Before I write further about the world I like to live in, it is important to high-light a few points about the world we actually live in. Let us have a cursory glance at what is happening, what is generally valued and appreciated. The current world, whether we like it or not, is practically directed by the maxim: might is right – the law of the jungle. This general truth or rule of conduct is morally universally repudiated and is socially undesirable, and yet is in effect at every level. It is the basis of threats, intimidation, and domination. Colonization, invasions for empire-building, every form of discrimination, subjugation, and persecution known throughout history, violation of human rights and abuse were maintained by this principle. Brutal monarchs and dictators and every authoritarian government clung to power through it. The world has shown and still continues to show all that ultimately works is brutal power and pelf. It is only a mindless and immoral world that can compete in arms race and stock-pile weapons of mass destruction at the expense of the poor and the oppressed everywhere in the world going to sleep every night hungry. It is interesting how in the past many Christian missionaries intent on preaching the gospel of love of Jesus Christ to the natives ignored the greed and violence of their colonizing compatriots with militia that they accompanied. But then there were medieval theologians who developed a convenient theology of the divine right of kings to justify and preserve the institution of monarchy.
             Humanity and civilization right from its inception got a bad rap. Human beings fallen from God’s grace and rendered defective through the so-called disobedience, and substantially altered through the so-called original sin needed a savior to redeem humanity from eternal damnation, to set things straight, and restore human nature to its near (because human nature will never be the same as the pre-fall days) pristine purity. This world-view predominantly advocated by the most powerful religions in the world, Christianity and Islam, have done immense harm to humanity. Hinduism talks about Kala sarpa dosha (in Hindu astrology, obstruction or misfortune caused by stars in certain positions; Kala = death, Sarpa = snake) and Karma dosha (sin due to bad individual deed) that all are subjected to. Buddhism gives some break to humanity in that a human can get liberated without divine intervention. What a way to begin life on this earth with this kind of essential handicap?! What kind of God would permit this kind of defect? Is God making a point that humans cannot really handle freedom? When one begins with a substantial defect, one has to be aware of one’s own utter unworthiness. Is that what God really wants? The eastern view mainly represented by Hinduism and Buddhism give importance to the human role. While Hinayana Buddhism does not require any divine intervention, and thinks of Buddha as an effective model, Hinduism especially represented by Gandhi sees a role for a Supreme Being or God equated with truth in practical living. I always had and still have difficulty with human beings born in original sin. Similarly I have difficulty with a God, who is supposed to be the Great Loving Father/Mother condemning humans to eternal hell. What I am driving at is that our present world has been deeply programmed by certain greatly damaging religious thought patterns that require long overdue revision. I comment on the role of religions here because religions deeply affect the way people live their lives.
             The world we are living in is a scary place, increasingly hostile and terror-stricken. In the small state of Kerala, India, where I spend about 9 months in a year, many of the male youth and the young adults (ages between 20 and 55) find ways to have or get easy money, and are having recourse to alcohol to deal with their stress, frustration, and depression. Once they begin drinking or using drugs their personality begins to change, many of them become very aggressive, impulsive, and destructive, and terrorize and brutalize people. When they are caught and made accountable for their inhuman behavior, they become superficially and opportunistically repentant to avoid punitive and legal consequences. Interestingly the same kind of situations with youth and young adults obtains also in the USA where I live part of the year. That goes to show human beings all over the world are the same. The fact that increasing number of humans in the world are using drugs and alcohol (substances) to get a euphoric mood or kick indicates that we are gradually losing our ability to generate happiness from within, and that we are becoming emotionally and spiritually poorer while becoming materially affluent. Looking at it another way, we have not made in the realm of the spirit the kind of scientific and technological advances in the sphere of the matter.
             The on-going obsession and preoccupation in the daily printed (news papers, weeklies) and audio-visual (television, internet) media with which actors and actresses have better physical endowments (vital statistics), who is sexually hot, who is in, and who is out is truly appalling. Cosmetic surgery to alter bodily features (for example, breast augmentation or reduction for females) and injection of substances such as collagen, silicone, and botox to enhance looks and to change contours of the body are becoming increasingly popular. Exploitation especially of female bodies for sexy, seductive, poses and looks in commercials and advertisements to sell all kinds of goods is mind-boggling. Sophisticated, often very subtle, at times even gross genital stimulation and attraction seem to be the all-engrossing and over-riding passion or concern for many people. I have come to this conclusion because news publishers cater to people’s taste, and sexually titillating stuff helps them to stay in business. Even children at a young age are very concerned about their appearances, and have started using things like nail-polish and lip-stick. I know women who pluck their eyebrows and create thin artificial lines of their choice as eyebrows. Everybody knows or can have a vivid imagination of male and female anatomy. Exploitation of sex to sell goods is working otherwise such enormous amount of money will not be spent in advertisements and commercials. A society based on supply and demand caters to wants rather than needs, and thrives on insatiable consumption. The medical and legal professions are going in directions that do not give hope for humanity. Drug and alcohol abuse and dependence lead persons into bottomless pits.
             This world is like a delinquent child who lost his/her mooring, direction, and purpose; it is beset with so many emotional cancers, and is shifting and drifting hither and thither. This world needs to be de-programmed and re-programmed. Today's news (June 18, 2011) about Satya Sai Baba's (so-called godman's) private room containing about 100 kilograms of gold, 300 kilograms of silver, and 12 crores of rupees (about $2.67 million) and Baba Ramdev's (another so-called godman's) recent statement about raising a private army in a democracy from his followers make very clear that things are not what they need to be. Mohammed of Moroco (I do not consider anyone in this world to be king, queen, prince, or princess) talking today (June 18, 2011) about democracy while clinging on to constitutional monarchy sounded like someone re-arranging chairs on the deck of Titanic. It is true that many democratic governments are rampant with corruption due to self-seeking politicians indulging in political horse-trading and lining their pockets insensitive to the needs of their constituents who elected them. Most of the world's democracies are still in their infancy, therefore not mature, and have a long way to grow into maturity. The few so-called democracies in Islamic countries are theocracies in the cloak of democracies. In the past many Christian nations were also such, but have painfully started emerging as democracies. United Nations today (June 18, 2011) voted for the first time for equal rights for persons with different sexual orientation. While China abstained, I cannot understand Russia joining Islamic members of the UN Council in voting against the resolution.
             No human being needs to be discriminated against on the basis of gender or gender orientation. I also cannot understand why India, China, and Russia have not joined other world powers in supporting democratic forces in Libya against a dictator of some forty years. I maintain that a bad democracy is better than a benevolent dictator or monarch. We have to go through the pangs of labor to birth a democracy. For the short-term gain we cannot sacrifice the long-term goal. We need to keep in mind Patrick Henry who said: "Give me liberty or give me death". We have to create basic structures before we can build on them. Currently our education is geared to getting lucrative jobs. We do not have the basic structures of thorough education and training for human relations, non-violent conflict resolution, dispute mediation, living in a multi-cultural, multi-religious society, civic living and civic sense and duties, respectful disagreements and tolerance without compromising one's values, ethics and professional affairs, good manners, standing in a queue (for instance, while driving, receiving service in a store or office). Kerala roads, for instance, are most inclement circus venues for drivers in utter disregard for rules of safety. Kerala drivers, most of whom are currently very uncouth, ignorant, and selfish, can become the best drivers in the world if they follow some basic traffic rules for safety. What I said about Kerala drivers holds true for most drivers in developing countries. This problem is not seen in developed countries because generally sufficient roads needed for the traffic are well laid out and maintained. The developing countries are going through a transitional stage. They have not mastered problems of littering, waste management, overcrowding of vehicles on a few roads that are narrow, dangerous, and full of pot-holes.
             The world I would like to live in is a world where freedom, justice, equality, love, fairness, thoughtfulness, kindness, compassionate relating, and empathic living flourish. There is no physical or emotional abuse of any kind. Everyone is respected and everyone is given one's due. It is a mature democracy; it brings forth the best in every person helping everyone to actualize and become what one is capable of; non-violent conflict resolution, mediation rather than litigation, promotion of quality of life through medical sciences rather than sheer prolongation of life prevail. We have to get this world right lest we perish; we have to make it safe and secure for us as well as for future generations.