Sun and Dark

Man has invented many,
Among them was light to rid the darkness.
Today, I see people in merry,
Laughing, talking and living in glee.
Tonight, the light has become blinding; no more do I find it soothing.

There are those worshiped as celestial embodiments; few realize they are beneath the highest powers.
They do shine in the night, but people forget the source of their might.
They use the sun, and are less noble than they have become.
Not all are guilty of a sin, but are guilty to be revered more than they are to be.
Today, I see less of the sun and more of the rest,
And so, I choose to remain in the dark.

Free fall...

Sometimes, life can become very overwhelming. Sometimes, you find yourself in a race; you run not knowing why but fearing you will never know. And every time you pause for a moment to introspect, you find that white line-your only source of light slipping away into the dark.

***

"Run from whats comfortable. Forget safety. Live where you fear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious." (Rumi)

***

Somehow, reading the above quote made me think of free fall. When in free fall, there is that serene moment you fear that it isn’t. One where you finally have yourself to listen to, to speak, to think; oblivious and isolated from all the noises, good and bad, that have become your life. You know you aren’t going to be disturbed. It is you and you alone. In a world becoming increasingly connected, with complexities that a simple mind dwells into and goes astray; the fall is free of everything. You may fall into a pit, crash into a pile of rocks, or thud into a deep ocean through which you either swim or drown. But, you have those moments where your mind is blank, free from everything you have learnt. A moment to reboot, to absorb; and then you achieve clarity in your tryst with gravity. You realize that you can still climb out of that pit you allowed to be dug, fly away from the seemingly ubiquitous pile of rocks, swim through the ocean and find the light.

O my foolish heart

O my foolish heart, do not be sad for not being here, for not reaching the heavens,

There are many paths waiting to be explored,

There are many more places you haven’t been.

Do not grow a beard and throw words of wisdom,

You need to be young, exploit your gifted freedom.

The journey never ends, neither does the joy and learning,

Keep moving on till you own your energy, and let your emotions push you further.

This isn’t the age to reflect deep, this is your time to fall and rise,

Make most of today when your wounds heal quicker than ever,

And keep moving ahead before the tide of times gulps you forever.

Be the devil, or become her victim...

Sometimes, life forces you to accept a world that exists even though it ought not to. Sometimes, life forces one to accept the existence of certain characters even if they ought not to. And, when I view her struggles, I am forced to accede to these theories.

In today’s Indian society(not limited to the geographic India), women are growing increasingly independent. An event a sizable section of the society finds it hard to digest, leave alone accept. I salute the mental strength of women. At its peaks, no one can challenge the resolve of a woman. And the women have begun to rise against the taunts and torments of the “righteous” society.

So, what happens when you suppress anything beyond the threshold? It explodes! Be it a cylinder, a volcano or a society.

I believe this is true in the case of today’s women too. Along with their growing independence and confidence; adamancy and a domineering trait have also crept in. This is not her fault nor is it always a bad thing. Bad or good is contextual. And, these qualities may well need to be slightly larger in proportion to effectively combat the regressive attitude of an unfortunately larger society. However, a systemic change is needed.

In an ideal world, men and women will be allowed experiment with their lives to know what they are capable of. Learning is through realization and that realization can’t be enforced; it has to be organic.

And, when I see her willingness to sacrifice for the family being exploited, I can see she has become the victim. For instance, she sacrifices her career to look after the family. But when she is made to sacrifice even when she can maintain a work-life balance, she is the victim. When she is told her priority must be to stay indoors and appease the family, she is the victim. And, when she suffers differential treatment because she was not born in that family, she is the victim again. 

(Going into the reasons why women have been treated in this manner is an extensive topic and I will not be able to do justice with a few lines of mention in this write. So, I will stick to the extreme cases as mentioned above which continue to happen in large numbers)

And so, when I see today’s women demand in-laws to adjust and heed to their lifestyles, I understand the legitimacy in their voice. But when they impose marital conditions that in-laws are welcome only as guests, I see a touch of the devil. While this attitude may have risen from injustice meted out by in-laws of previous generations; doing so today might as well shut the door to the change needed in today’s society, the change they have been fighting for. As a result, prospective in-laws and today’s women may often find themselves in the opposite corners of a court and neither ready to find a middle ground. 

Unfortunately, until this is resolved, she may have to be the devil or become her victim.