Monday, August 14, 2006

Independence Day.....

Is it really our Independence Day?
Being thousands of miles away from home the only thing I feel from India is a deep sense of dread and billions of people hiding in their houses fearing to go out on a holiday.
Independence Day when security is most important. So much so that most people prefer to celebrate our 'indepdence' by locking themselves in their houses, protecting themselves against 'terrorist attacks'.

The question I ask on this Independence Day is: why are we Hindus afraid of dying. Our philosophy tells us that we all have to escape from the cycle of birth and death one day. If we are good in a particular lifetime and learn all lessons which we were supposed to, we progess towards release.
So if every birth - death cycle brings us closer to release... why do we run away from death. Are we so afraid that we will not rise towards release because we spent this life stealing from our own people? Are we so afraid of our sins or have we forgotten what it means to be a Hindu (beyond just visiting the temple).

No one should hide in their houses. Go forth and live your life yet do not get attached to it.
Death is sure to come knocking at your door... and when it comes welcome it with a smile... no matter if you are 80 or 20.

Death is but a new beginning... that is what Hinduism teaches us.

2 comments:

The thinking thinker said...

Everybody I know of including me is out!!! Nobody has locked themselves in + in all schools/colleges independence day is being celebrated as usual.

Stop giving wrong picture of India by imagining. We are not afraid and we are out, not locked in and never will lock ourselves in fear.

Cheers

Azahar Machwe said...

You and people you know do not make the majority of India.
Plus you are not living in New Delhi where the common opinion is that why go out, just to be harrassed by security at every step.
And almost ALL schools and colleges are closed today.

I do not imagine... this is what happens in many places across India.

The Govt. encourages this by advising people to 'stay in the house unless they need to go out for some very important work' (this was told on Star News as being the official Govt. message)