It is only when we channelise our thoughts and actions in a positive direction that we become more tolerant towards others, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj
Indian civilisation is considered to be amongst the oldest in the world. It is a land full of paradoxes which can be seen and experienced by every citizen who call themselves Indian, and also by those who visit the country to experience its ancient culture. These paradoxes are so deep rooted in our values that sometimes one might wonder at the level of tolerance that Indians possess.
Since time immemorial women have always been at the receiving end of all kinds of atrocities committed, in the form of wars, terrorist attacks , domestic quarrels and, most recently now, extremism of male domination. Till today in many parts of the world, one will find numerous cases where women are exploited from the time they are born till the time they die.
So, the question that arises here is, “Why WomenIJ” Everyone living on planet Earth should ponder over this, that for what fault are women being subjected to these atrocitiesIJ Can anyone explain the reason for cruelties and barbaric acts on womenIJ Nobel laureate Malala Yousoufzai stressed on the subject of educating and empowering women in her maiden speech made at Noble Peace Awards Ceremony. There, she expressed her anguish at the way in which young girls were pushed into child marriages and made to conceive while they themselves were still children. Why should there exist this double standard between a boy child and a girl childIJ
Since indepence, the Indian government has been spending millions of rupees on awareness campaigns, trying to make citizens change their attitude towards the girl child. But the patriarchal attitude has trounced all government schemes, with no change in perception.
Cases of dowry killings are not decreasing, cases of female foeticide are still on the rise and so are cases of domestic violence. Neither have cases of minor rapes been checked. In a nutshell nothing has changed.
Men carry the same attitude of being a stronger gender compared to women who are forcibly considered to be the weaker one. There are few questions like ‘How can this attitudes be changedIJ’, ‘Who will do itIJ’ and ‘When will it happenIJ’ which neither the society nor government can answer.
Did anyone think, a 1,000 years ago, that women would be exploited or harassedIJ Not really. This happened gradually, hence it will go away only with constant effort. The task is to challenge and root out the attitudes that were formed over the years. So, naturally it will take time, but it is possible, provided there is a united will to do so.
There are scores of advise that people give to root out the evil of gender bias from society. However, experience shows that even in ancient times, spirituality had been a game changer in resolving such issues. This is so because spirituality concentrates on the subtleness of one’s being, that is the soul, rather than the physical aspect, the body.
Human energy is considered to be the most powerful and potent, compared to all the powers in the world. If one learns the art of channelising this energy in the right direction, then chances are that things would gradually start changing. It is this unchannelised energy that creates havoc in our society, where mostly women end up being victimised.
So, the crux of the matter is to channelise one’s energy through some positive activity and rise to a level of higher consciousness to experience the power of divinity within the self. Imagine, if everyone of us rises to this higher consciousness, then the world would be a better place for women to live in.