Saturday 7 February 2015

SYNTHETIC COMMUNITY

Community living is an integral part of human existence. When we study this concept of living in a group or a community, it brings out certain interesting phenomena.
If we study the ideal village depicted in the vedic scripture or a typical traditional Indian village we see that   it  was never an officially guarded community.
Protection was there but it was not  organized it was more trust and relationship based in the community. The community  had no borders, and no limitations.The village would slowly thin down in population as one went to the outskirts of the village and started  approaching the next village.
Modern guarded communities are synthetically designed.  They are infrastructure friendly, but the inner communities  are mostly non communicative.
Families are living for themselves and the relationship with the neighbours  is a very cautious one.  It is a guarded community but it cannot trust or reciprocate with the next door neighbor.To feel trust and safety, one is forced to appoint security guards and CC television. On the other hand in village communities trust and safety comes form protecting and helping each other, in a natural way.
It  is not done for mutual  benefit rather it is done as if everyone is an integral part of one’s own family.
Natural villages welcome us without officially having a reception.  Synthetic villages  have official receptions, where people  are welcomed  if they have an official  invitation, else they are put up simply for interrogation. Natural  villages   are spacious, one can park their bullock cart any where . One  can drink water or eat food in the villages  even if one is not invited.But in  synthetic communities  one needs   a specific invitation or one can eat at a canteen by paying money.
Synthetic communities  will not give us attention one  has to pay for it, whereas in  natural communities  attention is always present  in an affectionate way.
The Pandavas  were affectionate to each other, which was natural and harmonious. The kaurava relationship was bargain based.They had purchased everyone by money or power to be connected.  The Kauravas were affectionate for the sake of dealing  and the Pandavas were affectionate in their dealing.
Unfortunately our villages are becoming synthetic too, and our synthetic communities are getting an artificial village outlook, both are superficial and unreal.
Communities where people are primary and infrastructure  secondary  keep God, godliness and good people in the centre .
A spiritual realm is a natural village. Being there is  the essence of life, and learning that essence is the focus of our entire life.

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