We all have thoughts deep inside us that we don’t share with anyone because the repercussions would be scary or disappointing. But there are other thoughts that we have that we feel the need to share. And we do, too, much to the relief of so many other people who had thought that they were the only ones feeling and thinking these things. Through this relief pours forth your own relief, because you were one of those people, too, and to have put these thoughts out seems like a burden lifted and at the same time, the best thing you’ve ever done. Yet, there will be people who will say that these things are utter blasphemy.
Yashesh Rathod, in his short, aptly titled nonfiction book called Heresy shares his opinions on a range of topics. I say ‘aptly titled’ not because I think what he’s saying is heresy, but because these are thoughts that to some will be nothing but heresy.
But as someone who has read it, I can vouch for the fact that some of these are absolute gems. From talking about how education has become a money-minting process (I have a related blog post coming up soon) to the concept of a universal language through with people can communicate to humans being compared to operating systems (and admirably so) to anger and its downfalls – everything is well explained. In fact, the author uses such simple language that once a statement has been made, you need no further explanation because it settles in your mind the first time around.
Almost every topic in this 46-page book had me nodding. When he talked about the difference between the reaction to the words of a poor, homeless person and the reaction to what a rich person would say, the truth of it punched me in the face. It’s the unfair way of the world, something that almost nobody is trying to fix. Here’s the quote:
If some beggar spoke of a great thing, nobody would give a damn but turn him into laughing stuff, but if that same thing came out of someone with reputation, power and money, people would nod at him with great seriousness and understanding.
Why this difference in treatment? Why are humans like this? Maybe because our basic settings have been made to turn us into such people. What if we could shift these settings just a notch? What if we are careful when we instill these settings in the next generation? Here’s an analogy that the author makes between humans and operating systems that got me thinking a little too hard:
We should be very careful what OS to present to our babies upon birth for their fresh and empty brains. It is a matter of choice of the system to turn a small baby into a monster or God when he or she has grown up. Unluckily today, all the parents, without realizing it, choose the bad OS (and the only OS available to mankind, for now) and set their babies on the path to becoming monsters but expect them to be gods somehow.
And though I don’t agree that most parents choose the bad OS or settings for their children, because they are doing the best they can, I agree that expectations are warped beyond recognition in this dog-eat-dog world.
It is fabulous points like these that the book makes about society, about the quicksand everywhere that threatens to pull us under, leaving us in a chaos that we find difficult to get rid of. Because as the author says, No one is coming to rescue us from this huge ocean of chaos.
If you’re looking for a short, opinionated piece, Heresy is one book that you should not miss. Go read it, you’ll come away the richer for it!
So that was my review of Heresy by Yashesh Rathod. What did you think of this review? Will you pick this book up based on my review? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
I’ll see you in the next blog post.
Until next time, keep reading and add melodrama to your life! ❤
The Melodramatic Bookworm 