Thursday 16 February 2012

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

Whatever It Takes

Brussels, Belgium

The long haul in flight from Brussels to Delhi became more tolerable
because of the company I had. Sitting next to me was a follower of a
prominent north Indian saint. What we really conversed about was the topic
of crime.

My new friend is a barrister-at-law in Birmingham, the U.K. Tarlowchan, 39,
massive and with two sons, spoke rather openly about his profession
including the fact that he just finished a case where he defended a man
charged for a heavy terrorist act. As a criminal lawyer he gets his share
of "sad stories" involving the actions of the weak human.

We are an incredibly complicated species that must acknowledge the need to
set standards in order to maintain a relative peace. Once you step off that
track, that line of just actions, then you are punishable.

Tarlowchan had not heard of the recent "honour killings" in Canada in which
a man, his wife, and the eldest son, were found guilty of killing their
three teenage daughters for being "too loose" or "too western". He did
mention to me that this phenomena has been an issue in the name of religion
in his own native land, the U.K.

We talked about capital punishment, an accepted Vedic principle, for proven
murder cases, and how the recipient becomes relieved of karma when
executed. Also in the laws of Manu, one of the many books of Vedic wisdom,
it is said that for a serious crime, one should walk with no return. Walking
purges.

Tarlowchan could not boast of walking too much and it's not that I'm saying
that all who walk are criminals. He spoke about snorkeling though, on a
trip to Egypt. His appreciation for God and the world multiplied when he
saw the wondrous and diverse nature of life in the depths of the sea.

What I say is dive, snorkel, run, walk, fly, do whatever is takes to get
closer to the Divine.

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