Rambling random thoughts

Listening to vaccine discussions and vaccine related forwards are interesting. I am talking about “scientifically minded, trained health care professionals” who listen, read, reflect and forward information.

There is the majority who have accepted what is being told to them by the “powers that be” and submit to the context of vaccine roll out. Then there is large group of people, who are actively looking for alternate information that is around and then promoting and forwarding these. In in the middle of this, there are the so called “eminent experts” who seem to be convinced that their point of view is what should be accepted, and use given information or data, in such a way to prove what they have come to believe as truth. And not to forget the “conspiracy theory experts” who confidently using at times religious information to prove their point. The points being - all this being conspiracies of powers that be or signs of end times! There is the minority, that is trying to understand both sides of the debates and then coming to their own conclusions. The post truth and post scientific era seems to have an influence not only in the aam admi (the common man) but the professionally educated scientifically thinking, professionals too. The question “What is truth” asked by Pilate seems to be a question in everyone’s mind!  

In the Good Book there is this statement from Jesus “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” How can I see truth of the vaccine confusions through abiding and being directed by the “Word”? And allow that truth to set us free from the confusions around us?

Recently rebooting an old laptop of my daughter, it was told to me that, do not do a factory reset and lose the “owner credentials” since your windows in registered to that owner! I thought that might be limiting step since I wanted a clean slate to start afresh from! But then what was advised was true – I could not afford to lose the ownership credentials, and interesting enough, every time I open the laptop I am reminded, I am not the true owner! But the recent data and most of the past data has been cleaned out!

How much like life these days! I have had conversations with friends (I have thought for myself too) if 2020, could be completely erased from memory. A reboot of life could happen, back to the factory reset modes – return to where we were! But then is that reset the best for us, or is it better to rebuild on what was accumulated in 2020? Of course, the ownership credentials cannot be lost, and so a factory reset is out of question. But even a memory reset is not advisable, because it is the memories that give us foundations for moving ahead, to build on our good memories and learn from our challenging memories! But what about the recent memory of 2020, can I erase that off, and start from a set point when everything was fine! Which also is not the best way to go – since looking back at 2020, that seems to be the year when life directions seem to have changed! Nations, communities, families and many of us seem to have started life with new directions – some good, some not so good!  Some how these things will contribute for the unknown tomorrow ahead!

But some things need to be forgotten too – in the new normal that has emerged around us – as the Good Book says, at times, it is better to “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I am about to do something brand-new. It is bursting out! Don’t you see it?”

Politics is quite confusing these days! Getting mobs to rally around charismatic leaders who promote divisive ideologies (that for a sane mind looks insane,) has become the way leaders lead! Dividing communities who have been living in peace and harmony for decades based on such ideologies, end up catering to none than the leader or friends of leaders! What is promoted as “all is well”, “the nation is shining” “we are great” – is what is expected to be believed and accepted though reality might be far off from this! And such leders seem to do well and get a free hand to do what they want to do! And some, using these confusing contexts, bulldoze policies and directions which will support the interests of the visible well off and middle class and ignore those who are invisible and in the margins.

But I was reminded from a cartoon form 2003, that this is nothing new! And the good book talked about this many centuries back.

“Everyone’s after the dishonest dollar, little people and big people alike. Prophets and priests and everyone in between twist words and doctor truth. My people are broken—shattered! — and they put on Band-Aids, Saying, ‘It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.’ But things are not ‘just fine’!”

I suppose such contexts call for being a channel of comfort and hope - As it says in the good book. “Comfort, oh comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak softly and tenderly …., but also make it very clear, that she has served her sentence,......!

“Look at him! God, .....comes in power, ready to go into action. He is going to pay back his enemies and reward those who have loved him. Like a shepherd, he will care for his flock, gathering the lambs in his arms, hugging them as he carries them, leading the nursing ewes to good pasture.”

The need of the hour is for speakers of truth, hearts that comfort and souls that give hope!