There is nothing easier to kill in the world than a dream if it is too big to fit in your life. Maybe except for a stray dog on a street, a tiger in a jungle, a dolphin in the ocean, a river choking on effluents, a valley denuded by mining because in a habitat being usurped by seven billion (and counting) of us, we continue to want what is left of the earth for ourselves. Everything that inconveniences us or comes in our way, must be done away with. A baby girl, within the womb or outside it, for being the wrong gender. Our children if they fall in love with the wrong people. Our emotions are tied to what serves us, detached from what does not.

We can sacrifice basic human decency to replenish our needs, real or imagined. And yet, what runs through the world like a golden thread is the belief that we as a race are not beyond redemption. That if we really put our mind to it, we can repair this earth, our environment, relationships, each other. There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who believe we as a race can be redeemed and those who think we are too far gone. Our films, our books, our television programming, our music reflects this hope or its absence. Everytime we pick up a book or hear a song or switch on the TV, we find ourselves either being sickened or inspired and in the best instances overwhelmed with a hard to name feeling that feels like a river of unsullied and pure humanity.

Anyone who saw Dalai Lama walk into the Master Chef Australia (Star World) kitchen would have felt in an instant,the presence of something benign and powerful, something larger than all the negativity and clutter that we carry within though we face far lesser challenges than he continues to face everyday. There was a non judgemental peace about him which told us that it is possible to be in a state of ripple free repose even when you have been tested right to the last ounce of your resilience and humanity. No wonder the contestants had tears in their eyes.

One thing you cannot fake is greatness. And the one thing that this cooking show does beautifully is to tap into that little something called potential. For greatness, for living a fuller, richer life. There is a vibe of goodness, genuine warmth that shows us that success is actually a lovely thing when it is shared and worn lightly. There are no ego clashes, the judges get along without the “I know more than you,” skirmishes which American Idol and many other shows thrive on. The contestants are by and large a decent lot and the critics including the adorable Matt Preston critique without arrogance. The focus remains on mentoring and that a show without stooping down to cheap theatrics and ugliness is doing so well speaks well for us. Kaun Banega Crorepati is also concluding this season on a high note after making us a part of stories we will never forget. Of a humble, Hindi speaking, dignified school teacher who won Rs 50 lakh. And Sushil Kumar from Bihar who showed us that even without the privilege of an expensive education and an accent, you can make your dreams come true.

Like Amitabh Bachachan said, the show is a tribute to the unknown Indian who lives in a crumbling home but dreams impossible dreams and even fulfils them. In a country where so much is going wrong and the poor are deprived of even the right to dignity, such shows reinforce hope. On the other end of the spectrum are shows like Axe Your Ex, Emosanal Attyachar and Big Boss that celebrate deviant human behaviour, turn it into entertainment and bleach all faith out of notions of courtesy and humanity.

The other day I caught sight of Pooja Mishra shaking her posterior at a baby faced contestant while he abused her with colourful phrases.The fact that most of the non confrontational contestants have left the show says something about the kind of people the audience wants to see. In Emosanal Attyachar, most ‘suspects’ lunge at the first human bait offered to them and the ‘leads’ egged on by the host, confront their cheating partners, slap them, abuse them and get abused, creating a spectacle for everyone else to watch vicariously. So what kind of belief systems win us over in the end? Maybe, there is no clear winner.

Maybe the world too is split between faith and doubt, fear and hope, darkness and light and every day in every way, with every word, gesture and thought, we choose a side or switch it. There are a few like Dalai Lama however who have it all figured out. They know, they must always choose light because they are beacons to millions of lost souls and must show the way to the rest of us. I would like to think that as long as we have decisively positive spirits around us, we can all become a little less cynical. A little more tuned into the possibility of changing ourselves and the world in turn, for the better.

Reema Moudgil is the author of  Perfect Eight (http://www.flipkart.com/b/books/perfect-eight-reema-moudgil-book-9380032870?affid=unboxedwri )