All for what?

I am depressed today, so oh faithful blog-reader, close this window right now if you dont want it to rub off on you....

Well, looks like you have chosen to read ahead, so I'll tell you how it started...

This morning, over coffee, while reading the newpapers' perspectives on Independence Day, I asked my friend what he thought were the three most pressing problems India faced today. To my surprise, it elicited this novel response.

1. There is no system to enable people to optimally use their diverse talent and skills.

2. Urban Planning is a concern - as people move away from villages to cities, there is congestion and overuse of resources.

3. There is too much Government intereference and monopoly in the public transport services.

Well, whatever else I woudve come up with if I were asked this question, it definitely would not have been the above.

When I voiced that corruption is a really big problem that has widely far-reaching impact, he said to read his first point again. If a person has enougth opportunity to do what he really loves and gets paid for it, it is improbable that he would be corrupt. When I said that there are too many conflicting and vested interests, he said that thats how a democracy works and only if your case is convincing, it should be allowed to take off. I then pointed out that its unlikely for that to happen given the corruption but that brought us back to his first point again. I then said that the so-called democracy seems to be backfiring with politicians only catering to please their vote banks and getting re-elected. Incredibly, this again went back to his first point meaning that most politicians werent in it to "serve the country", so thats why the conflict of interest.

So what IS the first point really? That everyone should ideally do what they love and the world will fall in place on its own?? If we extend the specifcs, it simply means if all are happy, things will be fine.

Now, I have always wondered what will happen if we take away poverty, hunger, global warming, financial recession, disease, terrorism, communalism....every damn problem that we have in the World today...what if we have a totally problem-free World, where all have enough to eat, a job they love, a roof over their heads, money in their pockets, are healthy, happy, secure, have the same faith etc....would we still have war? What would we fight for? Power over others? Why, of course. Let us assume that somehow, that too is given, that each feels they are the supreme power over others..now what? Would they now be happy? I somehow dont think so... Why? That will take away their reason to live each day, right? So if there is nothing left for you to achieve, then too you would be unhappy right?

There is enough literature, evidence and theory to prove the above to be true. To quote a very commonly used one, take the theory of marginal utility in economics which to put it simply, states that with more of something, the less you will value it.

So really what is the solution? Oops, there doesnt seem to be one... I somehow feel that mankind has probably worked all this out and chooses to be in a state of happiness-sorrow that has a short turnaround time (i.e., the status quo), which seems worth it even in face of the long stretches of happiness given that it is accompanied by stretches of meaninglessness. After all, there are many who have said that it is not desirable for the us to bridge the financial divide right? The consequences of that arent supposed to be desirable for mankind...So think what will happen if we bridge every divide?

As I once read in Calvin., which sums up the above perfectly with

"The torment of existence weighed against the horror of non-being"...

Dont blame me, I TOLD you I was depressed....