Broadly Speaking!

HEIDI KLUM'S HALLOWEEN COSTUME!

Words kill;silence does too!

Amongst the most potent abilities humans developed on their evolutionary journey, speech is at the very top of the list. It certainly has made us the most powerful species on earth. We have used it to express ourselves; connect; socialize; conduct interactions; tell stories; educate, preserve and propogate ideas and knowledge  in a seamless fashion. 

As is part and parcel of the human failing, we have turned communication also into a tool of power for asserting control ;domination and manipulation.

Most of us would have experienced 'denial of communication'; even as a  child. This is where an adult, usually your own mother would stop talking to you in order to punish you for some transgression or to encourage modification in the behaviour pattern; or simply to assert authority. We quickly learn that it works! Specially were there is a strong emotional bond! We later do the same to our friends and anyone close to us. They always return the favour. Wives and significant others use this tool very commonly for emotional blackmail and oneupmamahip.

You can always disagree and hold on to your point of view. I may dislike it but I respect that. However denying communication entirely is the  most cruel; selfish; heartless; rude and insulting choice that you can ever make. This only makes humans the worst behaved animal in the universe and the only one to do so. It is the quicker way to end a relationship and firmly marks a singular lack of respect for the other. Worst cut is that we proclaim love for the victim at the same time we are perpetrating this injustice. 'Human' is a synonym of hypocrisy!

Silence is a ticking time bomb! So speech must be a relief! No! Not so fast! Human depravity has no limits! It is not for nothing do they say 'silence is golden'!

It is so because human speech is largely a dishonest, self serving drivel;

if you are lucky on that day. On other days it a complete white lie meant to obfuscate; misguide and lead you to get exploited  one way or the other.

Coca Cola has long been advertised as ' refreshing'! A bottle of carbonated water with synthetic caramel coloring agent; unspecified acidic flavoring chemicals including phosphoric acid; unhealthy gas for fizz and 36 grams of sugar in one little can. Did anything amongst the ingredients sound refreshing to you?

A chocolate bar I remember was infused with ' oxygen'! Sounds pretty good doesn't it? If you guessed it is just air bubbles to inflate the volume ; you would be correct. It is meant  to make you pay more for a small amount of chocolate since it looks and feels big.

Unfortunately this practice is not limited to the commercial world. Politicians are masters of deception and double speak. In fact we encounter falsehoods everyday at every step. Unfortunately in our personal interactions too. More so in the personal realm! Gas lighting, false claims, wrong information, promises that one has no intention of keeping are so common place that by now you likely have already labelled me as some weirdo; nit picking perfectionist oldie!

Listen, I do not want to hide things; lie or unnecessarily mislead anyone. Is that such a bad thing? Many years ago I was in Mumbai for an exhibition that was getting installed on site. I was a young man and a bit older contractor kind of became friendly. One evening after he had downed a few he started praising me. Initially I thought it is the usual flattery as I was to sign his project completion certificate enabling his payments! But than he said why he liked me! I was open to respectfully discussing things ; I did not lie or ask for any kickbacks; I did exactly as I said I would  by the time  I promised!

There, that was it! Really nothing special. Everyone I thought is like that. It is later in my career I realised I would come to much grief because that is not the way of the world. 

What you say matters enough to be acted upon. Least you can do is follow through ! Tell this to Chris broad! He is a 68 years old  ex  left hand opener for England in test and ODI cricket. Mate is old enough to understand; or is he? His sports career got over 38 years ago when he was just 30 years of age. He later became a broadcaster and a cricket official. Well he has a healthy average of around 40 in both tests and ODI's. That tells me he was  pretty handy with the bat.

Apparently he would have gone far but he self sabotaged his own career by not having control at the crease. Very difficult for a leopard to change spots later in life. Most likely he has lost control again. So he has come up with a revelation recently. According to him 'someone' called him not to penalize Indian team for a slow over rate; when he was officiating as a match refree. He then somehow managed to find the 'lost' time and Indian team was not penalized. This narrative implies the  excessive clout India has in ICC and the undue advantage their teams get by obscene bullying of everyone around.

Why is he saying it now?  Attention seeking - perhaps ! Remorse - perhaps! Trying to rewrite history- perhaps! 

I read this or words to this effect that kind of sounds so true. 'Some people do not feel sorry for what they did. They just hate how it makes them look. They do not carry guilt. They carry discomfort. Instead of fixing what they did; they try to fix your version of the story. They are not sorry for the hurtful mess they caused. They are sorry they can't control how you remember it.'

If he had any morality or ethics or if Chris broad is telling the truth; maybe it is  about time he realised that as the match refree it was his duty to uphold all the laws governing the game. If he did not report  this illegal approach to the ICC; if he then went on to tweak the results in order to give undue advantage to one team over the other - he has brought the game into disrepute; shown unprofessionalism and participated in a criminal act. He is as complicit in this illegality as anyone else. He is accountable! Yes! He is! 

He should do the right thing and start by refunding the fee received for those matches where he says it happened ; because he got paid to do something and the fellow dropped the ball. Secondly he should name the person that phoned him. Aid prosecution of the culprits and recuse himself from any further cricket game official duties as a tainted candidate for the job.

We will start to believe him then! Will he do it? Your guess is as good as mine but if you guessed 'no'....... You are smart , you ' ld go far in this world!

New Quantum research reveals that time does not move forward but folds onto itself. Meaning your present actions might already be reshaping your past. Interesting; isn't it?

Make sure that you are not making  mistakes in the present that will double down on the mistakes made in the past. Remember words are powerful. Use them carefully! You will be forever held accountable for them. Silence on the other hand is way more powerful. Use it intelligently. Overuse can be devastating! Always weigh before speaking and know when staying quite is patently unjust!

Humans learned how to speak about two million years ago. Since than they are trying to learn  when to ought to speak and when they have to keep quite! Haven't got the hang of it yet! Maybe, if we checked back in another two million years..... Perhaps!