reason is a nation's feeling of being "at ease with themselves combined with an increasing sense of inner security and invulnerability" by dint of support it receives from so called "sponsors" or development partners. If we want to arrest time even for a while, we must close ranks to deny exploitative support and revive our capabilities, which the West exported to its lands by hatching conspiracies and enticing betrayal by the locals who, unlike Mother Earth looked at themselves. Let us not forget that even a sheet of paper becomes lighter if it is lifted by two people. While the life of the universe is endless in time, our's is limited to our ability to chase the challenges of gypsy time so that its caravan stops, and that we can enjoy this gift of Allah.
Put up your caravan just for one day. THIS was and is the ardent desire of all the men and women of the world. All of us want that time should be our captive for at least one more moment if not for one day. Time is a treasure chest or wonder lamp, whoever has it on his side rules the roost (previously seven seas). A visit down memory lane would reveal that time began its journey from Judea (Egypt) and kept moving to Babylonia to Assiriya to Sumar Akkad to Greece to Rome to France to Britain, and has now stopped in the US for a while in relation to ages that it had journeyed and the endless journey that lay ahead of it. Every occasion that the gypsy, time, was ready to depart for the next destination, everybody offered everything available in the places that it left to implore or entice or cajole it to stay just for one day. Cruel time did not oblige. It demands loads of happenings to break its journey. It stopped at places that promised a beginning of a happening called civilisation. It witnessed the development and destruction of many civilisations, and is now helping Digitalised Civilisation to take root. Who will provide the cradle for Digitalised Civilisation to grow? The ingredients for development of civilisation are harmony, hyper-activism, honesty and holding fast to commitments. In this process, one should not lose sight of ethical and social values that chastise corruption (moral, political or economical) prone homosapiens. The outlook for development should not be locked within its own realm, it should rather go beyond boundaries so that it benefits one and all and wears the look of universality. Any vile effort to subvert the pledge made in various declarations to globalise civilisation will jeopardise philosophical globalisation. Currently, environmental insecurity poses a major threat to the development of an international charter that will be able to check unbridled emission of pollutants (CFC or CO2), deforestation, topsoil erosion and other kinds of biodegradation. Developed nations are the major violators of whatever restrictions that the concerned world bodies have been able to impose to guard against violation of their charter. A number of summits were held, assurances were obtained from major stakeholders, yet violations are continuing unabated. Time releases its bounty till such time as it is utilised for the cause of one and all that inhabit Mother Earth. The physical texture of the world has gone through many ramifications (both natural and artificial) over the millennia, but its nature of endowing has not transformed. Mundaka Upanishad contains the true character of the earth when it maintains;
Two birds.
Inseparable companions
Perch on the same tree.
One eats fruit
The other looks on. The first bird is comparable with mankind, which feeds on the pleasures and pains of our world; the other is time, which silently witnesses all, showing enormous endurance to enable us to make hay while the sun shines. We, the homo-sapiens have been committing excesses to feed our insatiable greed for food, wealth and power, often at the cost of millions of our neighbours. Who then should be blamed? To my understanding, it is, as of now, the Western Alliance. They must know that time will finally let loose its resolve to move fast if they continue to "see the food supplies, fossil fuels and other common resources collapse even once, let alone a hundred times" because of their excessive use for commercial gains. Many conferences were held where emphatic declarations were made to cut back on the consumption of all resources. It seems to me that their ego is prompting them to resist the changes that the world needs. This is an exploitative mode of consciousness, which must not be pursued as these natives are standing at the verge of receiving the wrath of time, which may move to a new destination. Although it is said that "we no more know our own destiny than a tea leaf knows the destiny of the East India Company," we at least know about the emergence of a few power centres in the Southern Hemisphere. They are well poised now to receive gypsy time, which is readying its caravan to move. China, Japan and India are individually competing to hit the top spot, which does not seem to augur well for time to volunteer its surrender to any of them. The west formed a syndicate (in business parlance) to put up a formidable front by constructing an economic plan or military blue print that no country outside of the alliance could drive a wedge to share the boons of time. Since the West is getting divided on economic and environmental issues and approach towards emerging power centres, it may find the task of keeping its unity monumental. On the other hand, the emerging power centres of the Southern Hemisphere might find it an uphill task to confront the West, the villain of earth's desecration and elusive time's chief detractor, unless it is ready to think "I and all things in the universe are one." Emerging nations are competing to gain ascendancy, but this may not be an achievement in the consideration of time and space. The reason behind this formulation is that achievement will not be long lasting unless backed by the neighbouring countries who have supporting goods and services. So the countries of the Southern Hemisphere should feel that they are one at the core, and united to confront the West whose power seems to be fading. So the emerging nations should promote building up on the anomalies until a point is reached where the West's exploitative character is no longer tenable and begins to lose its status and strength. The South's identity must be tuned to oneness to take advantage of each other's bounty and avoid what the West wants to impose. China, Japan, and India have been victims of the West's unabated exploitation, because of which development in this part of the world has been blunted. Dialogue, NAM and other forums of unity could not garner enough strength because of mutual suspicion with regard to each other's intentions. The other reason is a nation's feeling of being "at ease with themselves combined with an increasing sense of inner security and invulnerability" by dint of support it receives from so called "sponsors" or development partners. If we want to arrest time even for a while, we must close ranks to deny exploitative support and revive our capabilities, which the West exported to its lands by hatching conspiracies and enticing betrayal by the locals who, unlike Mother Earth looked at themselves. Let us not forget that even a sheet of paper becomes lighter if it is lifted by two people. While the life of the universe is endless in time, our's is limited to our ability to chase the challenges of gypsy time so that its caravan stops, and that we can enjoy this gift of Allah.
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