Spiritualism

The guilty consciousness in us makes us ashamed of everything. Superiority complex is bad but inferiority complex is worse. 

In fact we all have sometime or the other come across instances where some guys make a ridiculous show of superiority to hide their own inferiority complex.   

Shame comes at the bottom of the ladder of spiritualism, closely followed by guilt. Both compliment each other and drag the entity down into a bottomless pit of hopelessness and self sympathy.

Unless the entity pulls himself/herself up from this abyss he/she cannot progress further in his/her voyage towards self realization.

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Spiritualism

This story goes to prove that even the most evil occasionally get pangs of regret. 

There is a song in Hindi sung by a villain:

‘Even I would have been good.

However I am scared of the pious.

Everyone knew that I was a weak and cowardly guy.

And to just allay my fears I became like this.’

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Spiritualism

The boy would have guffawed. Satan was complaining that this world was not fit for a great man like him. The old man probably suspected a tinge of sarcasm in the kid but chose to ignore it.

‘’ Then this physical ailment came. Some good Samaritans took pity on me and brought me here.” The old man’s voice was suddenly a sob ‘’ And here I am waiting for my climax.’’

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Despite himself the boy began feeling sympathetic towards this guy- after all he was a kind hearted child.

Just twenty four hours after he had bared his heart to the kid, the old man gave up his ghost. By now the kid was certain that the fellow clung on this far only to tell his story to the world.

Spiritualism

By now the boy had begun suspecting strongly that this wily old man had probably sold his gang down the river and had squealed against them to the cops. As a reward for this unspeakable devilry they had allowed him to disappear without a trace.

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The old man took a deep breath ‘’ It is rightly said that nemesis strikes even the most wary transgressor.”

The boy almost sneered.

‘’ My first few years were luxurious.’’ The old man smiled weakly ‘’but the money dwindled away so fast that by the time I realized that I was in dire straits, I was left stranded in this big bad world.’’

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Spiritualism

The boy looked heavenwards.’’ What seemed to be a boon then turned out to be a bane.’’ The old man was now talking to himself.

‘’ Thanks to my detailed knowledge of the gang’s activities I could locate and retrieve several stashes which could have otherwise been claimed by my fellow criminals too but who were now either already dead or were in prison.’’

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‘ Here it comes.’ The boy thought.

‘’ Cunning that I was I vanished successfully along with my ill gotten gains.’’

By now the boy had begun suspecting strongly that this wily old man had probably sold his gang down the river and had squealed against them to the cops. 

As a reward for this unspeakable devilry they had allowed him to disappear without a trace.

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Spiritualism

‘’ In the ambushes that followed, several of us got killed in shoot outs.’’ The old man seemed to peer through an invisible veil that opened up into the wretched man’s past, as if he was reliving the incidents ‘’The others were arrested and they received long crippling sentences.’’ The old man sighed ‘’some of them even got death sentences.’’

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The kid nodded understandingly. And then the old man dropped a bombshell ’’I who was as devilish as the others, escaped unscathed.”

The boy’s breath stopped. The old man had a queer expression which was a mixture of relief, jubilation & strange lamentation. The boy suspected that the old guy was not really happy at this strange lease of life.

‘’During a gun battle I suddenly tripped and fell into a ditch.’’ The old man sighed ‘’ thinking that I had met my own macabre end, the cops ignored me.’’

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Spiritualism

The kid listened breathlessly. The old man took a sip of water and continued:

‘’And then the inevitable happened. Somehow the cops got wind of our evil deeds & they came on us like a ton of bricks.”

The boy smiled inwardly.

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