When we talk about any country progressing, we mean every aspect of it- technology, infrastructure, fashion etc. A new topic has been added to this list in the recent years- culture.
I recently came across a short movie which depicts the life of an Indian child who grows up in America following their customs and rituals. This little boy has no idea about his ancestry or his country- he even refuses to talk in the Indian language spoken at home though he understands it, as it's insisted that he speaks in English at his school. In the fast forward of the movie, the little boys grows up to marry another Indian based American and they are blessed with a son. This little boy has a project at school where he needs to talk about his ancestry. His parents are dumbstruck for a while as they themselves do not know much about India. It takes a long time for the father to even remember his grandfather's name and the name of the language that they used to speak. The basic point of the movie was to point out that the Indians in other countries do not give much importance to their languages and culture.
I wouldn't say there is much of a change when it comes to people living in India either. Some of the people do insist on talking in their language. But most schools here insist on children speaking in English and they do give little or no importance to the native languages. Most schools even have an option to study the foreign languages. The only difference is that they study about their history in schools than another country's.
Now none of this is wrong now, is it?We are at the stage where "The most constant thing in life is change".
The present generation is in such a confused state of mind that no one can say if the rules and culture we are following is originated from our own ancestry or influenced from the exposure to the western world through books and movies.
What I am trying to point out is that most of us are being torn apart in every way,in every aspect of life.
Should we follow our dreams as they seem to do so in the English movies or should we do what everyone tells us to do? Should we wear something a little westernized cloths to work places and functions or be ethnical as our ancestors used to?The question of weather to follow the old or new culture comes into everything we do now-from the food we eat to the cloths we wear, from naming kids to decorating our rooms.
The result of all this?Create your own version for everything that confuses you. Yes, people will talk and Yes, you've no real answer for them other than asserting your independence and blame it on the generation gap. But the truth be told, we have no choice. You want to be the good child that your parents are so proud of but you aren't happy at all or be the person you see in the western movies but be scorned at. The world always looks at you like there are the best critics of your life. So, go out there and be yourself. Thirty years down the road you do not want to someone unhappy-who was too scared to make a decision and is regretting it now.
Am not saying we should let go of our traditions or follow the western ones. No, not at all. All am saying is we should do what is right by us and not follow anything or anyone blindly as expected. The traditions that we have now weren't always like this. Anything you see around you has been evolved from what it was thousand's of years-since the beginning of civilization. So, basically we are already following the changed rules but we ought to keep the our old traditions as alive as we can.
No matter of who thinks what, be proud of who you are. As they say, there's no one more superior or inferior to you. The world treats you as you treat the world. Always remember that the world is very fickle minded and won't remember you for long.
I recently came across a short movie which depicts the life of an Indian child who grows up in America following their customs and rituals. This little boy has no idea about his ancestry or his country- he even refuses to talk in the Indian language spoken at home though he understands it, as it's insisted that he speaks in English at his school. In the fast forward of the movie, the little boys grows up to marry another Indian based American and they are blessed with a son. This little boy has a project at school where he needs to talk about his ancestry. His parents are dumbstruck for a while as they themselves do not know much about India. It takes a long time for the father to even remember his grandfather's name and the name of the language that they used to speak. The basic point of the movie was to point out that the Indians in other countries do not give much importance to their languages and culture.
I wouldn't say there is much of a change when it comes to people living in India either. Some of the people do insist on talking in their language. But most schools here insist on children speaking in English and they do give little or no importance to the native languages. Most schools even have an option to study the foreign languages. The only difference is that they study about their history in schools than another country's.
Now none of this is wrong now, is it?We are at the stage where "The most constant thing in life is change".
The present generation is in such a confused state of mind that no one can say if the rules and culture we are following is originated from our own ancestry or influenced from the exposure to the western world through books and movies.
What I am trying to point out is that most of us are being torn apart in every way,in every aspect of life.
Should we follow our dreams as they seem to do so in the English movies or should we do what everyone tells us to do? Should we wear something a little westernized cloths to work places and functions or be ethnical as our ancestors used to?The question of weather to follow the old or new culture comes into everything we do now-from the food we eat to the cloths we wear, from naming kids to decorating our rooms.
The result of all this?Create your own version for everything that confuses you. Yes, people will talk and Yes, you've no real answer for them other than asserting your independence and blame it on the generation gap. But the truth be told, we have no choice. You want to be the good child that your parents are so proud of but you aren't happy at all or be the person you see in the western movies but be scorned at. The world always looks at you like there are the best critics of your life. So, go out there and be yourself. Thirty years down the road you do not want to someone unhappy-who was too scared to make a decision and is regretting it now.
Am not saying we should let go of our traditions or follow the western ones. No, not at all. All am saying is we should do what is right by us and not follow anything or anyone blindly as expected. The traditions that we have now weren't always like this. Anything you see around you has been evolved from what it was thousand's of years-since the beginning of civilization. So, basically we are already following the changed rules but we ought to keep the our old traditions as alive as we can.
"We want something new but cannot let go of the old - old ideas, beliefs, habits, even thoughts. We are out of contact with our own genius. Sometimes we know we are stuck; sometimes we don't. In both cases we have to DO something."In conclusion, I'd just like to say that we are generation that has a bit of everything. A bit of old and a bit of new, a bit of tradition and a bit of modernization, a bit of this and a bit of that. Don't let go of anything-your ancestry, your culture, the new modern age views. Go by your judgement, nobody else matters.
No matter of who thinks what, be proud of who you are. As they say, there's no one more superior or inferior to you. The world treats you as you treat the world. Always remember that the world is very fickle minded and won't remember you for long.
