Control

I suppose, the “Ctrl” key (our Computer key board) is the most innocent of all the things, people, factors, phenomenon, etc that try to control something!

When humans try to control, the understanding is quite puzzling, complex, sophisticated, and what not! I tried to look at a few common situations, from ‘control’ point of view. (Oh! No! I have the least of any intentions to control even the inclination to reach the end of this blog! Neither mine, nor yours! I know the value of freedom, inner freedom!).

The child as he grows, knows when to shriek, shout, and embarrass the parents, thereby exercise full control to have its way, even when it does not suit the parents, even in the least to oblige the stubborn ‘stand’ of that kid!

The bride’s mother is keen to ensure that the daughter has full control or at least some control over the in laws…. (Elaboration is risky here! Nods of approval is obvious.)

In the name of ‘access’ to the big boss, in times of need, in case when the immediate boss does not oblige, a junior employee invests a few extra ‘Good morning Sir’ at every opportunity, carefully avoiding an obvious encroachment into privacy of that boss, who does not ‘usually see’ juniors of that level! (At school, a few ‘seniors’ advised us to invest a few ‘namastey’, laying more stress on the prefix, ‘Panditji’ …. the ‘ji’ had to be clear with ‘jeee’ so that this particular teacher is kept happy about us, otherwise, we are in for ‘automatic trouble’ the moment we come to higher classes where he is the ‘exclusive’ monopolistic head of the department!).

There was that ‘social control’ over banks before the nationalization took place in India. I also had to confront a phrase, ‘controlling interests’ where a person has maximum say, with least stakes in a company!

The police personnel, as soon as they are transferred to a strange location, make it a point to have ‘liaison’ with ‘big’ people, to ensure ‘some’ control … this ‘some-control’ has never been about ensuring proper law and order. It is just about ensuring a smooth sail during their term at this location (police station, or whatever). Now the ‘getting’ to know each other at such vulnerable places is directly proportional to the priorities, and vested interests of all those who need this type of typical control. Junior policemen like constables hold back a few ‘links’ to ensure that they too have a ‘say’ with their bosses. Politicians too ‘make it known’ to the new in-charge at the police station, that they are the true keepers of law and order…. And so on…

The ‘controller of examinations’, of a university or an autonomous college, feels ‘left out’ of administrative control of all kinds despite the ‘wide powers’ and the ‘awe’ that even instills fear in junior students. So, all that this poor fellow can do is to keep his own powers at full steam, inadvertently resulting into needless harassment to students!

With the experience of having faced all kinds of ‘social controls’ from all over, kids step into adolescence, then manage to scrape through that collegiate degree, and try to attend a group discussion during a ‘campus placement’ process. The observer is the fellow going to decide the ‘best’ candidate. The candidates really find the situation quite ‘messy’ with their minds trying to remind them of all types and patterns of ‘controls’ they saw, faced, and managed through, all along, while none of these seems to ‘fit in’ into this situation!

A doctor who is not quite established into a practice tries to ‘control’ the treatment period of a patient, who should normally be let off with some mild treatment/consultations.

People do not spare even that game of cards, which is meant to loosen up themselves, with some relaxation/entertainment… but end up trying to ‘control’ the cards needed by the next player, knowing fully well, this holder is never going to anyway make it!

(Here on….., the memories and imagination has full control over recalling any number of such ‘control’ situations!)

Finally there comes the elusive prescription for some ‘self-control’! Less said, the better!

All through my life, I did enjoy viewing this drama of ‘control’ management, until the spiritual master/guide happened to say, ‘from this point onwards…. One has to give up oneself totally, a self-surrender… with total trust…… to the master….” Now comes ‘my’ trouble! He even clarified, he does not look towards slavery of any kind. He does not need any other human being for any thing at all! No ‘giving up’ of wealth, etc is going to help. The purpose of this ‘surrender’ begins and ends with the ‘seeker’ oneself. I had to look at deeper and still deeper aspects of “control” which I would have had over myself! The problem starts with “I” and “myself” the two (or is it 3..?.. that ‘my’ and ‘self’…?)distinct aspects within! Anyway, this particular paragraph was a casual mention, out of pure intentions to entertain the readers at my expense, so no further elaboration is warranted, as to how I happened to ‘deal’ with this control of mine…

To me, it looks like, ‘the nature’ seeks a balance, not a control… natural calamities give us a message, that somewhere the balance got toppled. Even physiologically, the main cardinal humours {(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Physiology) Also called cardinal humour Archaic any of the four bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, choler or yellow bile, melancholy or black bile) formerly thought to determine emotional and physical disposition……..out of humour…. in a bad mood……..} are supposed to be in a balance (some kind of equilibrium), to enjoy good health. The astrological predictions too, seems to largely depend upon the isolating, and spotting of some imbalance, to be able to predict some event … non-routine events are usually what is sought to be predicted, I suppose. Only we, mess it up, saying “I am the boss in my house, and I have my wife’s permission to say so!”

One thing I am tempted to mention here, with an appeal to ‘try to find a way’ to consider whether this is relevant, is that …. ‘control’ of any kind, for however noble purpose, genuine purpose, reasonable or logical considerations, inevitably entangles the controller, just like the spider which also remains stuck in the very same web it weaves to trap its victims! (May be, perhaps, it is for this reason that the known attributes of all that we call as ‘divine’ does not try to control us, while the attributes of ‘devil’ and its likes invariably tries to control … If this proposition seems beyond the realms of logic, there is always that ‘quantum entanglement theory’ to toy with!).

With 'controlled' regards,
Psn(27th January, 2011)