Personally, I am exhausted of having to justify my views and perceptions of the world around me. Anything and anyone is judged. Though many preach of life being simple, who truly believes in practicing all that is being preached? I bet even the preacher chooses otherwise.
There is not a day when I do not wonder as to why people choose go by a protocol, knowing that they will have to breakaway from doing so soon enough. Who says what? To whom? Why what we said is rude but not honest? How we must be honest yet diplomatic? I have come to think that we are so scared of being who we really are. But most of all, I am concerned that we have begun to fear clarifying our doubts.
It is as if there is an unseen and widely accepted rule book for all that we see. The easiest answer to most queries - 'Because our society believes so.'
As a child, I had accepted these replies as if they were words of wisdom. Abiding by them felt like taking a step towards righteousness. Now, as a young and restless adult - my questions continue to clarified in a similar fashion; only this time I am not convinced. The end result - I am termed 'the kind.'
Not too long ago a friend of mine and I were discussing a rather sensitive issue when all of a sudden his perceptions that opened my eyes into a whole new horizon. The discussion led to a rather interesting thought - we live in a world where everything seems to be changing by the second. The India that I live in seems to be witnessing a drastic change in the mindsets of the average Indian that is often obstructed by the steadfast and firm perceptions of the generations before mine. Thus, concepts of free speech, interaction with the opposite sex or even marriage for-the-sake of the companionship are yet to sink in. But that does not stop my generation from adapting themselves to a new lifestyle.
Each one of us, at the end of them day, is pulled down by a heavy anchor (figuratively speaking) and is denied a chance to grow and adapt to the world around us. While our age old values of mutual respect, tolerance and family have been appreciated worldwide, it applications in the current day scenario seem rather jaded. Who said that long rides along the sea on a bike with a trusted friend is bad? Is dating someone wrong? Does caste and creed matter in the world of matrimony? Why must I still be doubtful about befriending a person hailing from the SC or ST community?
The deeper we look into each of these aspects, the more clear it becomes. We, if given a chance, love being liberal and tolerant. But rarely do we try being so. A society is made up of perceptions of a group of people. It is a invisible association that merely provides a platform for interactions to all social animals (Yes, animals - haven't you seen how dogs and cows live in absolute harmony!). In short we define the rule. We construct the society.
Off late, there is no single society but a number of individual sub-societies that complicate the simple life we ought to lead. If you ask me, I think life is and will always be black and white. How? Anything that harms a person and is unfair is bad. Anything that keeps a person happy is good. Our sub-societies have redefined this and have selectively decided what is good and bad. Whom are we to torture a person or make a person suffer immense pain in the name of 'sweet revenge?' How dare we judge people based on the faiths they hold close to their hearts? I believe the moment you learn to look at a larger picture and can spot the exact white and black spots most of our issues can be resolved in a jiffy.
Remember there will always be exceptions - both good and bad. It is, thus, all the more important for us as a community to work harder towards creating an environment that could help tackle or make room for these exceptions. The process is slow and tiresome. But is any task on earth less tiresome? It is not only difficult the first 10 ten times. Perhaps the first 20 times too. After that, it is indeed a cake-walk. If not now, we human beings are bound to fail the test of survival of the fittest sooner than expected. The choice is ours. I say let us start now.
There is not a day when I do not wonder as to why people choose go by a protocol, knowing that they will have to breakaway from doing so soon enough. Who says what? To whom? Why what we said is rude but not honest? How we must be honest yet diplomatic? I have come to think that we are so scared of being who we really are. But most of all, I am concerned that we have begun to fear clarifying our doubts.
It is as if there is an unseen and widely accepted rule book for all that we see. The easiest answer to most queries - 'Because our society believes so.'
As a child, I had accepted these replies as if they were words of wisdom. Abiding by them felt like taking a step towards righteousness. Now, as a young and restless adult - my questions continue to clarified in a similar fashion; only this time I am not convinced. The end result - I am termed 'the kind.'
Not too long ago a friend of mine and I were discussing a rather sensitive issue when all of a sudden his perceptions that opened my eyes into a whole new horizon. The discussion led to a rather interesting thought - we live in a world where everything seems to be changing by the second. The India that I live in seems to be witnessing a drastic change in the mindsets of the average Indian that is often obstructed by the steadfast and firm perceptions of the generations before mine. Thus, concepts of free speech, interaction with the opposite sex or even marriage for-the-sake of the companionship are yet to sink in. But that does not stop my generation from adapting themselves to a new lifestyle.
Each one of us, at the end of them day, is pulled down by a heavy anchor (figuratively speaking) and is denied a chance to grow and adapt to the world around us. While our age old values of mutual respect, tolerance and family have been appreciated worldwide, it applications in the current day scenario seem rather jaded. Who said that long rides along the sea on a bike with a trusted friend is bad? Is dating someone wrong? Does caste and creed matter in the world of matrimony? Why must I still be doubtful about befriending a person hailing from the SC or ST community?
The deeper we look into each of these aspects, the more clear it becomes. We, if given a chance, love being liberal and tolerant. But rarely do we try being so. A society is made up of perceptions of a group of people. It is a invisible association that merely provides a platform for interactions to all social animals (Yes, animals - haven't you seen how dogs and cows live in absolute harmony!). In short we define the rule. We construct the society.
Off late, there is no single society but a number of individual sub-societies that complicate the simple life we ought to lead. If you ask me, I think life is and will always be black and white. How? Anything that harms a person and is unfair is bad. Anything that keeps a person happy is good. Our sub-societies have redefined this and have selectively decided what is good and bad. Whom are we to torture a person or make a person suffer immense pain in the name of 'sweet revenge?' How dare we judge people based on the faiths they hold close to their hearts? I believe the moment you learn to look at a larger picture and can spot the exact white and black spots most of our issues can be resolved in a jiffy.
Remember there will always be exceptions - both good and bad. It is, thus, all the more important for us as a community to work harder towards creating an environment that could help tackle or make room for these exceptions. The process is slow and tiresome. But is any task on earth less tiresome? It is not only difficult the first 10 ten times. Perhaps the first 20 times too. After that, it is indeed a cake-walk. If not now, we human beings are bound to fail the test of survival of the fittest sooner than expected. The choice is ours. I say let us start now.
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