Essay on We Talk More, Work Less

Undeniably, there are millions of people in India who think little, act even less but talk too much. Indulgence in idle gossip, disgruntled attitudes, bitter criticism of all and sundry, frustration over their sorry plight, fate and “kismet”, have in fact become national pastimes.

The number of those who can claim that they keep their tongue within their lips and never talk in vain is limited. The talk of the common people mostly irresponsible, creates the impression that they have little to do Indians are indeed typical of the people of the Orient who have no thin; worthwhile to say, and yet contrive to spend the longest time in saying it.

Those who have endless time on their hands are great babblers. Thinking and reflection postulate a certain degree of education and intellectual development. About 64 per cent of the people in India; illiterate; so they have not developed the qualities of thinking and reflection.

Montesquieu truly said that the “less men think, the more they talk”. India is a land of myriad tongues. The 1961 census listed 1652 languages; mother tongues spoken in India, and the 1971 census, retaining 1 number, presented a somewhat more realistic picture. Judged by; standard, India is a babel of tongues, perhaps the largest in the world. This babel has been the outcome of a cumulative process resulting fro the influx of various races into the country through the centuries.

Talkers are never good doers; this explains the proverbial slot idleness and complacency of the average Indian. Our material output, ­our productivity and production, our net contribution to the count Gross National Product (GNP) are all far too low.

While people shot learn to use their hands and to be active all the time (like the Japanese who have raised their country to the pinnacle of glory despite the have done to their economy during World War II), we have mastered 1 technique of whiling away time talking and talking, doing little positive constructive and concrete work.

Jawaharlal Nehru, in a speech way back in 1952, said he was tired: people who merely talk about various things. However wise you may I (in India the number of truly wise, sagacious men and women is limit he said, you can never enter into the spirit of a thing if you only listing about it and do nothing.

We do not know the value of time; so we do not mind spending precious hours in idle gossip. In part the disinclination be up and doing all the time is the result of our fatalistic beliefs; attitudes. Most of us tend to believe that what God has ordained cannot be averted. What will be, will be; so, they argue, why needlessly waste energy in thwarting God’s will?

Besides, there are many among us who believe that flattery is the shortest route to success in today’s India. The great talkers, the wily, garrulous politicians who sway audiences through their loud talk, all manage to mislead the people and promote their selfish ends.

A flat is in the excellent company of imitators because imitation is considered the sincerest form of flattery. The easiest weapon adopted by flat and sycophants is smooth talk, not work. A ready and glib tongue has at times proved to be a more precious weapon than gifts of cash and kind. Through a facile tongue the flatterers continually create illusions and a world of make-believe. Almost all great talkers are great flatterers; praise inevitably becomes their forte.

Then there are those whose talk mostly comprises advice to all and sundry on everything on earth. Like air and water, advice too can be had free. Self-appointed advisers are great talkers; they talk their way into your hearts and they even drive away rationality, good sense and the quality of discriminating between chalk and cheese. Asking for advice is to tout for flatterers.

And flattery feeds the ego and is exhilarating. Most talkers become bores. But let it be said in defense of the growing tribe of talkers that they do manage at times to relieve boredom. A quiet gathering at which all those present are serious-minded people deeply engrossed in thought and philosophy would appear to maintain the silence of the graveyard.

The talkers relate funny incidents, describe lively experiences and entertain their credulous listeners, quieted and comfort the people, for hours together. There is no tax on talk and gossip. So the idle, endless talker flourishes at the cost of the silent, constructive worker. It is the latter that can help ensure national progress, not the ceaseless twisters of the tongue, even though the latter manage to find credulous audiences.

True, sincere and genuine workers cannot stand non-seneschal postures, including nonsense talk. But work does not lie in marching up and down the streets, shouting slogans and lodging protests. Many of us tend to resort to strikes and work stoppages.

Undeniably, our future amongst nations, and the good name of our country, depends entirely upon our work and work alone. Much valuable work can be done silently and without becoming noisy or indulging in aimless talk. If everyone realizes the truth of this dictum, the salvation of the country would not be far off.