When fish do not fly

An important part of life is to know when to leave people alone. Sometimes things are best left undisturbed. For example an encroachment into the lives of endangered tribes brings in its wake death and destruction to them as they lack the immunity to survive the diseases that accompany it. There are nomadic tribes who are not accustomed to a roof over their head. Providing them with modern housing and schooling might seem a rational solution but such a drastic departure from their set norms will spell disaster for them. Thus what is perfectly normal for one person might prove the nemesis for another. (The US is realizing this as its attempt to stuff democracy down Iraq’s throat backfires.) This lack of uniformity in nature is what makes the world so special.

Our individual lives are a microcosm of the larger contradictions that pervade the material universe. People often build perfectly blissful relationships unaware of the idiosyncrasies of their partners or precariousness of some situation. For an outsider this might seem like a fool’s paradise and could lead to a great temptation to interfere and inform but such a seemingly wise step will upset the fragile balance that preserves the harmony of that unique union. The earlier we realize that our ideas of happiness need not meet that of others, the sooner will we stop committing mischief.

Every person faces predicaments in life. On closer examination, we will realize that the severity of one person’s trouble is directly proportional to the capacity of that person to solve it. As people are unique, so will also be the problems that they have to endure. Another interesting factor in life is that even if more difficulties lurk beneath the more obvious ones, most people do not identify these until they have become capable of resolving them. This is a defense mechanism that protects them. Intruding into their lives and explaining to them the extent of the problems that surround them before they have the ability to tackle them would thus be a form of cruelty.

Any meaningful transformation requires patience and opportunity. Only self-driven changes endure. Indigenous solutions can delve into depths that extraneous ones cannot fathom. Forced remedies shock, impede, and finally wither away. Evolution is an essential component of life but only when time is right will things fall into place.