We’re born alone, and we die in our own arms. We have just one life. One spark of consciousness between infinite nothingness before and after. Knowing this, it should be obvious that people must leave others alone to find what little happiness they can for that brief duration. It’s clear that our lives belong to us and to no one else. Not to our country. Not to “society”, not to our parents or other family members. They can’t come with us when we die. We have to face our end as alone and naked as we were when we came in. We are answerable to no one but ourselves.
This is the only life, the only world we will ever know. That governments and some people want to hide parts of it from us is appalling. Who gave them that right?
I see people trying to control others everywhere. Countries like India and China who want to control what people can say, what they can read, and what they can hear. As if the citizens belong to them! As if some man made artificial government with artificial boundaries is more important than each and every individual. As if some nebulous, and illogical concept like “society” even matters!
What is a country after all? Some lines on the earth. Random and arbitrary demarcations that we’re supposed to feel love and loyalty towards. Sorry but I cannot do that. I could never give up my life for a country. Humanity is the only nation to which I belong that’s not an artificial construct. Indian, Chinese, African, European…why are these terms important? How can people attach importance them and be so blind?
At a smaller level, parents want to tell their children who to marry and how to lead their life. As if their offspring are their slaves. As if just because they gave birth, they get to claim a right over them.
Kahlil Gibar understood this perfectly when he wrote these words:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
This advice goes not just for parents, but for nation states too. Don’t think that you can own your citizens and tell them what they can see and hear. They have their own lives that are separate from you. Lives that you have no right over.
It’s not just children that people assert rights over, but women as well. How many times have you read phrases like “we must protect our women” or “will you allow your mother or sister to do something like this/wear this”? I come across stuff like this all the time on web forums from Indians who seem to think that they own the women in their lives. As if the very idea of women being free to do whatever they want without anyone’s approval is a scary thought for them.
I think it’s because people are afraid to lose control. The notion of someone having no restrictions on them from the outside is frightening. Why else would it become such a huge industry to make sure that others lose their freedom?
It’s sad because as I said in the beginning, we have just one life. One shot at happiness before we vanish into the nothingness from where we came. To have this brief moment circumscribed by others who are in the same boat themselves should be akin to a criminal offense…an offense against life itself.
I don’t know what to say, I mean I don’t have anything to add…I agree with you…Don’t you think life would be less stressful if people ceased controlling? What does power do? It only gives you an ego boost but what good is an ego if your life is chaotic…
In reply to Sraboney
I definitely think life would be more peaceful if people ceased trying to control others – not just for the controlled, but for the controllers themselves! Imagine being able to focus on yourself and your life instead of taking upon yourself the hassle of bothering about what other people are doing.
Can’t agree more….
Many secular people around the world say, don’t identify yourself with a religion, rather be a proud citizen of your country. Don’t say I’m a Hindu or Christian or Muslim. Say I’m an Indian (for instance).
Well, can’t they say, I’m a human ?
In reply to Rajat Gaur
Indeed. It makes so much more sense no?
Yes, that is it. The religion/s. It is easy for our family, society and nation to govern us if they control us. And religion is their best bet for that. But there is the other side of it too, you let others to control you. If u do not do that others cannot control u. They will try but finally fail.
In reply to Prasanna Raghavan
Religion makes it easy probably because it holds that there is life after death and that this is not the only shot for existence we have.
Once they convince us that our current life is not valuable because of reincarnation or the promise of heaven, then they have all the excuses they need to exert control.
I’m 26, and my generation in India gave their parents hell by opting out of the my-parents-controlled-me-so-I-can-control-you-and-so-on multilevel marketing scheme. These parents were controlled by their parents, but don’t get to take it out on their children. That leads to a build-up of angst.
Also, I think people fear liberty because they’re aware of the responsibilities it carries. Too many people, deep down, want to be protected and nurtured—they want the state to be a womb—and they’re willing to sacrifice fundamental rights one by one. What’s ugly is that while they sacrifice their rights, they steal ours using the guns of government. All in the name of ‘social justice.’ That is code for ‘tyranny by majority.’ How people do that and sleep at night is beyond me.
In reply to liberalcynic
They can probably justify it to themselves because they view people in terms of groups, not individuals. They don’ t believe that an individual’s well being is more important than the family’s or “society’s”.
And you’re right about people being terrified of true freedom. They don’t want the responsibility and want someone to take care of them and control others at the same time. Kind of a sadomasochistic relationship.
Nice Bhagwad,
Many think commanding some one is great. Let people live in freedom and peace.
After all life is nothing, its a dream. And we don’t need to become a saint to understand what’s going on in this busy, mechanical life. No matter how busy we are and how high we reach in our lives we are not going to take it, its like a dream, its gone. Its the same whether you are a President of a nation , a leading pop singer, top movie actor, world’s richest man, who ever , the dream will finish, that’s it.
Life is a virtual reality.Live your own dream. Dream your own life.