October 25th, 8:57pm 0 comments

Sharing lightens; Listening heals...

The world, as we know, is fast shrinking due to the rapid advances in all spheres of human activity. But ironically, the price for this has been that people have started drifting apart. In the quest for self advancement and independence, men and women have started isolating themselves. Today, paradoxically, one has to 'stand out', to 'fit in'.

In order to attain social acceptance, we are forced to wear so many masks, that often we forget what our actual face looks like. Under this cloud of pretension and pressure, we may stand in a crowd and still be alone. Often we speak but do not express. And we hear but do not listen.

In this crowd, spoken words abound, but emoted feelings are lost. A person is acknowledged, but a soul is ignored. The sight of wood is lost for the tree, where materialistic pursuits are defined, not by the value they add to our lives but, by their values themselves. So we are entangled in this quagmire of self-deceit and success where the more we try to escape the trappings, the deeper we find ourselves sink.

The need of the hour is for man to introspect, analyse and re-invent his value system and build his world in its image rather than fashion his values around the world. And for this, man needs to express and man needs to listen.

When feelings remain unaddressed, they fester like unattended wounds. Pent up emotions stretch the fabric of our civilization. And when these remain bottled up, they suddenly manifest themselves in unexpected and unpleasant ways. Our society is like a raging animal on steroids that we are hanging on to --desperate in that we do not fall off it, even while we do not enjoy the ride. We need to rebuild our society into a structure that encourages growth of an individual while promoting the progress of the community at large. And at the core of this rebuilding process is communication. When we express, we alleviate.

But communication is incomplete if we only convey our thoughts but do not construe, empathise and respond to the feelings of others. For the process of sharing and healing will go a full cycle only when we mutually address our emotions. Working hands are better than praying lips –but sometimes a patient ear, a soothing tongue or a shoulder to lean on, can make a world of difference too.

An open mind and an un-judging ear can be the bridge for another, between despair and hope; between the inevitable and possibilities; between death and a second chance.

So it’s up to us to shake up the world, revive its core values, and open up forgotten channels of communication –not between people, but between souls. Let us speak out the stifled and listen to the unsaid. Let’s reach out to emotions. Let’s not want a reward or acclaim or a mention by posterity. Let’s make it our business and do it as our job. Let’s all work together and make the world a better place.

Descending into depressive shadows,
Reeking of ignored, forsaken gloom;
He moves among the forgotten, incognito,
As one of their own in that festering room.

A stranger, so familiar, to them, outcasts,
He offers solace of warmth, love,
That stem from personal hurt and betrayal;
Transcending pain to something nobler above.

In shadows, he works, nameless,
Recognition is not for him;
The silent moon, his only witness,
The stars shine down upon him.

~From, The Altruist

 

 

Dusk

Filed under Random musings
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August 24th, 2:36pm 1 comment

Religion and the modern society

        In ancient times, when civilizations were born, each one was a self-sustaining unit –an individual society. All its members were like the spokes of a wheel, functioning synchronously to keep the rim that was their collective lifestyle, moving smoothly. The central hub to which these individual spokes were tethered was the concept of religion. Religion was merely a set of rules governing daily life and deemed essential to uphold the society’s unity and enforced interdependence. It also helped define duties of its members and maintain harmony in the society. As trade developed, it necessitated migration of people. Confronted with perilous journeys, possibilities of not returning back, long periods of absence and vast distances from home, the one constant comfort to these migrants was the refuge to practices of their religion.

        Rules framed by man are regularly set in stone by passage of time and mystifying of source. Often the essence of the words and their context are lost in the blind devotion to their literal translation. And as more followers are led astray by such fool-hardy zealousness, degeneration sets into that religion.

        The modern world comprises of a single society –the Global society. The advent of better transportation and faster communication has principally fostered a global community by creating opportunities and facilitating large migrations. The religion-based societies have been amalgamated into this one synergistic society.

        But, to carry the wheel-analogy forward, the ancient hubs of religion still function to create separate societies based on moral and ethical ideologies. While the modern world, in general, is run on a unifying theme of inclusiveness with a common purpose of collective advancement, religious beliefs still steer individual lifestyles and practices.

        The notion of a set of rules, rooted in morality, dictating private choice is an agreeable, nay, favourable undertaking. But religious fervour often manifests itself in intolerance of other religions. And fanatic adherence to the ‘hubs’ strains the cords that bind one to one’s religion. And as more strained cords intertwine, the very fabric of society is stretched. The society is transformed into a wheel with multiple hubs, polarized spokes and a rim that is in absolute disarray. The wheel wobbles, veers drunkenly, largely goes nowhere and faces the dangerous eventuality of falling flat on its side.

        So how does the global society negotiate the problems posed by these religious sub-societies? The answer lies in revisiting the fundamentals of inclusiveness and tolerance that form the basis for the creation of modern civilization. Atrocities in the name of religion are merely the festering wounds of social inequalities clothed in collective garb of faith. For, what better unifying ideology for such brimming discontent than one the oppressed already subscribe to. The need of the hour is not alienation of one religion or faith. It lies in addressing the social causes which incite a populace to justify their retaliation to society at large.

        Religion too has its role to play in the scheme of things. It will take the collective efforts of all upholders of every religion to find a common path of cooperative tolerance and peaceful existence. Every religion must evaluate its place and value in today’s world. It must keep in mind to not lose the wood for the tree. The underlying basic values might remain the same, but their paths of pursuit have to be pertinent to the age. Religion must shake off its rigidity, avert stagnancy and keep pace with times. It must constantly reinvent and update itself. Meaningful evolution is an essential cornerstone for religion to retain its relevance.

        Religion is as much an identity of an individual, as nationality, political affiliations or any other. The core foundation of religion is to instruct its practitioner on how to lead a life that is productive and useful not only to oneself, but also for the society on the whole. To paraphrase Isaac Asimov, religion must never get in the way of doing what’s right. As long as this dictum is observed, religion will only serve to propel society forward and advance our civilization.

Filed under Random musings Religion
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