559. When it rained...

"The monsoon has failed for three years continuously. This has never happened before."

"There is acute water scarcity. But the government has not taken any step to help the people. It has given permission to a few industrialists to destroy forests and use the lands for setting up factories. Environmental enthusiasts have expressed concerns that this move will adversely affect the rainfall. People living in forests have been evicted. Having lost both their homes and source of livelihood, they are struggling for survival. Only big businessmen are thriving under this government. I have never seen a government worse than the present one." 

"The monsoon has failed during the last three years, only because of the tyrannical government we have in our country."

"Don't talk nonsense. What is the connection between governance and monsoon? The perception that if a king gave a good rule, there would be regular rains and if the king's sceptre was not straight, it would lead to the failure of rains was probably created to instill a fear in the monarchs and motivate them to rule the country in a just way. Like the belief that ghosts live on the branches of a neem tree, this is also an irrational. There are scientific reasons for monsoon failures. There is no connection between bad governance and deficit rainfall."

"However much evidence is offered in support of a time-tested theory like this, rationalists like you won't accept it. We are having the election soon. This government will be definitely voted out and a new government will assume office. After that, we will have rains. Let me see whether you will accept my theory, after this happens!" 

"Didn't I tell you? The new government that assumed office after the election has begun to correct the wrongs of the previous government. Soon after the new government had started giving good governance, we had rains. This is summer, not the season for rains to occur. Still, we got a very good rainfall, which has brought relief to the people, who have suffered for the past three years."

"After three years of monsoon failure, we can expect a year of good rainfall. That is what has happened. This is called the 'Law of Averages.' This has got nothing to do with good governance. Let us say this government continues to give good governance. There may still be a monsoon failure during some years. How will you explain it? It is also possible that after sometime, the functioning of this government becomes bad. If there are good rains during that period, will you say that since the rainfall is good, the governance should be considered good? Making a connection between unrelated events is foolish. "

"Just as there is a 'Law of Averages,' there is a 'Law of Nature.' Rationalists like you will never understand this. There is no point in trying to convince you!"

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 56

Tyranny

Verse 559 (in Tamil):

muRai kOdi mannavan seyyin uRai kOdi
ollAdhu vAnam peyal.

Meaning:

If the king lets his sceptre of justice waver,

the skies won’t yield and monsoons will fail.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'poyththa mazhaiyum, peydha mazhaiyum' by the same author.)

Verse 560 (Soon)
Verse 558