Monday, July 9, 2012

A Shahrukh Khan moment?

I was passing through airport security, and the officer said "Sir, can you step aside for some additional screening?". I did as I was told, but in those few seconds, my mind raced through a whole lot of "why me?" conditions. It is not the first time this has happened to me. And so I wondered momentarily, what is it that I have done that auto selects me to the additional screening. Is it my color, is it my nationality, is it my name? I quickly shut that inner whisper temporarily and go through the formalities, it is not half as bad as it sounds and the officers are courteous and professional. But, it does leave you with that niggling thought, why me? I remember the media frenzy some months earlier when Shahrukh Khan was detained by airport security and I guess this is the same thought that went through Shahrukh Khan's mind at that time. Why me? Is it my color? Is it my nationality? Is it my name? And here I was having a Shahrukh Khan moment, well almost.

How much do we all love playing the victim, sometimes the victim of an unjust, irrational system and at other times the victim of our own nationality, color or race. We play this game all the time, some through the media and others through the inner recess of their own mind. Why me? Why not me? And it replays like the much abused breaking news channel, in your mind's emotional TV watched by that Big Fat ego of yours. Really, what joy do we have in playing the victim? It is just our Big Fat ego telling us that we were not treated right. Our Big Fat ego paints a picture of ourselves and how the world should behave with us. The laws of probability apply everywhere,  the world does not always behave the same way with us. And when that happens, we turn on our emotional TV and sulk in front of it. We have our own Shahrukh Khan moment, well almost.

Actually, I was having a pretty good time right before Mr. Big Fat walks into the room and says that is not how one should be treated. Really, Mr. Big Fat, how do you know? After all, we are a series of probability events, right from our birth through every moment in our life. We are a walking talking probability equation, and any thing can happen at any time. We are random samples in a large population, a larger design. We will always be, so Mr. Big Fat, why do you spoil the moment with your false pretenses. You take a big bet on a best case scenario, but remember, there is a probability of occurrence and it can go the other way. When the hypothesis goes the other way, don't sweat, don't rant, just move on to the next table. Move on to the next pack of cards, the next roll of the dice. You ain't no victim, you are just a random sample. No one is taking a potshot at you. No one is mocking you. You are not that important, there are bigger puzzles to solve. And that Shahrukh Khan moment, well no thanks.....not anymore. I walk through security without a sulk. In fact, I thanked them for their professionalism.

3 comments:

  1. Correct! Mr Big Fat is near-sighted and pondering over probabilities is not his forte. However, in case of Mr Shah Rukh Khan, the probability also afforded a massive coverage opportunity to a nonentity, which is what he is in the US of A. It leaves me wondering though if it all was stage managed!

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  2. the victim mindset comes from conditioning, and conditioning can be broken. you have described the process of awakening to your true worth so beautifully in this post. when we realize that godhead resides within all of us equally, we not only see ourselves as worthy, but see all around us as reflections of that same worthiness. enjoyed reading.

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  3. I can imagine Mr.Big Fat in front of the TV, with the headlines under breaking news. I can imagine him sulking, imagine him thinking negative. But then I switch off my TV and sigh," Do I have to care?"

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