Independence Day Message

Our country has long got freedom from the British. But we haven't freed ourselves from the clutches of our own society. We let ourselves be ruled by what others want us to. The day we set ourselves free from the thoughts "what does that person think about my actions?" we will obtain our individual freedom. Happy Independence Day.

Religion and My Philosophy

For years I've seen religious fanatics trying hard to prove their religion superior to others. From people trying to prove that their religious text books are infallible to errors, trying to argue that every verse is scientific, using half-baked evidences as their proofs - to people who defend cruel and discriminatory cultural practices such as labeling a section of people as lower caste and treating them like inferiors, defending massive animal slaughter to "satisfy god" and such. I haven't spoken out enough against it, even when all of it has infuriated me to the core. To accept something found in your culture or religious books blindly, to accept any established norms without questioning, is stupid and insane. Let me tell you that each religion and culture contains both good and bad aspects in varying degrees. All we should be doing is to defend the good and denounce the bad. This good and bad has to come from your own independent thoughts and questioning, rather than from established rules or norms.

God may or may not exist, but he didn't create any religion. Man did. And if God really exists, he would be feeling sorry for all of you who fight over religion. Who or what created us, has gifted us with a treasure called intellect- the power to think independently and unbiased. The power to differentiate the right from the wrong. Years of being brainwashed, and being taught the wrong things is what made us what we are today. So, when you defend the verses in any religious books or cultural practices, remember that they were written and created by man and handed down generations, often unquestioned. Do not ever persecute any human being because he or she doesn't conform to any of the established religious, social or cultural rules. No human being has the need to follow any religion, mind you. Live your life to love others and to defend the right. Let love be your religion. Reject anything that hinders this true love from reaching others' hearts. Follow your own philosophy,
respecting your heart and then your brain.

If you ask me what is my philosophy of life, it is to follow the most important principles in their order of priority.

First and foremost comes LOVE (KINDNESS: Speaking and behaving kindly to people; CARE: Checking up on people from time to time; EMPATHY: Thinking from other people's point of view and understanding their feelings).

Next, and of nearly equal importance comes INTELLECT (SKEPTICISM: The questioning attitude, not taking anything for granted; OBJECTIVITY: Being unbiased).

Then comes GENUINITY: Being yourself and not being bothered what others think of your actions. Don't live your life the way society wants you to. Take your chances so that you won't ever have to look back at your life and regret over missed opportunities.

And then, PERSISTENCE: Not giving up on your goals in spite of difficulties. Far too often, I see people get dissuaded from trying to achieve what they want due to difficulties and negativity from other people. I have my own dreams. No matter how difficult it looks, I always keep trying!

Why I emphasize qualities like kindness, care, empathy, skepticism, objectivity, genuinity and persistence is: for example ask this question to an average person what are the top seven qualities one must possess. Of course you might get a reply somewhat similar to mine at least partly. But what the average guy FOLLOWS, is different from what he SPEAKS. If you ask me what the average person follows, it is something like this: confidence, humour, style, playfulness, calmness, helpfulness, honesty. Don't get me wrong, these are good qualities, but know your priority. This is where my philosophy differs.

Hypocritically Secular

India boasts of being a secular country. From a religious point of view, it is indeed secular. We accept and accommodate so many religions and cultures in our country. Straight to the point, let me bring your attention to another fact. Women in various sections and parts of India don't have the freedom to marry a person of their own choice. They are intimidated and scared away from the thought of love marriage, and sometimes love marriage is virtually considered as a sin. The proponents of this line of thought will have justifications ranging from "statistics of failed love marriages" to "respecting parents wishes". Firstly, the bulk of failed love marriages are caused when parents, relatives and some people who claim to be "the society" don't cooperate and even harass the married couple unlike what they would have done had it been a purely arranged marriage. Secondly, the decision is not regarding the life of the parents. The decision is on with whom, their daughter is going to spend the rest of her life with. Why is it better that she spends her life with a person formerly unknown to her, rather than a person she knows and who already loves her knowing who she is? Parents can guide her and help her differentiate true love from fake. That is how you become a great parent. Not by forcing her or intimidating her from choosing her love. We have girls who are scared to even speak out for themselves because by the time they reach the relevant age, they are already completely brainwashed since they are taught the wrong things from an early age.

Now let me come back to the keyword, secular. What is the underlining principle behind being secular? Tolerance. It is to tolerate ideas and views that one doesn't have to agree with. It is to agree to disagree with each other. It is to coexist, respecting the fact that you don't need to fear, hate or harm something that doesn't go along with your thoughts. This nonsense tradition of considering love as a sin is so widespread, that it is impossible to turn a blind eye or keep quiet. Senseless, wrong concepts are blindly followed and upheld like a tradition, while voices that question are suppressed. It is high time our society needs to come to its senses and question every tradition we have. The same way we tolerate different religions, we need to tolerate different outlooks on love. Boasting of being secular and not having tolerance in the matter of love is sheer hypocrisy.

Rays of Hope

We held on to silence,
When we should have communicated.
We assumed things about people,
When we couldn't even hear them.
We started to dislike them,
And we didn't even convey it.
We stored it in our hearts,
And overtime it turned to hate.
We travelled far the wrong way,
And we didn't even know it.

Now we realize things,
And it's still not too late.
The wounds may still remain,
But time shall heal them.
Let's forget the wrongs,
As we retire for the night.
Let's erase the melancholy,
And dream big and sweet.
For the sun shall rise again,
With new rays of hope.

Some quick thoughts

If you are a good person and have a good mind, you don't need to hate those who hate you. Instead, pity them and understand that the hate is because they don't realize your worth. They are travelling in the wrong path without realizing it. Forgive them, and pray that they will get back on the right track soon. Good morning. 

Our Society in Retrospect

Our society needs a lot of rethinking. We are full of prejudice and complicate life unnecessarily. We manage to find selfish motives and negativity even in true love. Good things are twisted and turned, displayed as bad. Love is returned with hate, and hate is returned with love. And besides, we are expected to fit in, not to stand out. Remember we had our days of innocence, just like a newborn baby, devoid of all the artificiality. Our state is no different from how innocence is lost during a person's transformation from a kid to an adult. As a society we have been injected with all the wrong values and ethics just like a person who has been taught the wrong things. Only that its over a period of centuries as opposed to years of a person's life. When a person commits wrongs, we don't accept it in the name of tradition and heritage. Then why should we, when it's the society that commits the wrongs?

What you have so less of, you value it that much more

We live in a wicked, cruel world. People change their colours the same way they change their clothes. Someone who cares a lot for you today, may barely give you any attention tomorrow. This is why people who accept you and appreciate you- not because of the circumstance you both are in, but for the kind of person you are- are so important in your life. Those who stop caring for you without a good reason don't realize your true value. Perhaps the only time they will realize your worth is when they NEED you. "What you have so less of, you value it that much more." So maybe they will realize their folly when they don't have a substitute for you. The question here is, do YOU need them?