Day 6. Fearlessness/ Abhayam (5)

 Happiness is achieved by many with different means and methods. Man (including woman) being an aggressive social animal, has shown different colours of behaviour over the millennia.

 Many of them were obnoxious even to mention. Dictators, tyrants, conquerors, war mongers- they come in different hues  over the centuries  wrecking chaos, murders and bloodshed.

 Recorded history shows some 200 major wars occurred in the last 3400 years where European countries participated. They have not given accounts of Asia, Far East, Africa etc. for example, Mahabharat war is not mentioned. Probably because it happened much earlier.

 Some one billion people have died in such war and crimes against humanity. 108 million died in 20th century alone. To which one will have to add ethnic cleansing seen in many parts of the world, especially in the 20^th century. Millions were killed within their countries by despotic rules. For what, obviously some vicarious pleasures and happiness!!! How many men were slaughtered by men ???

 One man comes to the mind prominently viz. Ozymandias. He was a King of Egypt and reigned for long. He tried to leave behind rock memorials and statues to perpetuate his name. The following poem depicts the story of one of the statues.

I met a traveller from an antique land,   

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

 (  PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY)

    Does the poem convey any message to today’s movers and shakers???  Worth thinking.

    "Soon  you will have  forgotten all and all will have forgotten you." Marcus  Aurelius .

     Be happy. Stay Safe         

    9  AM