The world, how it works, surroundings, myself, etc.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Unconditional Love

They say that when you want someone no matter what, without any expectations for returns, then it's love.
Love is blind, they say.
Love knows no reason, they say.
Love is unselfish, they say.
Love is about giving, they say.
Love is unconditional, they say.

All wrong. And most Bollywood movies are a testament to the above errors.

I'm afraid to say after spending (a little less than) 25 years on this planet that I disagree with the above tenets. Love is exactly the opposite.

Love is an expression with the tightest equations, where ever give is balanced by an equal and opposite take. You love someone for his/her qualities, not for the lack of them, which is why perhaps I'll never love a beggar. You love someone for his/her achievements, not for their failures, however unfortunate the circumstances leading to the failure be.

Love is selfish. If it's not selfish, it's not love. It's charity. You love someone not for the other person, but for yourself. You try to make the other person happy because it makes you happy in turn.

Ayn Rand said:
Love is an expression of self-esteem, of the deepest values in a man's or a woman's character. One falls in love with the person who shares these values. If a man has no clearly defined values, and no moral character, he is not able to appreciate another person. In this respect, I would like to quote from The Fountainhead, in which the hero utters a line that has often been quoted by readers: "To say 'I love you' one must know first how to say the 'I.'

Love is not about perishing for someone else but about rising higher together.
Love is not a weakness but a strength.
Love is not a bondage but an encouragement.
Love is not unconditional.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Happy Republic Day

Not that the Republic Day bears a great significance to India as it exists today, this day has been celebrated for 58 years now. Called as the red letter day, this was the day 58 years ago when the Constitution of India came into effect and India was declared a Republic (that's straight from my 7th grade history text book).

As a child, I actually used to enjoy this day primarily because it was a holiday but also because of the colorful jhanki (processions) that different stats would march near the Red Fort, and the President onlooked them. It was fun to watch all that on TV. Then the president would give away awards to the highest achievers in the country.

Alas, the grandeur is lost. It's just another day for me now. Even though a president doesn't really "command" anything, his personality and achievements in the past used to at least make it look honorable. But with the current president, Pratibha ...something.. , I hardly see the point. Failure magnified and under-achievement celebrated. Imagine a Bharat Ratna given off from her hands!

It's time we stop doing things to carry on a tradition. Just because it has been done that way for years does not mean it's not outrageously stupid!