We like to detest people with authorities – though immediately we show we admire them, and some of us coy up to be obedient or turn out to be rebels, but realize their value much later in life.
Take your mother for example – she regimented you so much, that you just wanted to rebel around any activity. Not having milk on time, not having food, or playing a little longer when she tried calling you back home for studying or having food. Your inner feelings said, “Give me a break, and stop this clock.” You sought a refuge in your grandparent or an uncle or aunt or whoever pampered you as the blue eyed child.
Your Father – most of them would not have directly got involved, letting the mothers do the job. But those who do, also tend to set some rules, which the poor child has to comply with. Men being Men think instructions are like a computer program and will be followed to the T, till they discover all the bugs it has. This time most of you sought the refuge of your mother or grand parents and they came to your rescue.
Today one tends to live in a house with just a mother and father, and cared for by service sector (servants).
Your teacher, professors – engaging with them during the tenure, you would not think of so highly, because, they never understood you and only kept on proceeding with doing their jobs – sometimes being lax, strict, or partial – in which ever way you perceived it to be.
Some of us even went to the extent of being judgmental enough to label them and complain to our parents, friends of “They (teacher) don’t know their stuff”. That’s the way the current generation treats knowledge in the Knowledge Era – God Save them.
These three are the important tenets of shaping your character and what you are. This in itself leads us to a very basic tenet – our foundations. Asian systems were normally joint family based, with most of them also following the guru shishya parampara (mentor-pupil tradition), where knowledge was imparted and transferred as an expertise. Not certified as a degree or diploma.
In our quest for materialistic world, have dug a grave for the future generations? Grave Concern!.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
School, College, Marriage,
“First is school, then is college, and then is marriage with a baby in a carriage – an oft heard statement that one chuckled listening to during the later stages of school.
Beautifully summed up statement, that is so linear and draws up a process chart for one in life. Process 1 - School, finish it with flying colours, and then get to Process 2 - College - Go through the rigours and get prepared for a mature life. Cut to Process 3 - Marriage - so get married and start having children, and you have done your duty. Wish life was really such a linear and dutiful process.
School – the first thing that comes to mind is Regimentation, while we like to remember college more for the freedom, and yet when we talk of marriage, the operative word for most is Bondage! Bondage for who is again a perspective.
All through school we were longing to be in college, and when in college were were longing to get married, and once married, most of us get into the thought that “Oh, I was better off as a single, what have I got into?
The Grass the other side is always green or better still – there has to be not just a perspective, but the right perspective, so the direction matters.
School – a place we love to reminisce, but not to get back. College – we all want to be there, If god gave us a chance to rewind life and start it from the day we wished to, I am sure most of us want to start if from sometime during college days and very few from during the school days.
Why is that? It makes me wonder. Ask me and even I would tell you that I want to rewind my life back from college days? Why?
Beautifully summed up statement, that is so linear and draws up a process chart for one in life. Process 1 - School, finish it with flying colours, and then get to Process 2 - College - Go through the rigours and get prepared for a mature life. Cut to Process 3 - Marriage - so get married and start having children, and you have done your duty. Wish life was really such a linear and dutiful process.
School – the first thing that comes to mind is Regimentation, while we like to remember college more for the freedom, and yet when we talk of marriage, the operative word for most is Bondage! Bondage for who is again a perspective.
All through school we were longing to be in college, and when in college were were longing to get married, and once married, most of us get into the thought that “Oh, I was better off as a single, what have I got into?
The Grass the other side is always green or better still – there has to be not just a perspective, but the right perspective, so the direction matters.
School – a place we love to reminisce, but not to get back. College – we all want to be there, If god gave us a chance to rewind life and start it from the day we wished to, I am sure most of us want to start if from sometime during college days and very few from during the school days.
Why is that? It makes me wonder. Ask me and even I would tell you that I want to rewind my life back from college days? Why?
Monday, April 19, 2010
Seven Friends and a concept
Seven friends from college had some kind of re-union. Most of them in their late thirties and early forties, on a weekend vacation with family. The men hit the pool and were having typical conversations. Each one was on a journey of Awaken that College Student within.
Suddenly two guys from the group were being dubbed as Losers! Because they were still single, and had not found a right partner, while these guys had children in the age of 2 – 8. The two guys dubbed as losers conceded, and the game went on.
Now this was about those who had their own house – and this time two different guys turned out to be losers, because they lived in rented houses. The game proceeded like a Russian Roulette – and this time the discussion was about the car – and two more guys were losers this time, for they had not graduated beyond the entry level car. By the end of it all of us were losers in one thing or the other.
The fact that I had been dubbed a loser first – motivated me to look at this word and topic and chronicle an entire story. I initially decided to take a self effacing route, but when I thought about it deeper, I thought it has to be self effacing for the reader and not just the author alone, and hence it is a story of Us or We!
Perspectives changed and the same guys who had branded me a loser just about 24 hours back were eating their own words, and calling me a winner because I am single, and they felt they were being pestered by their wives. .
There began the Chronicles!
Suddenly two guys from the group were being dubbed as Losers! Because they were still single, and had not found a right partner, while these guys had children in the age of 2 – 8. The two guys dubbed as losers conceded, and the game went on.
Now this was about those who had their own house – and this time two different guys turned out to be losers, because they lived in rented houses. The game proceeded like a Russian Roulette – and this time the discussion was about the car – and two more guys were losers this time, for they had not graduated beyond the entry level car. By the end of it all of us were losers in one thing or the other.
The fact that I had been dubbed a loser first – motivated me to look at this word and topic and chronicle an entire story. I initially decided to take a self effacing route, but when I thought about it deeper, I thought it has to be self effacing for the reader and not just the author alone, and hence it is a story of Us or We!
Perspectives changed and the same guys who had branded me a loser just about 24 hours back were eating their own words, and calling me a winner because I am single, and they felt they were being pestered by their wives. .
There began the Chronicles!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Geographies and Societies – The Grass the Other side is always Green
Village, Town and City are the typical hierarchy of geographies, whil e Tradition, Fashion and Lifestyle, can be summed up as the typical hierarchies of the society in the respective geographies.
Never content on where we are and what we have, we want to explore the other side perceiving it to be better. This is like climbing a ladder, but the problem is we do not want to do it one step at a time, and take shortcuts to reach the top – Migration Mania.
People becoming urbanites, disconnect themselves from the roots and fall off like an orphaned fruit in foreign land. They start rearing a generation that does not know the meaning of native place, and some go abroad and rear a generation that does not know the meaning of country of origin.
We christen this pattern as “Nomads without Roots”-- People who consider themselves as winners on achieving geographic or societal success, but don’t realize what they have lost.
West is moving towards East – Yoga, meditation, vegetarianism, alternative therapies, and almost reviving some extinct practices of the region, while East is moving more rapidly to the West in aping their lifestyle of materialism, wealth, greed, and so on. Call this a Cultural Cross Over
The Grass On the Other side is Always Green. Instead of looking at the grass and being judgmental about the shades of of green, one needs to look within and Introspect – You will rediscover your roots, values and most importantly YOURSELF!
Which side are you looking – Within or Without?
Never content on where we are and what we have, we want to explore the other side perceiving it to be better. This is like climbing a ladder, but the problem is we do not want to do it one step at a time, and take shortcuts to reach the top – Migration Mania.
People becoming urbanites, disconnect themselves from the roots and fall off like an orphaned fruit in foreign land. They start rearing a generation that does not know the meaning of native place, and some go abroad and rear a generation that does not know the meaning of country of origin.
We christen this pattern as “Nomads without Roots”-- People who consider themselves as winners on achieving geographic or societal success, but don’t realize what they have lost.
West is moving towards East – Yoga, meditation, vegetarianism, alternative therapies, and almost reviving some extinct practices of the region, while East is moving more rapidly to the West in aping their lifestyle of materialism, wealth, greed, and so on. Call this a Cultural Cross Over
The Grass On the Other side is Always Green. Instead of looking at the grass and being judgmental about the shades of of green, one needs to look within and Introspect – You will rediscover your roots, values and most importantly YOURSELF!
Which side are you looking – Within or Without?
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Generation Gaps and Value System – Who’s the Loser!
Ah! How I wish my parents / in-laws/ relatives / peers understand what I am doing!
Why are they not supporting me in whatever I want to do? They only like to play devils advocate to everything Why are they so cautious / conservative in their thinking? Such a generation gap, and I think they are losers, and also want me to be another one.
A Grandfather, Father and a Grandson is the perfect example of perspectives of thoughts on each other. This can be summed up in a difference of about five to seven decades. The Grandfather thinks that his son is not taking enough responsibilities in comparison to his age, while he would shield his grandson from taking responsibilities, while the father has the same opinions of his son. Forget this, in fact people swear that they experience a generation gap with their brother / sister just five years younger.
With value system changing at a rapid pace, people are trying to cope up with emerging changes, and hence do not give any credence to experience.
There is a spirit of “I know it all” and “Been there done that” across generations, perfect winner thoughts. This gives rise to a perfect atmosphere where elders feel, “I don’t get the required respect for my stature, experience and advice that I give.” The youngsters feel that I am not being taken seriously for my talent and ability to cope up in changed circumstances.
Perennial feeling across generations, but does this have a solution!
Who’s the Loser, You or the System!
Why are they not supporting me in whatever I want to do? They only like to play devils advocate to everything Why are they so cautious / conservative in their thinking? Such a generation gap, and I think they are losers, and also want me to be another one.
A Grandfather, Father and a Grandson is the perfect example of perspectives of thoughts on each other. This can be summed up in a difference of about five to seven decades. The Grandfather thinks that his son is not taking enough responsibilities in comparison to his age, while he would shield his grandson from taking responsibilities, while the father has the same opinions of his son. Forget this, in fact people swear that they experience a generation gap with their brother / sister just five years younger.
With value system changing at a rapid pace, people are trying to cope up with emerging changes, and hence do not give any credence to experience.
There is a spirit of “I know it all” and “Been there done that” across generations, perfect winner thoughts. This gives rise to a perfect atmosphere where elders feel, “I don’t get the required respect for my stature, experience and advice that I give.” The youngsters feel that I am not being taken seriously for my talent and ability to cope up in changed circumstances.
Perennial feeling across generations, but does this have a solution!
Who’s the Loser, You or the System!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
