Nothing Personal

For a long time, i used to dislike reading the newspapers. I'd go through it, but mainly confine myself to the sports section and the editorials. Then, over the last couple of years, i got over my reluctance and started reading it properly. In a way, i sort of made peace with the fact that a lot of crazy things are happening in this world, and overall, its better to know about them and be prepared rather than live in ignorant bliss. Until just now.

A lot of things have happened, both in the country and over the world, forcing me to think.
On corruption in India, in all its deep-rooted all-powerful form; in a country where every single clerk and his boss are apparently open to 'setting', right from the local ration office to the National Cabinet ministers.
On Anna Hazare's revolution, that might still turn out to be historic and successful, or like so many other protests, just another dud chapter in forgettable loud noises.
On Baba Ramdev ( the yoga guru entering the political arena for the first time, but definitely not the last) and his demand for the return of black money from foreign havens; and his recent humiliating ouster from Delhi, and its inevitable consequences.
On the innumerable 'statements' released by Government officials on all these and other issues, most of them not meaning a thing. (its actually an art form, exclusive to bureaucracy, of being able to talk for hours without uttering one sensible word)
On the endless debates staged on TV news channels between alleged political and social analysts, showing more of senseless squabbles and name-calling rather than any meaningful debate.

Internationally, on Osama's killing, perfectly timed just before the next US elections, leaving President Barack Obama as firm favorite to be re-elected.
On the Middle-East relations, both amongst themselves, and with the rest of the world; we're still trying to figure out if its any business of ours if dictators there are killing millions.
On Pakistan, well.. i'm not getting into that. Enough already.

Chaos is a way of nature, i realize that. Life started out of absolute chaos, from the primordial mess of elements forming organic compounds, that formed proteins that began to work together. And the way things are going now, it looks like life will probably end in chaos too. In the meantime, living things tried to bring some order into their world, for their own survival, resulting in animals hunting together, and humans having passports.
But now it looks like Nature, with her love for apparent chaos, has caught up, and human nature has followed. I dont blame us; its our instinct, to do what we think is right and best for ourselves, in this present moment; its so much simpler, to screw the world and its society, screw even our own future, forget that of our children. Surely someday, they'l understand that it was nothing personal.

And thats how it ends. Agent Smith, in The Matrix, lists human beings and viruses as the only two organisms incapable of self-regulation, they both multiply and divide until the entire ecosystem is destroyed, including themselves.
We may have accepted the chaos, but chaos will never ever accept us. Its nothing personal, thats just the way it is.