Gentleman :
Swami Vivekananda, the awesome and brilliant monk, clad in his saffron robe, was taking a stroll in Chicago. The year was 1893. The outfit seemed unusual. A couple, dressed in formals, were ranging the same sidewalk as him and the lady said to her man, "I don't think he's a gentleman." Her statement reached Swami's ears. He went up to the couple and said, "Excuse me for I overheard your remark. In your country, the tailor makes a man gentleman but in my country, it is the character."
I don't know what happened afterwards and it's immaterial in the current context. But was the woman right in her thinking? And was Swami right in his response? Actually, it does not matter. The lady expressed what she felt and she did so not directly to Vivekananda but to her partner. If you retain the right to carry yourself however you like, let others have the freedom to form their opinions. Media, society, advertising, religion, they all bombard you with stereotypes, sometimes subtly and many a time explicitly. The more you let others' opinions matter to you, the more you move away from your internal source of happiness. Besides, albeit on an extraneous note, I am doubtful if Vivekananda's statement holds much truth in the contemporary India where corruption, at all levels and in all sectors, is more an accepted way of life than a grave governance issue.
Unfortunately, it almost seems that anyone who gets the opportunity is ready to plunder. Whether that's a business person trying to dodge the taxes, or the employee polishing his time sheet, or a government worker who doesn't mind openly asking for his cut or kickbacks. People who are honest, not because of fear and governance but out of morality and choice, are rare gems. There are many workers of honesty but a few volunteers. There may be an emotional denial to my statement but the facts are staring right into the truth — and it is not beautiful to the sane eyes.
Om Namah Shivay.
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