Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Expanding World

A decision about the rights of a section of society in one country causes a ripple that reaches into far off countries almost instantly. When a decision about the rights of a different section of society in the same country happened 50 years ago, I wonder how long it took that ripple to reach the same countries then. The world has expanded!

I have been watching the different reactions to the decision about the expansion of the scope of marriage and am trying to look 50 years into the future. We have a precedent where marriage between 2 races became legal and am sure there was much ado about that decision too, although living in India then, being less than 10 years old and not having television in the country I was completely unaware of it. I wonder if Akashwani even announced the decision on the radio waves that day so many years ago.

There had to have been proponents and opponents to that decision too and I wonder how they feel about their reactions today. Did it matter what they thought? Did their agreement or disagreement impact the world around them? How did the opposing groups interact? The decision to legitimize marriage between the races 'legitimized' the children who till then had no recognition. It expanded the world to include in its midst some amazing people, one of who is the President of the country that decided to expand the scope of marriage 50 years ago and now.

Many today are talking about what the next generation will be like with the decision that SCOTUS took to legitimize marriage between same sex couples and I am sure they have reasons to wonder and then there are those who look at this decision not in terms of sex, procreation, family, who are completely unaffected by the thought of the future generation. Yet we as a society must consider that children who come into this world do deserve our attention and understanding. We are responsible to ensure that our future generation is not unsafe, is not stigmatized, is not made to feel any less because they have same sex parents or because they may not be raised by biological parents. We need to expand our minds to be inclusive.

That is where love comes into play. It is important to recognize that societally and even biologically it may seem important that there be one male and one female parent for every child, but it is more important that the child be nurtured with love by the adults in their lives. There are many amongst us who have been raised by single parents, by adoptive parents, by extended families, by strangers - who have grown to become balanced adults. Then there are amongst us those who have been raised in a conventional two parent home and are not as balanced. There is a need for us to acknowledge that even though the family unit is vital it is not everything. As a human race we need to value oneness - with each other and with our environment. For something or someone to be right something or someone different does not have to be wrong. When change is forced upon us it is because we resisted change in the first place. Change is an integral part of life and growth. Some changes may require fine tuning and even overhaul, but opening ourselves to the challenges that even a single change could bring and tackling those challenges with the acumen we inherently possess, is what enhances our humanness.

It is maturity that allows us to give ourselves the time and the space to reflect on the perspective of those directly affected by this latest decision. 'Straight people' needs to be left out of our vocabulary because it automatically segregates us! Should it matter that two adults choose to be happy together in a relationship that gives them the same rights that two other adults who make a similar choice have? Let us instead turn inwards and see how to become better as a person, how to make this world a better place by our own thoughts and actions, protect those who are unable to protect themselves, serve those who we know need our attention now. There will always be challenges and these will continually change like everything else changes. Living in this moment in the now and working at being the best we can as a people today is what will make the world a better place tomorrow. The creases and folds in the fabric that is our world will always be there and some will iron them out and others will keep creasing and folding, that is the nature of life itself. Each of us may be a small section of the thread that this fabric has been woven with, but it is the tenacity of each section of thread that ensures the fabric endures. Let us be strong, let us strengthen each other with all that we have to offer. Let us not beat the opponents, let us not beat the proponents, instead let us look at how we can contribute to ironing out the challenges that may arise, let us celebrate our differences, let us hear and let us be heard. Every opinion is important and not necessary we have to be in agreement with them all. Harmony only requires active acceptance not agreement. Music requires different notes to be in harmony. If there is only one note it soon becomes meaningless sound.

The world may appear smaller because of technology but it has expanded because we have grown intellectually into a species that does not stay within boundaries. We are a species that has mastered the art of turning dreams into realities. Growth has an exponential pattern and unless we give ourselves the freedom to embrace it, we will be left behind in lifeless rubble. If we self destruct I would rather do it with an expansive, all embracing bang! :)

46 years ago - today.

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