A culture of deception, duplicity, suspicion, equivocation, corruption, and cover-up seems to have become a way of life in this world of ours. It is not what one is but what one has, and how one looks that are important. It is not what one knows but whom one knows that helps to get ahead in life materially. Appearance has pushed reality to the back-seat. There are many kinds of cosmetic surgeries and make-ups for the rich and not so rich to improve one’s look by enhancing or reducing one’s bust or removing blemishes, creases, wrinkles, or folds. There are creams or washes to darken or altogether eliminate one’s grey hair to look younger. It is the façade of a building, not the functionality and the convenience within, that matters. The erosion of the moral landscape reached its culmination not long after September11, 2001. Our lies stealthily caught up with us. Nineteen depraved and deranged men master-minded by a fanatic criminal mind could not change our culture and our way of life unless we allowed it. That day especially humanity lost, and terrorism triumphed in destroying a civilization of trust developed over millennia, and crowning a paranoid culture already in the making. We allowed that to happen, and we need to take responsibility for that. We have been culpably negligent in preparing ourselves spiritually. We need to do some serious soul-searching and prepare ourselves morally and spiritually for any crisis. We need to evolve some basic common tenets that we can agree on even as we come to terms with our differences. A nation is a group of diverse individuals who are governed by a constitution that enshrines certain values and goals for that nation. I cannot think of any constitution that goes against fundamental human rights and moral values. Absolutely everyone on the globe was negatively affected by the evil consequences of the horrific events of that day in September 2001 that etched in our minds. It shows how overreaction, lack of due spiritual reflection and awareness, and poor leadership can make the difference between a culture of hope and a culture of despair and doom. We get the spiritual or political leadership that we deserve. Leaders do not lead as they are led by opinion polls and surveys of public views. We need to prepare politicians for one term so they can do a good job for the common good.

            In the present scenario, a politician may not be re-elected or survive unless he/she gives what one’s constituency wants. It is not unusual for politicians to raise funds for their re-election soon after they are elected. A pastor of a church may not get the approval or promotion if he does not raise certain amount of money for buildings or other projects. We are at a juncture now where principles in politics are not valued, and where time-honored values in spirit life do not matter. In a way we are reaping what we have sowed over the years neglecting our spirit. When we are not fair and just in dealing with one person in the world, our behavior is going to have a bad ripple effect on the entire world. More specifically, we need to admit that we failed to deal with the large community of Palestinians – no less brothers and sisters than the neighboring Jews of Israel - fairly and justly. When I visited the land holy to the Jews, Christians, and Muslims in 1981, and spent about three weeks walking meditatively in and around places where Jesus spent important years of his life, I came across Palestinians living in tents from 1948 onwards as sardines packed in a can. A people that has no hope has no life. The deep despair on the faces of Palestinian children marring their innocent, spontaneous laughter very vividly told me the pathetic story of their plight. Their tears cry up to God for justice. For us to get out of this clean, we need to confess and make just amends.

Deceptive Ingenuity

             Lies and deceits abound when money is the bottom-line of any culture. Currently without hesitation it may be said that unfortunately money is the bottom-line of every culture. The corporate culture is all about money and greed. A person is recruited, retained, and promoted on the basis of the amount of money one can make. The atrocious amount of money given to executives as bonuses for the money they make is truly appalling. Enron, world’s seventh biggest corporation folded due to “cooking” (falsifying) account books. The economic melt-down and slowdown affecting the entire world economy started in the US with unscrupulous and dishonest financial managers indulging in irresponsible lending or predatory and deceptive financial practices. The banking industry in the US, the bedrock of society, was shaken to its foundation in the wake of scandals and questionable financial practices to increase their profit margin. The housing industry did no better than the banking industry. Recently Reuters (London/New York, March 15, 2012) published a report of a withering resignation letter of a Goldman Sacks Bank executive appearing in New York Times that contained an unprecedented assault on bank executives who consider their customers to be “muppets” (stupid). He also talked about the “rip-off culture” of bankers. The multi-national oil corporations made record windfall profits in the worst situation of sky-rocketing petrol prices crushing the ordinary struggling persons trying to make both ends meet.

            In the wake of all these financial disasters those who really suffered were and still suffering are ordinary, honest, hardworking, decent human beings who worked hard to save for their retirement or old age. I know this because I myself was affected by this. A few crooks got away with their loot. This tells us that the economic well-being of humanity is in grave danger. Preoccupation with making money by hook or by crook seems to be in the mind of almost everyone at every waking moment of the day. Recently I had an encounter with a young man who wanted to sell me a financial policy that according to him was very attractive and would benefit me very much. When I told him that I did not need one he pleaded with me to take it in order to help him. Aggressive marketing strategies and advertisements so prevalent in the United States are spreading across India with the ubiquitous signboards, television sets, and the internet with, perhaps, added variety of deceptive native ingenuity. The irrepressible, perfidious telemarketers who can take away a few minutes of rest and relaxation that we have by intruding through our phones at their will are inconsiderate and outright nuisance. A telemarketer in the US told me that he also needed to live. Of course he needs to. But don’t we have enough real jobs for which persons are not applying? An increasing number of people in the world seem to want easy money without hard work. They feel they are entitled to it as they do not have exemplary role models and persons of impeccable integrity in public life. The culture of lie also generates a hedonistic, amoral culture where everything goes.