Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
Politics of optics, polarization, and borrowed progress has left the common man stranded, when the mirror image, instead of bringing realization, begins to harass those who dare to look at their own ugly face, the world turns “life out of gear.” The common man today finds himself entangled in a web of political deception, economic illusion, and moral exhaustion. The wheels of governance rotate, but the vehicle of people’s welfare remains stationary – a loud engine with no forward motion.
As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” This is evident in the current political climate, where ambition blinds leaders to both duty and morality. The Bhagavad Gita also instructs: “You have the right to perform your duty, but not to the fruits thereof” (2.47), reminding us that leadership is service, not possession.
The dubious character of politicians has become the new normal. The art of governance has been reduced to a theatre of promises, a circus where illusion replaces integrity. The increasing external and internal debt, camouflaged as development, is like building castles in the air while placing silver plates before citizens – filled not with opportunity, but with five kilograms of free ration, offered as mercy rather than empowerment. The ordinary citizen deserves not crumbs from silver plates, but a future built on dignity, justice, and honest leadership.
The lust for power, even at the age of Van-Prasth, is like being half embedded in the kavar (funeral bier) while wearing a golden robe on the head, adorned with cosmetic youthful looks and the illusion of 18-hour workdays. Such self-deception transforms age into arrogance, and duty into delusion, where clinging to power becomes an obsession rather than a service. The inability to renounce power at the twilight of life is a tragedy – not of ambition, but of delusion. Those who should have become sages of guidance continue to act as emperors of illusion. As Lord Acton warned “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
As election winds blow, disguised reliefs and sudden generosity flood the streets, descend upon the public. Leaders transform overnight into benevolent ‘Santa’, distributing subsidies and freebies, not out of compassion but calculation. It is the season of wolves dipped in dhobi tubs – outwardly cleansed, inwardly unchanged. “When ambition refuses to age, governance forgets to grow”.
The internal quest to paint colored spaces on the world map and to hover in the sky with inflated dreams resembles a squirrel jumping restlessly from branch to branch – not out of purpose, but to impress a mouse friend watching below. Such restless, noisy, but directionless ambition, devoid of substance, is movement without meaning. The Bhagavat Gita 7.14 reminds us “The divine energy of Mine, consisting of three modes of material nature, is very difficult to overcome; but those who surrender up to Me can cross beyond it.” The illusion (Maya) of cosmetic grandeur and political theatrics entraps leaders and citizens alike and only surrender to dharma can break the cycle.
When governance fails, religious polarization becomes the tool of survival and it remains the most lethal instrument in this political orchestra. Temples, Mosques, and symbols of faith are manipulated to hide unemployment, inflation, and administrative failures – the politics of prayer replacing the politics of performance (Bhagavad Gita 2.62-63- attachment leads to desire, anger, and delusion) and it become election booths, and faith is bartered for votes, the soul of the nation suffers. Instead of uniting hearts, we are busy dividing Gods and projecting ourselves as ‘Demi-Gods’.
Life’s gears are jammed not by chance but by design – a leadership obsessed with image, not integrity. True effectiveness lies in inner discipline, not external theatrics (Bhagavad Gita 6.5 – uplift oneself through self discipline). Leadership rooted in ego, vanity, and greed is the seed of societal decay (Bhagavad Gita 3.21 – leaders set the example for others).
The life of the nation today is truly “out of gear.” The speedometers show acceleration, but the direction is lost. Confucius reminds us, “When men are pure, laws are useless; when men are corrupt, laws are broken.” The challenge before every conscious citizen is to become not just a passenger, but the mechanic – to realign the gears of morality, reason, and humanity before the vehicle of democracy collapses under the weight of deceit.
It is time for citizens to demand accountability, morality, and inclusion over spectacle, ego, and hate. “Life out of gear” is a national warning – that progress without ethics and governance without truth can only lead to decay.
The life of the nation today is truly “out of gear.” Acceleration without direction cannot lead to progress. Illusion, greed, and religious polarization are breaking the moral compass of leadership. Citizens must become the mechanics, realigning the gears of ethics, reason, and humanity. Only through duty, selflessness, and moral courage can democracy avoid collapse.
