‘There are no facts, only interpretations’

So said Nietzsche, the philosopher. Many will agree with this statement, but is that ridiculous? Of course, we can say sun rises in the east, rotation of the earth causes day and night and so on. But the philosophers have a different way of looking at life. They go beyond the obvious.

So much so that Einstein, one of the greatest minds of our times was working on the theory of Maya or illusion when he died. And he was no philosopher. He was a physicist. And we have also heard that all that glitters is not gold. Why am I discussing it today? Have I gone out of my mind?

No, but lately I have developed an a certain inquisitiveness about issues beyond mundane. Well, I always was attracted to metaphysical but with children growing up and meeting the demands of a busy life kept that curiosity at bay. But now with children on their own, I find myself pondering over the reality and the frailty of it. How do we know what is the truth?

Perhaps this was the reason our ancient sages used to have ‘Shastrarth’, a debate on philosophical tenets. To seek the truth, to know the unknown, and ‘to go where no man has gone before’ to quote Star Trek. We are a nation of seekers. We have always been pursuing truth and mulling over facts.

I don’t know how many of you will agree with me but I had to share this with all of you.

Thank you for reading it and I invite your comments.

I must be cruel, only to be kind’- Shakespeare

Sounds paradoxical? Actually it is not. Remember our parents punished us when we brought home a friend’s pencil or something from the shop? Or when they grounded us for being stubborn or making nuisance before guests?  They were being cruel to us by scolding us or making us return the item we so coveted but, come to think of it, they were being kind.

They were teaching us invaluable lessons. They were building our moral fibre. Today, I thank my parents for being cruel to me at that point. Most of us have heard the story of the boy who brought home something and his mother didn’t say anything to him. It went on and as he grew, he became a thief. One day when he was caught and brought before a judge and asked if wanted to say something, he asked his mother to be put behind bars along with him. She didn’t stop me from stealing so she is the culprit.

Had that mother been cruel at the right time, she would have saved her son. Parents today don’t discipline their kids even when they are creating public nuisance. They are scared that the kids will call 911. But the end result is when the kids grow up, they have no sense of social responsibility and they take everything for granted. So they face work problems, their relationships don’t last long and they are high strung.

We are responsible for our kids and so we have to teach them good manners, adjusting with others and being responsible for their actions. If we don’t discipline them, we are not fulfilling our duty as a parent. We don’t have to hit them but take measures to make them realize that they cannot take everything for granted.

There is no harm in being a little cruel to raise a mature, well-mannered and well-adjusted child. Such children will excel in academics, will have a flock of friends and will be happy. So go ahead and be a little cruel.

So be it!!!

‘Know not what we may be’- Shakespeare

Here is the second part of the quotation on which I based my blog yesterday. The blog generated an interesting debate. It really intrigued me. Somebody thought I was talking about religion when I said know your self. There were arguments back and forth among readers. I am thankful to both sides to have read my blog and given it a thought.

So now the question is what we may be. You can relate it to your professional, personal, emotional and family life. What you can be. But the prerequisite is to know what we really are. Humans alone have the ability to be whatever they want to be. There is a story of king Nahush who was so good that he was made the king of heaven. The devtas, inhabitants of heaven, were so infuriated that a human had become their king. So they indulged him in wine and woman and one day he finally was castigated. But his last words before he went for penance were’ I am a human and I will rise again’.

Introspection, call it meditation or mindfulness, chi or whatever you like, helps immensely. To know who we are and what we can be is a gift given to us. If we cherish this, we can do anything. All the geniuses of this world were not extraordinary people. They just knew what they were and what they could be.

Whether it is a material achievement or a personal, spiritual or emotional one, know what you want and it is yours.

So be it!!!

‘Let me be that I am ’- Shakespeare

Well, the quote is longer than that but I am saving the second half for some other day. And how many of us know what we are or who we are? What is our essence? We identify ourselves with our family name, our education, our status and our address. We feel proud to have been born in a rich or prestigious family, or having studied in one of the Ivy Leagues or earning so much.

We also identify ourselves as political people, supporting a particular party, we have our country clubs, our little cliques and we feel happy. But if someone was to ask you who you are without all this paraphernalia, , what would your honest answer be? What will you say?

Have you ever given a thought to that? Don’t get me wrong. I am not talking about any spirituality here that I am a soul and my life is but a journey; though if that is your honest answer then you are an evolved soul. I am talking about you as a person. What do you think your being is? Are you here for any purpose? What do you actually think about issues affecting you? Do you always play a role in your office, home, relationships or do you sometimes have that epiphany and realize that you are much more beyond these parameters defining you?

Have you ever sat down and thought what you really want? Or you chose a particular profession because your parents wanted you to or you chose a job which is not creative and doesn’t do anything for you as a person but is well paying and so you carry on?

We are humans and we alone have the capability of thought. Take out sometime and think what you really are. I am not telling you to leave your well paying job and run away from your responsibilities. But knowing yourself a little will definitely make you happier because you will be in touch with your core.

So be it!!!

‘Have more than thou showest’

Did you grow up hearing this or words to that effect? I did. My parents were all about virtue of modesty. My mother would say, ‘don’t brag about yourself, let your actions do the talking’. What you are becomes clear the way you behave, my dad would say. Our elders always said if you earn hundred rupees, show only forty. Punjabi community, by and large, is accused of showing off their wealth, status and power. I never saw that in our house.

So, in spite of being a prefect at school and winning state and national level prizes in debates and acting, besides being in the top three students in the class, I never talked about my achievements. But I joined university and I felt at loss. No I am not talking lack of confidence in my self; though of course I was a little nervous but the way every one bragged about their family, how much pocket money they got and which car they had.

When I see the social media now, I wonder what my parents would have said about constant bombardment of one’s achievement on Facebook, Instagram or twitter. Now we hear, sell yourself. If you don’t talk about yourself, who would? I cannot say the concept is totally wrong but to talk about myself still is a problem with me. No I do talk about my achievements in right context and I am anything but shy but showing off is not my cup of tea. I still blush when someone praises my achievements. I think my mum would have liked that.

So, don’t let others rough shod over you but show off? That’s for you to think.

So be it!!!