???

Sometimes i really wonder about Indian ethos. I think a re-read of the vedas is in order to get a correct picture of what our civilization actually was. I keep hearing about the great Indian nation, our rich history, diverse culture, values and so on and so forth but my own experiance of indian society has a lot more to add.

According to me the Indian civilization had a great beginning but somewhere down the line we lost all the core competencies that made us great and all we have left now are some twisted notions and ideologies.

One major flaw as i see it is suppression of individuality. You CANNOT be different, be as we are or be ostracized. So now what we've got here is a mob, not people, just a mob. One person shouts a slogan and the crowd carries it forward, without thinking, without analysing, almost mechanically. I think you cannot hope to instill values in a person if he/she is not allowed to develop. A culture can be called great only if people embrace it willingly, and not made to accept it.

Our society forces people to conform to the norms, rituals and beliefs held by it collectively. Social acceptability is a prime concern. You have to keep the society in mind at all times, be it education, career, marriage, birth, death, your wishes do not matter. A prior approval of the society is required. If you deviate from the norm you pay the price.

Society is nothing but a bunch of busybodies who have nothing better to do than interfere in other people's lives.. period.

I, for one have been trying to do my own thing for quite a while now, but the above mentioned demon has always stopped me from getting where i want to be. It's like a boundary drawn around you, it cannot be crossed. And the one thing i hate most is boundaries, i do not like the concept. Limiting yourself because of some unknown entity's whims and fancies is foolishness to say the least. Ah well!! that's what we all do anyways.

I agree that without boundaries people can become unruly and that there shall be chaos. But isn't a little chaos required sometimes?? to rearrange things a bit??? isn't that why revolutions happen??? So why wait for a revolution?? why can't we just give everyone a little space to BE what they ARE, and not just a reflection of everyone else around them.

I so want to be myself.... I guess i just don't know who that is anymore.

P.S: I do have a lot to say about the good things of Indian culture, maybe i will when i feel like it