Most say that past is already gone by, so one need not worry about it. Future is something that no one can figure out what, when, how and why; so it is futile worrying about it. Present is the only thing that one believes has control over and this needs to be taken care of.

Well, many would share the same thought process as stated above. But are we really detached from our past? What about the consequences of things we have done in our past? Don’t they tend to haunt us in our present and in some ways act as a determinant for the future?

This World is indeed a small place. Not very long ago, I met a guy in a public transport who happened to belong to the minority group in our country and with whom I happened to have the most iconic of conversations, which I had already mentioned in one of my posts earlier.

And today, I happened to meet the same guy (G), in a clinic which I happened to visit today. Such was the mutual admiration that we recognized each other in the very first instance itself.

“Hey, how are you doing? Long time.”—-G

“Good, how have you been?”—-Me

“See, again we are meeting at a time when the elections are just a couple of days from now and again we, as in the minority community are being wooed to the core in order to get as many votes from us. What an irony! Again we will be left alone just after the elections only to be catered to again when the next general elections would be announced.”—-G

“Hmm! So you aren’t going to vote this time around?”—-Me

“You give me one good reason that I should cast my vote. Past has taught me not to trust the political parties and the candidates they give party tickets to. Present teaches me that I should not repeat the past by casting my vote for the wrong person and future looks as dim as the past with all the false promises that the political parties have got so used to giving.”—-G

“Ya, but this time around, if you don’t like any of the candidates than you can opt for NOTA.”—-Me

“Yes, that might be the only saving grace for the people who choose to cast their vote knowing the credentials of the people standing in the elections. But the issue here is that more often than not, people don’t tend to take interest in knowing the credentials of the respective candidates and end up voting for a particular person just because an influential member in our community tells them about the same.”—-G

“But, aren’t they exposed to the various advertisements and tv shows like Satyamev Jayate, where a guy from your own community tells you to be prudent while casting your vote and whether these don’t have any impact what so ever on the people?”—-Me

“Well, it does to a certain extent. But once these shows go offline, the impact goes on decreasing as the days go by. Moreover the people are not interested in choosing the right candidate per se but are more interested in choosing a candidate who will be able to solve their problems, whether legitimate or not is a different issue altogether. I doubt whether this election would be any different from what has happened in the past.”—G

I had no option but to cut short my conversation with the man, as the doctor in the clinic was ready to meet him and he bid me goodbye.

As I drove back, I wondered whether the past is so deeply engraved in minds of certain sections in our country, that they are not being able to find a way to move on from the same and are not yet prepared to modify their present in order to get a brighter and better future for themselves and for their generations to come.

Source for Image: http://www.northshorehypnosis.com/PastLifeRegression.htm