ROUSSEAU - THE FATHER OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

ROUSSEAU - THE FATHER OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

        ''Man is born free, but everywhere he is found in chains''

These noble words were dictated by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In his work span of about 50 years, Rousseau emphasised on the principles of INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM, PURITY OF A CHILD, FORMATION OF A STATE, and the most important ''Education through nature, education by nature.''

Rousseau was born in the 18th century (1712). This century was a huge changing phase in all means for Europe as well as the world. This was indeed the age of revolutions. He was born in such a critical phase of world condition. Such historical & cultural background indeed affected his line of thinking as well as his actions.

Rousseau's writings- Confessions, Social Contract, and Emilie are like a mirror to the prevailing condition of the world that time. Before going deep into the matter of these writings we should note that his writings were subject to the situation of the 18th century and that all of his principles can't be used in today's word completely. They can work as mere guidelines for the development of the various subjects he threw light on.

                         INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM

In the 18th century, the social conditions in France were unjust towards the lower strata of society. Slavery, Poverty, Unemployment, were the various problems this 3rd class of the society was facing. These people were denied of any type of Freedom. In this background, Rousseau put forward the idea of complete individual freedom. He rose his voice against all types of slavery- religious, political, and social. ' Man is born free, but everywhere he is found in chains', this line worked as a punchline for Rousseau's thinking. He was one of the first French thinkers to satirically criticize the existing system. He criticized all religious, political and social institutions which killed individual freedom. He put forth the idea that a man shouldn't be a part of any institution, should not live as a citizen but should live as a human being. He said,'' We must choose between a citizen and a man, for we can't make both.'' He said this because in the situation that time a citizen suffered from all kinds of unnecessary bondages. He urged the commoners to take the reverse of the accepted practice. He ruled out the idea of considering a child as a ‘miniature adult’. He proposed that a child has his own unique existence, his own mind, and his own feelings. He urged the people not to fill the child’s mind with ideas, ideals, education pattern, social thought or the concepts of citizenship. He believed that a child – if given complete individual freedom – can develop his own opinion. He expressed this thought of his in one line – ‘Nature wills that children should be children before they become men.’

                            PURITY OF A CHILD

According to the Christian belief, that time, it was said that every child is born due to a sin. So every child is impure & unlucky by birth. Because of this belief, hitting the child, giving her/him unfair punishments was religiously correct so as to make her/him pure. Rousseau opposed this kind of injustice & extreme violence implicated upon children. He said that a child is pure by birth. He proposed that a child is not born due to a sin but it is born due to a profound act of God himself. In this way, Rousseau brought about a revolution in the thinking of the common man. He taught the commoners to think more psychologically & logically and thus changed the perspective of looking at a child. He freed the people as well as the children from the clutches of religious thoughts and religious institutions.

STATE OF THE STATE

Rousseau brought about a revolutionary change in the concept of the formation and creation of a ‘state’. The prevalent concept was that a state is a divine creation. Rousseau ruled out this concept, saying that a state is just created by the society so that the restrictions necessary for a stable social life are conserved. He proposed that as the man moves away from nature he is subjected to more & more restrictions. And, for a stable social life, some of these restrictions are essential to regulate these restrictions in the job of the state.

EDUCATING MANKIND

Rousseau’s most important contribution was his though of education. He completely criticised the existent education system, that time. He wished, that education should be concentrated more on experience rather than theory. He said, “Geography should be learned by observation of hills and mountains, astronomy by the study of heavenly bodies, botany by practical study plants & history alone through books.” Thus, he revised and revolutionised the whole concept of education & schooling.

Rousseau’s thoughts inspired many generations which followed. He unknowingly created new leaders in the fields of politics, governance, education, religion and human philosophy and psychology. He is said to be not only the creator of a new thought but also a creator of new thinkers. Rousseau’s work inspired the French Revolution in a noble way. His line of thinking – “Give your scholar no verbal lessons. He should be taught experience alone.” – changed into the line of action of the French Revolution. 

Therefore, Jean-Jacques Rousseau is rightly called the father and prophet of the French Revolution.

The Bar-coded Apocalypse

Everyone is rushing, gushing, gasping, just to have some time off. Time to spend with family, time to have long talks with friends, time to relax and grab a book in a corner. The 21st century has brought upon so much to us. Technology, with its continuous advancement, gives us the luxury communication, education, entertainment, all just in one click. It is all about saving time, isn't it? 

The world has become 'time-centric' in a real sense. We earn and spend in time. We gift in time, we work in time, we eat in time, we also enjoy - in time. Almost every single thing from brushing your teeth to enjoying a silent walk in solitude is bound by the clock! Surprising, isn't it? The thinker who came up with the thought - "Time is Money" - must have an intriguing smile on her/his face because the thought has in fact proved itself, over and over again. 

Gone are the days, when we wait. Gone are the days, when we forget. Gone are the days, when we lose. 

Suddenly, we stopped caring. Suddenly, everyone became a critic.
Well, all this must have start somewhere, at some point of - time! 

Let me take you back to a time, we will not know exactly. A time where the word "time" meant sunrise and sunset. 

This was a time when solitude was different than loneliness. Where swans swam in beautiful lakes, big fat families lived together in farmhouses, adjusting with a smile to each other's preferences. A time of happiness, gratitude, courtesy and chivalry.

Seems perfect doesn't it? Well, it was, in an odd kind f way. But we are still happy today. Still smiling, grinning, showing courtesy and chivalry with all its pomp and fair. Then what it is that has changed. What made me write this? Why are we losing our breath over almost everything? 

Don't worry, there is always a simple solution to a problem which seems pretty humungous. - Labels. 
There, you got your solution. A one-word solution sounds a bit underrated for such a big problem, doesn't it? 
We must, with an immediate effect, stop labelling people, situations, relations, and what not. 

This all starts from some pretty formalities that we need to do off with. We label a person as a friend, before even knowing them. Label a relation love, before we are sure. 

Then comes the second round of labels, in post-teenage years. They are the years of when we arrive at crossroads with our beloved families, it is the time of filling applications, placements and decisions. It is time to part away, just to come together after some years, of possible. It is the time when promises are made, daily skype timings for some are decided, and for the localities, it is a chance to explore their surroundings with a new set of people around us. 

As I was saying before, this is the second round of labels. When best friends and life partners are made. Where couples break-off every other day, just to patch up afterwards. This is the time when we try to carve out a life for ourselves. The cliched 'standing on our own feet' extravaganza. After fulfilling all our worldly desires and having a time of our life, there comes a moment to move on to the next set of labelling!

I like to call it - The mature labelling cycle. Just to be strong with the words, you know for - adulthood. Here's the time of saying our vows, settling down, creating beautiful new families. Simply said, to put a ring on it. In this particular interesting period of our lives, come the generally feared labels of husband and wife, in-laws and in-laws, mom and dad. 

In such an eloquent three course meal of labelling that everyone has a chance to taste, we often forget, that with every label there come the dreaded 3Ps - Position, Prejudice and Punishment. 

Let me explain these 3, while taking a simple example. Let us take the example of a friend that you have when you are, say, 35-40 years old, happily married. This friend of yours, who you know for ages, gets reintroduced through the gas chamber of the 3Ps. 

Position - Her/His position in your life has changed from 'best-bud' to 'oh, just one of my old friends'.
Prejudice - The society always will have a certain layer of prejudice for your relationship as it not bound by any legal contract. 
Punishment - You are bound to experience an interesting mental condition of suffering from un unending punishment, just because you want to continue with your special bond, with this friend of yours. 

And this is just one example. 

We must stop this, at the earliest, and in the most sustainable way possible. 
But how?

It's simple. Next time you meet someone, just greet them hello and ask for their name, not fo their phone number, job, or education. Next time you go on a date, don't expect it to convert into eternal love. Next time you feel to call up that old buddy of yours, just call, don't think before you do. 

Labels are our way to an apocalypse. And trust me, this TIME, the apocalypse will not wait for us to make a movie about it. 

Bis dann, till then 
Atharva

The Purpose of Spontaneity...

Often in times which seem hard, we wait for a hug, for a shake hand, for a message, or sometimes even a missed call. Any one of these from our "that person" who we miss every moment they are not around. We know we are going to meet them sometime again, maybe even the next day! But it is true that we miss them, with all our heart. 

In such situations, riddled with social rules & regulations, we tend to kick our ego out of the door. We tend to forget all the formalities of society, only for our "that person". Simply put, at least for one single moment in our life we become --spontaneous... 

Just take a short look back at your life, at all the years you have lived by, and try to remember if you can count the times that you were full of spontaneity. I bet you can because there are very few. In a world that we have so well planned for ourselves, we have ruled out even the slightest chance for this quality of ours to pop up. Spontaneity.

When was the last time you went out to see a movie just because you felt like watching one? When was the last time you called someone, maybe your “that person” just because you wanted to? When was the last time you ate without thinking, went for a long drive, and listened to your favourite song in maximum volume, without thinking of the fact that it will disturb the neighbours?

When was the last time you didn’t search for a justification for whatever you were doing?

I always wonder, in our “well-planned” world, what is the purpose of all this spontaneity? Do we really need this…thing? I can’t possibly find an answer…

After one such long and well planned day, I come home and take a look at my mobile. There, I see a missed call. Without wondering whose it is, I redial that “unknown” number. It is 11:30 in the night, but I don’t care. A familiar voice answers, not with a formal ‘hello’ but with my pet name.

It is 2:30 now…

We have been talking for the last few hours, without caring about our telephone bills, without thinking that we have an early day ahead. My ‘that person’ has forgot to tell me that this is a new number! We have been talking on anything which comes to our minds, spontaneously. It doesn't matter that we are a thousand kilometres away from each other. All this time I didn't think that there is a time gap in our locations on the globe!

This is my ‘that person’. We meet hardly once or twice in a year. Always for a movie or at our favourite restaurant. Each time we see each other, we wonder why we haven’t met for so long, though we live in the same city. When one of us is travelling, like I was when that call happened, we know that we will meet again. Each time is like a new beginning for us. Each time we plan to meet the next week, and then meet after 6 months! People around us often think, what is that, that connects both of us? Our interests our opposite. Our personalities don’t have anything in common, except for of course….

Spontaneity.

I think I have my answer. I know why this ‘thing’ is important in my life. I found my ‘that person’ due to this quality. This personality trait. This omen!

We have planned to meet this weekend. We are meeting after almost a year now. But we have not even planned where we are going to meet! I guess we will decide this Saturday…spontaneously!

Bis bald, till then,

Atharva

Not without my BREATH...

When I started this blog, 2 years back, I never had any problem or questions in mind. I just turned on my computer and started writing! It was as simple as that. And now, two years down the line, I ask this question to myself and to any secret diarist or even a published author somewhere in the corner of the world: Why Write?

I have been asked this question a zillion times! And when I start to find the answer, I give up. But, only till now. Now, I have the answer. In fact, it was always right in front of me! I was maybe too lazy to open my eyes and look at it! Well, let me cut the chase and give out the answer. Here it is: I write, because I need to breathe. When I kept digging for the answer, this was what I could get.

Me, you, everyone of us is so damn busy in doing something we don't like, and then trying to forget it over the "so called two day break" we take every weekend. Yes! Those two days... when we stay glued to our phones and computers and anything, that keeps us in touch with our work & our responsibilities! Anyway, I am not here to give you a piece of "don't live someone else's life" shit. Believe me, I am not trying to do that.

I am here today, to write! And that is what I do!

I may be wrong, but the past few months have made me realize one very important thing. That it is WE who make the rules, and it is WE who decide to follow them or not and it is also WE who frown at someone not following them! But there is one thing that distresses me to the very core. We always crib about these rules which WE have created!

As I mentioned earlier, I write because I need to breathe. But if I follow these "rules" to express my love for writing, I would have to say, "I write because I like to! Because it's my passion, etc etc...
But NO, I have decided to take it to the next level. Today, I am confident to say, that I write, to breathe. If I don't write, or even scribble down something in a very long time, I do get upset, I tend to literally lose my breath.

In the past few months, I have met people who have followed their dream, and the others who have not! You know what? All of them seemed happy to me. But very few of them were who had a reason to breathe! They breathe to keep themselves alive, which we all do naturally. But I am talikng about the next level.

I think that everyone has to find this "BREATHING REASON", this exclusive thing. Believe me, maybe you don't know, but it is already there... Your reason to breathe might be - your quest for love, your special friendship, your silly hobby, your sport or even your family! Who knows? There are more than 7 billion people in this world, there can be 7 billion reasons to breathe!

Now, after telling you a little about my beautiful realization, let me also give you a disclaimer. Some of you might wonder, that what should one do with this reason to breathe? What part does it play in one's life? I also wondered that! And the most difficult question to me was that: What do I do when I find my reason to breathe? Do I leave everything and run to achieve it. Do I forsake everything to do the one thing which keeps me breathing? The answer is NO. Though this reason of yours will keep you breathing, it is not the only reason that will do so. Let us say that it tops the list of many other reasons that make us breathe.

Today, I make a promise to myself. A promise where I ensure that my reason to breathe will not be the reason to cast away anyone or anything dear to me. I promise to keep on writing and thus breathing, but I won't shed away everything just to run after my writing. I pray to everyone of you, to give me strength to keep my promise. I have made a promise, and I hope you do too.

After reading this, you might question yourself, "How do I find my reason to breathe?". Well, it is quite simple to find it. Just hold your breath for a moment, and think of something that you lack in that moment other than air...  to breathe!

Bis dann, till then,
Atharva

The (Wo)man boss!

The functioning of family functions is common as cake in each and every part of the world. First it starts with the "too-early guests" arriving on their "scheduled time". By the time everyone comes and settles in they are already gorging on the dessert, attracting every eye present. They bid good-bye just before the "others" are starting to ponder around the buffet. 

Then there are "the too-busy" ones who have a long list of overly cliched reasons to be late and settle in just when the hosts are almost ready to call it a night. And finally after "extended hours" of the party are more than over, these VIP late comers finally board their rides while apologizing about a hundred times! 

The hosts are relived of every duty they have...but wait. Who is going to the dishes? Obviously the lady we affectionately call "momma" or "mutter" or "mother" or just "mom"! While his lady-love can see at least an hour of work ahead of her, her better half is already yawning away to a well made bed. 

And quite amusing is that this better half is the same one who will always brag about 90% of the chefs being men! Maybe he doesn't know that these chefs also clean their kitchens. Anyways, I am not here to repeat this blame game the umpteenth time. 

I am here to ask a question. My question is not the typical "Why so?", but instead it is "What now?". It has been at least 1000 generations that we (hu)mans are living in this patriarchal world. Do we really never want to change the way these things work? Are we so lazy to shrug off this old system or we still like to cling onto the "old is gold" funda. 

Well, we have to agree that there is a lot of change happening in this sector. Today we find women in uniform, as entrepreneurs, and what not! But still when 10 most rich business heads stand in a queue to meet a visiting President, only 2 of them are women. It is great that today we stand proud of the fact that our military and police and sports consist of a considerable percentage of women, but we neglect this fact that we are under-utilising this more than valuable side of human resource. All of us, rich and poor, big and small alike have forgotten that women are made for multitasking! It is a quality which all women possess, might be right from their birth! 

Lets take a simple example. My passion is cooking! I love to cook a variety of dishes for my family and friends! It is my stress buster as well as my adrenaline! 

My mom is not that much into cooking. But sometimes she does cook, just for a change or as need of time! Now, here comes the interesting part. 

--When she cooks, she is checking a work mail on the phone, telling the domestic help something important, watching her favorite comedy show, and in breaks quickly glancing through the morning news. And at that time, when I drop by her to discuss some silly notice from my college, she attends to me with equal interest! 

--When I cook, my phone is in my room, the tv is off, the newspaper is on the rack and all the people present in the house are requested to stay away from the kitchen! And when my mom drops in to remind me of a call I had to make to my uncle for his birthday, I just say, "Mom, please later! I am trying to fry an egg in here!" 

Notice the difference? And this great quality of women has clearly gone unseen and unnoticed in all these years of HUMAN EVOLUTION! 

A quite interesting quote in a business daily went as, "Work hard for 8 hours and get promoted to be a manager and work for 12 hours!". While I am equally proud and happy to see women dedicated regiments in the armed forces and sports fields, I am really anguished to see only 2 women in that queue of the heads of the richest business houses in India! It is high time that women take the lead in the business world by being the boss!  Though it might seem a bit too stretched, but I also wish to see women heading these big companies, while their better halfs are busy collecting pieces of antiques and running a charity trust in the name of their wife - the (Wo)man boss! :P (If you know what I mean!) All economic difficulties will vanish much more rapidly if this wild dream of mine comes true! Well, that's what I think. 

When I get a job, I would crave for such a (Wo)man boss! Will you? 

Bis dann, till then,

Atharva

Demon O'clock!

They say an empty mind's a demon's home! That we move far away from a pristine condition, when the mind empty! Its seems funny to me how we believe, almost blindly any thought, any quote put forward by some Mr. Anonymous who's presence doesn't even matter in our own milieu. 

This I would say is our "Devil's home" playing with our conscience. It happens to us many times that we immediately connect some quote to our lives. Isn't it magical? Although I am shocked at the veracity of our minds to term this connectivity as "A devil act" !

Does it mean we believe that there is a devil somewhere inside us? 

And if we believe so, why do we embrace it so willingly?

Let me forewarn you before you start cooking some "Devil" thought in your mind which is indeed as immaculate as a wedding cake! There is no such thing as DEVIL . Its just the absence of Good! As a famous saying goes, "Dark is just the absence of light", similarly, "Devil is just the absence of good". Isn't it that simple! Then why do we complicate it so much? 

It is just that we are comfortable of handling the devil because the good is too heavy to bear! Why can't an empty mind be a new thought's home? What say? Why don't we embrace a new thought the denizen of our mythical "empty mind".

And what is this empty mind? Is it a mind just void of any thought? Or it is a bountiful mind which accumulates the synergy created by calmness and stability of thought? The latter sounds more positive, but it's hard to digest, isn't it? Our habit of associating the empty with the devil has to be modified. It is this obnoxious approach of ours towards the calm, the charismatic, the stable and the divine; which is forcing us to opt for the simpler option. 

Today we stand at the midnight hour of demon o'clock. It is in our hands only to decide the speed, veracity and necessity of the ticking of this clock. We have to pledge to be the pioneers of change of not only time but also the clock...measuring it, evaluating it from time to time. 

Calmness and divinity are not laws which can be practiced only in a perfectly serene external environment! Instead calmness and divinity are the principles of life which can be bent and mended according to our needs. Let us cherish these principles in every act of our daily life. 

Let us not be afraid. Because, "WHERE FEAR ENDS, LIFE...STARTS! 

Oh! Look at the time! It must be divine o'clock! 


Bis dann, till then,
Atharva

Being the HABIT

It is often said that to control a temptation, you need to face it. And in every individual on this planet, there is one or the other temptation which one wants to control or even get rid off.

In this rat race of shrugging off one's most desired and nurtured temptations, there is a strong probability that the temptation will become your habit. A day to day thing which you feel, smell, taste and touch everyday. 

In the wild mix of emotions that we go through everyday, we often miss out on some instances or goosebumps which stand out so much, that they deserve to be recorded in diaries and in minds. These missed moments are worthy of being important milestones in one's life. 

One such nagging temptation which can be caught in these "moments" is the temptation of being a habit for someone. Throughout our lifetime we meet and greet thousands of people. Men & Women come and go by. But there are certain individuals that get penned down in our "most favourite persons" list. These individuals are nothing but...our habits, oftenly quoted as "loved ones".

These interesting habits are just as any other habit - good or bad! They stretch our minds, test our patience and continuosly challenge our perseverance. Living with these habits is simple but there is indeed one small problem with these habits as there always is with every habit. The problem is that each of our habit expects us to keep up with it in its own speed. Every habit of ours has a different speed - be it speed of action, reaction or boding - it is never the same. Our challenge is to adjust ourselves according to these habits. 

But there is one simple solution which I have recently found out. It is just reciprocating the effect that these habits have on you. Newton explains it as: 

"Every action has an equal and opposite reaction." 

And in these wise words of this wise man lies the simple solution. If you want to keep up with these several habits of yours, 

you have to be a habit yourself! Its not a quick solution but a long process. Because once you become someone's habit there is hardly any chance of backing off! There are no fallback options on this single solution. 

As someone has wisely said, "Having a new habit is as difficult as getting rid of an old one." 

Go ahead and BE THE HABIT !

Bis dann, till then,

Atharva