Why do Tamilians commit self-immolation?

I read that a youngster  committed the act in a fit of emotion over the developments in Sri Lanka.

I believe the matter is no longer to be brushed aside with derision. It   needs to be viewed as a serious sociological issue.

I don't have statistics but I suspect that this is something that is peculiar to that state. All states in India have a plethora of problems but self immolation that borders on insanity is unique to T.N.

At a discussion with friends someone asked if what the youngster did —killing himself—was religiously motivated. The suggestion was that the LTTE had specialized in suicide bombers. I believe Hinduism or Buddhism  or Islam had nothing to do with it. Whatever their faults the LTTE had never based its war on religion. Theirs was purely a political issue based on ethnic Tamil rights - Tamils of any religion.

I shocked the audience by telling them that the LTTE chief Prabhakaran is a Christian!

Thus the Tamilnadu man who committed self immolation in all probability had no religious motivation. When it comes to religion a substantial proportion of people in Tamilnadu are in a state of confusion. On one hand people are deeply religious but the Dravidian movement has made atheism a cornerstone of its ideology. This to my mind has driven their followers to a schizophrenic state. It is possible that this dichotomy may well motivate the bizarre phenomenon of people taking their lives.

Someone suggested that there was a tendency in Tamilnadu to hero worship their heroes/heroines beyond any reason. This has some basis as evidenced by the mass frenzy that Rajnikant and some others command. It's over the top and bizarre. Maybe the comfort that worship of God provides has been diluted or eliminated and is now sought in the worship of Tamil politicians, Tamil film stars and Tamil language and Tamil 'causes'. Remember the temple to actress Khushboo who incidentally is a Muslim?

The state's politicians have created a frenzy about love for Tamil language - again bordering on madness. One sees a tendency to overdo things - whether it is politics, language, films or anything else.  It is not unusual to hear die-hard  or die-easy  Tamil chauvinists to  talk in extremely emotional tones of Tamilthai (mother Tamil), of Goddess Tamil and for kids being named Tamilarasan or Tamilselvi. This excessive emotion too may account for the bizarre behaviour.

Poverty may be another reason. After all  the people who have committed such acts in the past have been poor people who in any  case have little to live for and  their  families  may receive some money from the CM's relief fund. But the question arises—poverty is seen all over India. How is it that nobody in say Bihar sacrifice his life for Laloo Prasad Yadav?

Just for some friends who pride themselves on pushing my belonging to Tamilnadu - I don't care.............

 

 

Caution! Succcess Ahead

Forgive me - for today is my kill the keyboard day, Im going to tap on it so much so that it dies out of being fatigued, my cluttered table with projects on 3 different countries and some pack ideas and product ideas are a reflection of my brain today, but let me tell you something about goal setting today.

When you set yourself a big new goal in an area you're unfamiliar with, you're going to go through an initial phase of complete and utter confusion. There's nothing wrong with this. In fact, you should be delighted. It means you're doing things right. But it's not always comfortable. Which is why you need to remember the following 6 Rules of Confusion.

1. Put up with temporary disorganisation.

If you want to know whether you're in a state of confused goal-building, there's one way to tell: take a look at your desk. It'll be an absolute mess. The confusion of this stage is always reflected in the confusion of your work space. Because you're trying out different ideas and gathering lots of information, you'll have odds and ends of notes, scraps of paper with ideas on, half-started plans, bullet lists of things to do. Don't worry. This is totally normal. Just make sure you have a clear out frequently and don't lose some of the great seedling ideas hidden in there.

2. Learn to live with frustration.

Along with confusion, the early stage of goal-building is also accompanied with frustration. Well, why are you surprised? If you want something and don't see a quick and easy way to get it, you're bound to feel frustrated. That's OK. It's just your inner child – who always got what it wanted when it wanted it – having a tantrum. The grown-up version has to be a little more restrained. Like Thomas Edison who calmly, patiently and without frustration, carried out over 1000 failed experiments before he discovered the right way to build a light bulb.

3. Grow roots.

I know you may not believe me, but the state of confusion is the most important stage of goal-building. This is the stage that determines whether you're going to succeed or not. You may not believe that. In fact, you may long for a bit of clear daylight where everything is routine, not chaos, orderly not muddled, and plain sailing instead of hitting your head against endless brick walls. But, listen. Think of yourself as a plant that's just been sown. How magnificent a specimen you're going to be isn't determined by above-ground growth, but by below-ground roots.

4. Keep asking.

"What's The Lesson Here?". Many people who go through the early stages of goal-building measure their progress by how much they're advancing towards their goal. Don't do that. After all, if you're putting down roots, you're probably advancing in all directions except the ones you'll be finally moving in. Instead, measure your progress by what you're learning. When you can learn from every day's confusion and frustration, you're making huge leaps forward. Not just in your knowledge and skills, but in your personal strength. That's why writer Trevor Bentley describes the stage of confusion as "the height of wisdom".

5. Keep your morale high.

If this all sounds too easy, take heart. Having been through many states of confusion and frustration on the route to my goals, I know exactly how it feels. Some days it feels like treading treacle. The rest of the world seems to be getting on with their lives while you're stuck in no man's land. All you want to do is give up and settle for something easier. Well, that's OK… for a brief spell. But don't give up. If you feel down – and it's almost certain you will from time to time – give your morale a boost. Slow down. Chill out. Find some successes. And know with absolute certainty that one day soon you'll come out of the state of confusion and be within reach of your goal.

6. Let the creative process work.

Getting through confusion is inevitable if you stick with it. Why? Because your creative brain will work it out for you. Imagine that your brain is an exact replica of the mess on your desk. Lots of bits of information all unconnected. While your desk won't do anything about it, your brain will. It will try to find connections between all the dead ends. That's why sooner or later, and often in an unguarded moment when you're not expecting it, things will suddenly fall into place. That's when you'll get a eureka moment, an "ah-ah" insight, and a shaft of clear light that means you're coming out of confusion.

Someone once said that trying to reach a big big goal – like making a million rupees…– was no different from learning how to drive a car or play a musical instrument. It's about learning to do something you couldn't do before. The goal may be different in each case but the process is the same. 99 out of 100 people who start the process give up when confusion clouds their way. Why not be the 1 who doesn't?

 

And further more the above is no preachings to you but a reinforcement of my learnings for myself when im down, so thank you for wasting your time on my ramblings chao.

 

Rishi

Do u carry any shiny apples with you?

There once was a happy monkey wandering the jungle, eating delicious fruit when hungry, and resting when tired. One day he came upon a house, where he saw a bowl of the most beautiful apples. He took one in each hand and ran back into the forest. He sniffed the apples and smelled nothing. He tried to eat them, but hurt his teeth. They were made of wood, but they were beautiful, and when the other monkeys saw them, he held onto them even tighter.

He admired his new possessions proudly as he wandered the jungle. They glistened red in the sun, and seemed perfect to him. He became so attached to them, that he didn't even notice his hunger at first. A fruit tree reminded him of his hunger, but he felt the apples in his hands. He couldn't bear to set them down to reach for the fruit. In fact, he couldn't relax, either, if he was to defend his apples. A proud, but less happy monkey continued to walk along the forest trails.

The apples felt heavy, and at one point the poor little monkey thought about leaving them behind. He was tired, hungry, and he couldn't climb trees or collect fruit with his hands full. What if he just let go? Letting go of such valuable things seemed crazy, but what else could he do? He was so tired. Seeing the next fruit tree, and smelling its fruit was enough. He dropped the wooden apples and reached up for his meal. He was happy again.

Like that little monkey, we sometimes carry things that seem too valuable to let go. Shiny wooden apples leave us tired and hungry for a better life. Still, letting go seems crazy. Even our worries are sacred apples - they prove we are "doing everything we can." We hold onto them compulsively.