Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Godly Men & Women – Are they Real?

Ever wondered about the various religious/spiritual leaders(Baba’s, Guru’s, Mai’s and mother’s)? Well I am not gonna take names as this is a very sensitive and personal issue. Do we need a guru who shows and leads us through the holy path to godliness? Does God exist(that’s separate topic by itself, that I will not get into now)?

Meditation, Concentration, Focus, Spirituality, Saint-ism/hood are they all to be taught(agreed it is a personal choice)? Can’t one learn and attain them by oneself? No harm in learning them from a Guru, as one may not get to see a perspective on various issues of life by oneself. There again, is one not restraining oneself to the perspectives and ideas held by one’s guru, alone?

How many of these guruji’s and mataji’s(of different discipline’s and religions) today are genuine? Are these so called spiritual leaders saints in their daily lives? Are they honest to themselves? For some reason most of them appear fake to me.

Why is it necessary for them to attain a certain kind of avatar? Why must they wear a certain colored robe(orange, white usually), long beard(in case of men) and huge bindi’s with a weird hairstyle that is left lose(in case of women). Is it not just a form of livelihood for them at the EOD at the cost of the general public?

I continue to seek answers….

Friday, April 25, 2008

Is Man Meant to be Monogamous?

I observed that it's all around me, in the papers, online, discussions on television, everywhere....all that you get to here about these days is - the change in culture and hence a culture shock. Is it Western influence on India or is it about the natural side of humans that's coming out? Live-in relationships, polygamy, infidelity, etc?

Ever wondered why all other animals have several sexual partners/mates except humans? Is it natural to be monogamous? Looking back and giving it a serious thought - it doesn't seem to be the case. Being faithful and to have one partner for a lifetime, is what society has binded on us for convenience. An institution like marriage helps children grow in a secure environment and with a balanced mind. It's for financial and emotional security that man seems to have laid these rules.

It is but natural for a human(man or woman) to be attracted to more than one human in his/her lifetime? Why did the kings and queens or the men and women in the tribal era, have multiple partners? That was natural and humans being human like any other animal.

Thus with financial independence, liberalisation, freedom and rise of women power in a nation like ours, society is witnessing and will continue to witness a change(that seems like a rebel of sorts) in marriages and relationships. The statistics indicate a sudden and high rise in the number of divorces and single parents off late especially in urban areas.

Unfortunately the concept of fidelity and one man - one woman is so drilled into our heads that despite understanding reality it is NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE to accept the same in reality leave aside putting it in practice.

Has society(in the past) made life difficult for it's future generations(us and the generations to come) by setting such rules(it is invetible that the rules will be broken, it is only a matter of time)?