Chennai Forum 'Talk, write, discuss, agree, disagree.... Any topic, any
time!
Variety
We are related
Recently, I read in the
news that a few individuals were opposed to and agitated against
celebrating Valentine’s Day because it is a symbol of corruptive
Western culture and because it is unsuited to Indian values. I am
not arguing the desirability or undesirability of celebrating
Valentine’s Day. However, just finding out how this day began and
why the “despicable” Westerners celebrate this day should not right
away make us morally weak and would probably clear the misconception
about this day.
Advertisement
Every February,
throughout the world, Valentine’s Day is celebrated to exchange
gifts, flowers, and message between loved ones. Valentine’s Day is a
Christian tradition and can be traced to the days of the Roman
Empire. St Valentine, a Catholic priest, imprisoned by Roman Emperor
Claudius II, fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailer and
scribbled a message to her expressing his love. Thus started
Valentine’s Day, when people who love each other expressed their
love through gifts and messages. As N
Meera Raghavendra Rao wrote in ChennaiOnline, the day can be
celebrated by both the young and the old. For example, if I
expressed my love to my wife - my caring partner for the last thirty
six years - it would be perfectly acceptable and
appreciated.
Now, to the second
misconception: Western culture. What is Western culture? The Western
hemisphere includes every country from Italy and Portugal near the
southern base of Europe to Siberians near the Bering Sea to the
Americans in North America. Are people from these countries – White,
Black, Hispanics, and others - similar in their cultures and value
systems? Do people of Eastern origin – Indians, Chinese, Koreans,
and Middle Easterners - have consistent cultures and values? I do
not know what the right answer is. But, since I was born and grew up
in India and since I have been living in a Western country for over
two decades, I do know one fact for sure - people of both cultures -
Western and Eastern - have similar desires, fears, expectations and
aspirations.
Parents in the West worry
about their children as much as parents from the East do. Children
from the East express concern about their older parents and their
health as much as children from the West do. People from both
cultures expect respect and recognition and both seek happiness. All
of them understand the importance of morals, values and ethics,
however these may be defined. While a few may violate them, others
do obey them.
Yes, as a people we
differ in our habits and preferences. I eat with my fingers while an
American eats with a fork and knife; I go to a temple to worship
while an Italian goes to a church. But, these differences do not
make us superior or inferior but only interesting. Try as we may, we
cannot separate ourselves from each other by our skin colours,
religions, castes or cultures. As famous anthropologist Gregory
Bateson says, “What patterns connect the crab to the lobster and the
orchid to the primrose and all four to me? And me to you? And all
the six of us to the amoeba in one direction and to the backward
schizophrenic in another?”
Who cares whether you are
from the West or the East or whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day
or you do not. It makes no difference; we are related,
regardless.
We are related
