About Love

It has been very long since I updated this blog. To tell the truth I didn't find any worthwhile topics to write about. I know there are a lot of things in this world to talk and comment about. I can forever keep complaining. I can forever keep ranting about the atrocities going on in the world. But are my rants going to bring about any change? It is only action that can make it possible.

Well, as the title of this post suggests I'd like to talk 'About Love' in this post.

You might be interested in knowing what prompts me to write about love now. Well, I came across a line in one of my favourite Tamil songs. I've known that song for the past 5 years but only last night did I put my thoughts deep into it. In fact, it is a beautiful movie and the song is equally beautiful.

Okay okay. I can hear you people saying "Enough of your 'mokkai' Vinay. Come to the point." He he. Fine.

'Ulagatthil ulla chithravadhaikkellaam chella peyar vaitthaal kaadhal..'

This is the line that I'm talking about. Well what does it mean?

"Love is the beautiful name given to the collection of all the tortures of the world"
[I'm totally sorry if the translation sucks buddies]

It is a well known fact that 'A rose is a rose no matter what name you give it." Similarly 'love' is certainly a collection of tortures no matter how you call it or what name you give it.

I'm a person who tells everyone to share love. So isn't it ironical to say that love is a collection of tortures? Yes, it is. That's how love is and that's how lovers consider it today, right? The original definition of love has been lost long ago. Today's people have redefined the term completely.

Friends, there are two kinds of people: those who think with their heart and those who think with their mind. The former are always concerned with human emotions and many other stuff that are considered to be 'unnecessary and waste' by the latter. Loving comes as naturally as breathing for those who think with their mind. Their love is unconditional and they demand nothing from others.

Unfortunately, we live in an age when a person loves another just for his/her money or just to pass time and to forget boredom. It has become very difficult to find love in almost all walks of our lives. People send their parents to old age homes; neighbours are alien to them. And the worst treatment of love is faced by Mother Nature herself. In the name of technological advancement we have only polluted water bodies and the atmosphere making life difficult for all.

Well, I hope my dear friend would not mind using him as an example here. I don't want to disclose his name too.

My friend rides his bike with me being the pillion rider and thousand other morons as 'roadmates'. It's not needed to say how horrible the traffic in Mount Road would be at 8PM during weekdays. Chennai-ites! Need I say about it? Everyone finds it difficult to move forward in that traffic and my friend is not an exception. Is a text message so important at this kind of a situation? My friend isn't so insane to be texting while riding a bike in such a road. But it is his lover who expects a prompt reply from him!! Come on people! It does not mean that a person loves you truly only if he/she sends quick replies to your messages. You never know what kind of a situation he/she is in. This only shows a lack of understanding.

This is certainly not how I envision love. So it means that either others are unaware of true love or that my perspective about love is incorrect. What do you say?

Nationalistic Feelings

Inequality. One of the things that intrigues me the most. I'm a person who believes in equality. All men are equal. There is not even an ounce of doubt about that.

The great Tamil poet Bharathiyaar sings in one of his poems as follows,

Vellai niratthoru poonai.
Engal veettil valarudhu kandeer.
Pillaigal pettradhu appoonai.
Avai paerukkoru niramaagum.
Saambal niram oru kutty.
Karum saandhu niram oru kutty.
Paambin niram oru kutty.
Vellaip paalin niram oru kutty.

Endha niram irundhaalum.
Avai yaavum oru tharam andro?
Indha niram siridhentrum.
Idhu yaetram endrum sollalaamo.

"Look at the white cat
That lives in my house.
The cat gave birth to kittens
And each were different in colour.
One was grey in colour
While the other was blackish orange [Please pardon me if I got it wrong]
One was in the colour of a snake
And another was milky white.

Whichever colour they maybe in,
They are of the same quality.
Is it right to say that one colour is inferior
And the other is superior?"

This is a rough translation of the verses that I've quoted. Please bear with me if my version is horrible.

Bhaarathi talks about the diversity that prevails amongst human beings. What has to be kept in mind is that he also highlights the fact that all men are equal. It is not right to say that one is greater than the other. The fundamental thing that constitutes human beings is the same throughout the earth. All men bleed when cut, all men exult when they succeed, all men feel sad when something terrible happens to them. Thus, the emotions of each and every human being is basically the same all over the world. This substantiates the fact that all men are equal.

If that is so what is the need for patriotism and nationalistic feelings? This is a question that arises in everyone's mind.

Bhaarathi sang that all men are equal. I feel that all men are equal. There are many others throughout the world who share the same opinion. On the other hand, there are also people like Hitler, who think that their race alone is the best and others are not. The people who fall under the latter category resort to any kind of activities to prove their supremacy. The former practise tolerance. But isn't there a limit for tolerance?

The British reigned over India for a very long period of nearly 300 years. Those who came to do business started to colonize the region and make people their slaves. And as Hindu tradition goes, 'Athithi devo bhava'. Respect thy guests. The same respect shown to them brought about strong and adverse repercussions. As a result of which the whole country and her 'rich and varied heritage' is crumbling slowly and steadily.

No human being would be silent seeing his mother being raped by some stranger. It is nothing but cowardice if one remains so. Is there anything as shameful as that? But the bitter truth is that there are many such cowards.

You would probably want to know what makes me write this post. An incident in which a Tamil friend of mine said that English was his mother tongue is what provoked me to put this up. One's mother tongue is a matter of his/her identity. A language is to a society what initials is to an individual. Would someone call someone else his father? If that is so how can one's calling a foreign language his mother tongue be justified?

It is a well-known fact that comments in popular social networking websites are highly abusive in nature. I have seen comments such as 'India is a shithole' and 'Indians are cow piss drinkers' on Youtube. Remaining silent seeing such comments is for sure an act of cowardice. I don't mean to say that one has to give back similar comments. I just mean that those who make such comments have to be properly educated and be presented with the right and authentic facts. Be polite to a rogue, he'll get fed up and can even change into a new leaf. Isn't that what Lord Buddha did when he saw Angulimaala?

I'd openly express the fact that I'm proud of my country. My friend said that he's a proud Indian but I just don't understand how he expresses it. Does he do it through his lifestyle? Or does he do it through his speech? Or does he do it through his taste? I still can't figure it out because most of his habits and tastes are heavily influenced by the West. I'm not pointing out to a single person in this essay. There are many people like him and this post is targeted only towards them. Many Indians are blindly aping the West. There is no doubt about that. I strongly feel that it isn't a welcome change. It is each and every Indian's duty to preserve India's tradition, cultural grandeur and make them flourish. Isn't it the duty of a son to take care of his mother when she is hurt or sick?

I feel proud of my country, I feel proud of the languages spoken here, I feel proud of its rich tradition. And by doing so I don't undermine the other traditions or say that other countries are inferior to mine. They have their own specialities while mine has her own. I would just spread knowledge about what makes me feel proud of my country. I'd learn things that are useful, from other traditions and other countries too. After all, all men are equal. It doesn't matter from whom you learn, it only matters what you learn.

Perspective - The Word and Its Relevance.

It's been very long since I made up my mind to come up with a blog that acts as a medium to express my thoughts and my views in the form of essays. Today, I have taken the first step to make it happen and I'm really happy for that.

Firstly I'd like to tell you what made me choose the name 'perspectivesandtruth' for my blog. Man has evolved a lot since time immemorial. The whole world is an assortment of minds, thoughts and emotions. There is a Sanskrit mantra which goes 'Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti'. The verse mentioned means 'God is one but scholars call him by different names'.

Exactly. God is one but people call him by different names. What causes this difference? How did it arise? The answer is perspective. There is no uniformity in thought and action throughout the world. What is right in India is wrong elsewhere and what is right elsewhere is wrong in India. This is just an example. I can keep on telling more about this duality but I guess this example is enough.

Perspective is that thing that differentiates people. But in some cases 'birds of the same feather flock together' and that's how like-minded people come together to realize their dreams. Perspective unites people as well as diversifies them.

Some people consciously think about perspective and the thought process whereas most of them don't. I think I belong to the first category. There have been several occasions when I have wanted to get into another person's mind and see what he/she is thinking about. I have made several mistakes in my life thinking everyone thinks like me. That's why I trust people easily and become so attached to them. All that is history and now I've attained some kind of a realization.

We'll see more of this thing called 'perspective' and how it is closely connected to the functioning of the entire universe.

While speaking about perspective I should not forget to mention about truth. The main reason is that there maybe infinite perspectives but there exists only one truth. I can't say for sure if my perspectives are the reflections of truth or if they are poles apart. We'll see if our perspectives are the same or if they are different and find out if they lead to the ultimate destination TRUTH.