Our political class has mastered it so well that they use this method for direct effect, especially, during election. They divide people by creating their own vote bank based on caste and creed. They also divide voters with money and alcohol.
Some very important persons divide people with provocative and inflammatory speeches “to demand scrapping of voting rights of Muslims” or statements like: “Western culture causes rape; Hindus should not send their children to convent schools,” or causing communal violence with attack on churches, the list can go on as to the ways people make use of the policy to “divide and rule”.
Some common important persons (CIP) make use of this rule because they can’t see the good of others due to anger, greed for power and popularity. They cleverly suck innocent individuals to believe them through gossip.
These (CIPs) have also mastered this lesson of our colonial masters. They trap innocent individuals like throwing bits of rice to the fowls and making the cocks fight (“Konnio uddoun kombeank zhogddonk laitat.) For example, an old lady whisper in the ears of the daughter-in-law (DIL) in the presence of the mother-in-law (MIL) — (bat candlhear tandul zata)- If you peel paddy it turns into rice. This leads to a fight between the MIL and DIL and thus causes separation between them. Mil thinks that it is a tale about her as it is not openly told but softly spoken.
Some shift on others, their wrong words spoken or their deceiving deeds done and thus play the game of ‘passing the buck’. Weak people believe them, and families get separated or even good neighbourly relationship is spoilt.
Thus, any conversation at home or neighborhood or at workplace is to be measured by ‘triple filter’ which was used by the great philosopher Socrates. It is called — Truth — Good — Usefulness.
First filter; ask yourself whether what you have heard is absolute true? One should not believe everything one hears because whispering tongues can poison truth.
Second filter; think if what you have heard is something good to self or to others. Lift up your scale and weigh the words you hear. A lie which is half truth is always the blackest. Only Truth will balance with gold.
If, any information that you hear is not good, and you doubt about its truthfulness, than it is better not to believe it.
Third filter is to reason out whether it is useful to self or to others. Think carefully before you agree to someone’s plans. He who wishes evil for others gets the evil himself.
If what you hear is neither true, nor good, nor useful, then don’t believe it; just intern it in the garbage bin.
Sai Baba has said, “The world is a huge hospital and humanity is bedridden. Some are writhing in the pain of envy, some are bloated with pride, some are losing sleep through hate, some have become blind through miserliness, some are struck down by selfishness; everyone has some illness or other.”
If ‘divide and rule’ policy is countered by ‘triple filter’ test, I feel this world would have been a better place to live in.
