Importance of Irrelevance
Few years back there was a huge controversy when one of the political scions of India spoke about ‘poverty being a state of mind’. While poverty is very real and tangible for a segment of population which is below the poverty line and do not have access to a reasonable level of nutrition, health care, housing, clothing etc., for others it is just a matter of degree. It is a matter of degree, for example, as in what kind of medical facilities one has access to ranging from just about basic to ‘luxurious hospitalization’ with best facilities in foreign locations. The end point remains the same, to be cured of whatever was ailing us. Whether we talk of food, housing, clothing, transportation, etc. one can identify the extreme ends of this spectrum and beyond, as far our imagination and experiences take us. However, we as individuals always find it very difficult to identify the optimum point for ourselves. We always seem to be aspiring for the higher or a better level. However, is it po