5. The importance of ‘Seeing’

Author's note: This is a series of 7 articles written during the Delhi Rape case period. The focus is on the nature of change, our understanding of the law, the system and how real change happens. It is strongly recommended to read them in serial order starting with the first one here, lest they seem too abstract and philosophical.

Imagine a pond separated by a wall. On the left we have blue water, and yellow on the right. The blue is fervently screaming "YOU have to change to yellow!! Don't you see???" The yellow one is appealing for the opposite. What they do not realise that no matter how much they scream, being blue/yellow is their nature. The only change that CAN happen is by them mixing up together and giving rise to something new - not 'right'. This merits repetition. The only change that CAN happen is by them mixing up together and giving rise to something new - not 'right'  Also, they would have to be ready to lose their blueness and yellowness and the attached ‘righteousness’ in the process. Because they would have no clue about what the new would look like. It might be more bluish, than yellowish. Or the other way round. But they cannot KNOW before they take the leap. It is a leap of faith, but the only leap possible. They have to be ready to die and be born again. Whether the new (green) is something better is left to be seen. Even that will be forever a matter of subjective interpretation. But atleast there will be a change. Real change. A transformation. Which will be permanent, not a temporary 'victory'. And isn’t that worth giving up their stances?

The seeing is more important than the mixing. Because that allows them to come together and decide on the degree of mixing, the timing of mixing. They are now fighting on the SAME side. The realize that they are in it TOGETHER, that they are connected, that the extent of their blueness and yellowness will determine the nature of the new outcome. That realization, the fusing, the integration, THAT is the change. What follows will surely be something better – an inevitable side effect. Truly better, even if does not ‘seem’ like it at first glance(because it will have no semblance to Blue or Yellow). The word side effect is important, because we would not have planned it, controlled it - it happened, but for the better. Whatever name we have given the existing system, won’t matter. We will tweak it to be in harmony with our new realization. And realize that we will need to keep tweaking it.. That until now, in fighting for change, we had been resisting it! Our demand for change was actually a demand for conformance – to OUR ideal. That we CANNOT demand change, because we are not supposed to know what it looks like. It is a process of creation, not control. All that we can see is what makes us RESIST change, what holds us back from letting go of our stances, beliefs, righteousness, the certainty that our answer is the only answer. Without this realization, there will only be a wastage of energy, and stagnation, and further frustration. Futile cycles which we never bother to stand aside and understand.

Let us try to bring all the things we read together in the 6. Conclusion and Summary