The Five Stages to ‘Nirvana’

Criminals are not born, we develop them. After a criminal is caught for the first time and punished,  either the criminal reforms when the punishment is beyond tolerance; or gets more and more used to punishment, if the benefit from the criminal act is more than the quantum of punishment. This system produces a few hardened criminals, but somewhat effective, for lack of any other tried and tested method. However, it has not been popular because of the reluctance of legislators and courts, on humanitarian grounds and growing entrenched corruption in the enforcement apparatus which helped criminals.

Second stage:  Human beings preferred to live in SMALL groups, as it was found to be better than living alone. This process led to bigger and bigger groups with their ways and habits of living, depending on their circumstances. Problems arose when the groups got bigger than the benefits available to them as a group. Since there was no way anymore to going back and living alone, the groups were forced to fight with each other, which in modern language, we call ‘competing’!

Third stage: We now find that it is not how ‘BIG’ a group is that matters the most. But it is the most well-armed, but even small group, that held the trump card! (Pun not intended!).

Fourth stage: When the situation worsens, the group which feels less secure will use the trump card. That is what you can expect around May 13!

Fifth and final (?) stage: The Hindi proverb goes ‘marta kya na karta’ which means “What a man in the throes of death will not do?”; don’t go for the obvious meaning that is he will go to any extent. It clearly means “When you fear anything, that might be the end of you.” Another way of looking at this is: “As long as you have not lost your confidence in you, you do not have to fear anything.” This applies to nations as much as it applies to an individual human being!

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