“Life is forever an struggle- an eternal struggle that makes mankind survive- an eternal struggle that helps mankind to take life forward- the eternal optimism that I shall live to see another day- the eternal optimism that keeps the spirits and body alive.”
Rajiv Narayan, 2110 hrs, 22nd May 2006 :)
Welcome to Random Ramblings & Random Reflections. I hope you would got the taste of what lies in store for the unlucky surfers who pass by this site. Not that I expect many to pass by!!
These typos are just a vent for me- more often, its easier to give vent to your pent up pressures/anger/discontent blah blah blah in the form of letters, words- these words, unlike mankind, does not shout back at me. But at the same time they make me think- what have I written? Why did I write so? What made me write something like that at a particular moment? Random Ramblings, leading to Random Reflections!!!!
Ramblings- Random as ever!!!
Most of the time, we stand in awe looking at a masterpiece of art- a modernistic painting with oil/colour splashed over the length and breadth of the canvas- and we say, “wow, what a painting!” not at the least been able to make out head or tail of the so called work of art- literally unable to identify “which side up”! And we still go ga ga over the painting!
Why? I guess there is only one answer- a simple straight forward answer- "I don’t want people to think that I am fool not being able to appreciate the painting!" Multiply this by the millions of people who watch the painting and think the same, we get a society that refuses to see black and white as “black and white”, right or wrong as “right or wrong”, good or bad as “good or bad”! We see shades of everything but we refuse to pick and choose by our conscience.
The word Conscience reminds me of something much deeper- a word that cannot be fathomed-a word that can have as many meanings as there are people. A very subjective word that can provoke you into action. A word that can provoke you into positive or negative action. Conscience is something which is always in shades of grey- shades that, like a chameleon keeps changing from man to man. Very often shades changing in a man also.
So what is conscience? As the dictionaries define it, is it a mere moral faculty that makes us feel remorse when we do things against inbuilt moral precepts? Or is more of a tool that we use to defend our position? To defend something we have done which is against established social patterns? Does established social mores/patterns necessarily mean that they can build conscience? I have no answers to the question. Ramblings as always!
The issue made me think. I profess that I don’t have any answers to these. Maybe, a spark in you will be ignited, maybe you will think and maybe you will get ‘enlightened’ and get the answers.
I shall be back with another dose of incoherent ramblings in the near future.
Till then, adios!
Rajiv Narayan, 2110 hrs, 22nd May 2006 :)
Welcome to Random Ramblings & Random Reflections. I hope you would got the taste of what lies in store for the unlucky surfers who pass by this site. Not that I expect many to pass by!!
These typos are just a vent for me- more often, its easier to give vent to your pent up pressures/anger/discontent blah blah blah in the form of letters, words- these words, unlike mankind, does not shout back at me. But at the same time they make me think- what have I written? Why did I write so? What made me write something like that at a particular moment? Random Ramblings, leading to Random Reflections!!!!
Ramblings- Random as ever!!!
Most of the time, we stand in awe looking at a masterpiece of art- a modernistic painting with oil/colour splashed over the length and breadth of the canvas- and we say, “wow, what a painting!” not at the least been able to make out head or tail of the so called work of art- literally unable to identify “which side up”! And we still go ga ga over the painting!
Why? I guess there is only one answer- a simple straight forward answer- "I don’t want people to think that I am fool not being able to appreciate the painting!" Multiply this by the millions of people who watch the painting and think the same, we get a society that refuses to see black and white as “black and white”, right or wrong as “right or wrong”, good or bad as “good or bad”! We see shades of everything but we refuse to pick and choose by our conscience.
The word Conscience reminds me of something much deeper- a word that cannot be fathomed-a word that can have as many meanings as there are people. A very subjective word that can provoke you into action. A word that can provoke you into positive or negative action. Conscience is something which is always in shades of grey- shades that, like a chameleon keeps changing from man to man. Very often shades changing in a man also.
So what is conscience? As the dictionaries define it, is it a mere moral faculty that makes us feel remorse when we do things against inbuilt moral precepts? Or is more of a tool that we use to defend our position? To defend something we have done which is against established social patterns? Does established social mores/patterns necessarily mean that they can build conscience? I have no answers to the question. Ramblings as always!
The issue made me think. I profess that I don’t have any answers to these. Maybe, a spark in you will be ignited, maybe you will think and maybe you will get ‘enlightened’ and get the answers.
I shall be back with another dose of incoherent ramblings in the near future.
Till then, adios!
Comments
Conscience, for me, has stopped to be a source of mystery. Russell said something to the effect that conscience is in essence constituted by what we learn as children at our mother's knees. (Not the exact words-May be I will find out them sometime) As you rightly noted, it varies from person to person-I would suggest that marked similarity occurs between members of the same tribe, but between tribes, there is considerable difference between the "inner voice" of individuals. Russell noted:"Broadly speaking, it is everywhere in agreement with the tribal custom"
Viswan