One reason for our failure to ask ourselves such questions — or for the fact that they have inconvenient and troubling answers — is that we do not spend enough time with ourselves. Our mode of living in today’s consumerism-driven culture has too much outward focus, and too little inward focus. Take, for instance, the year that is about to end. How much of it was spent by you and me in our own solitude, in the company of our private selves, or in conversation with those who have become a part of our lives, just as we have become theirs? ‘Quality time’ is a term widely used these days, and it has a profound meaning. What was the share of ‘quality time’ in 2007 in our lives?

I recently read an insightful and highly inspiring book, Peace: For Us, For Our Families, For Our Communities and For The World, by Swami Chidanand Saraswati of Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh. It contains a poem, ‘Tragic Paradox of our Lives’, by an anonymous author. Here are some lines from it:

“We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; Wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. / We spend more, but have less; We buy more, enjoy less. / We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, less judgement; More experts, yet more problems; more medicines, less health. / We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. / We talk too much, love too seldom; We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; We’ve added years to life, not life to years. / We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. / We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space. / There are the times of big men and small character; Steep profits and shallow relationships; Fancier houses, but broken homes.”

... contd.