Post war Germany & 21st Century Bharat

After WW 2, there was hectic reconstruction of the economy by Germans, who were already noted for their industriousness. Their workaholism was catalysed by the "Protestant Work Ethic" by Max Weber (1864 - 1920) which combined the Capitalistic mindset with the lessening of Divine Worship practised by the Catholics.

Understandably upset, the Catholic Josef Pieper produced his "Leisure the Basis of Culture" in 1947. As opposed to the "Live to Work" motto of Weber, he resuscitated Aristotle's motto of "Work to have Leisure." Here Culture is derived from its root "Cultus" which means Divine Worship. Later its meaning expanded to embrace all Creative work in the arts as opposed to Servile work undertaken for monetary gain at the behest of others.

Here it should be made abundantly clear that leisure does not mean the present day weekend spent in mindless travel and/or binge TV watching or drinking. Leisure is only worth its meaning when it is not a break from work in order to go back to it rejuvenated, in which case it is just an adjunct to work.

In 21st Century Bharat, there is a similar glorification of work for its own sake. Governments are considering 12 hour work days & Corporate Barons are glibly talking about 14-16 hour workdays as if the only goal of human (?) life is Wealth Creation.

We share the instinct to preserve our life, feed ourselves, have a pecking order (called "Status" in human society) & reproduce ourselves with other creation. The only distinguishing difference of humans is the capacity for Divine Worship & interest in the Creative arts. If there is no time or inclination for these, we are no better than we should be.

To conclude, we can heed Pieper, who warns that unless we recover true leisure - the ability for silence, contemplation & insight; for receptivity & intuitive openness to truth - & replace our frenetic amusements & relentless striving, we will destroy our Culture & Ourselves.

Teen Angst in Ancient India

Teen Angst is a term much bandied about these days about the preoccupations & sufferings of teen agers. A peek into the life of a couple of legendary teen agers in ancient India may give a fresh perspective into this.

The first is Nachiketa whom we meet in Katha Upanishad as a teen ager who was troubled not because of teen angst but when he saw his father giving away useless cattle as charity. He repeatedly questioned his father as to whom he will be given away. Exasperated, his father, said "To the God of Death". Nachiketa took his words literally & went to the God of Death & persistently questioned him about the secret of life. The God of of Death was pressurised to impart the way of Liberation following which Nachiketa was enlightened.

The other teen ager was an unjustly marginalised character in Ramayana, Shravan Kumar. His only angst was how to take care of his parents. Due to circumstances leading to a misjudgement of Dasaratha, the father of Rama, he lost his young life. His parents cursed Dasaratha that he also suffer & die because of the separation from his son Rama, which came to pass. In hindsight, one can imagine that but for this curse, Rama might never have left his father & later killed Ravana!

The important point is to realise that both Nachiketa & Shravan Kumar were not afflicted either with Teen Angst or the almost mandatory preoccupation of dating taken as a necessity by contemporary teenagers, but had a higher angst on their minds.

Even though he was married, it is sacrilegious to suggest that Yagnavalkya had dated his two(!) wives Katyayani & Maitreyi before marriage. Nearer our time, though Sri Ramakrishna himself suggested the name of his future consort, Sri Sarada Devi (18 years younger to him & a child bride of 5!), theirs was a true ideal marriage of the souls, where the wife is only a "Sahadharmini" or a companion along the path of Dharma.

We are proud of being a progressive society, who have reformed Hindu Society & become modern. Is it really a progress or  actually a regress that we have institutionalised instincts which we share with animals & forgotten what has set us apart from animals in the true evolutionary ascent of Man?

Chatrapathi Shivaji & the Prophet's Niece

There is a story about Shivaji defeating a Muslim King in a battle. The Muslim princess, peerless in beauty, was brought before Shivaji as a gift. He looked wonderstruck at her beauty & remarked that if his mother was of comparable beauty, he also might have been handsomer! He sent her back to her family laden with gifts as a tribute to her beauty.

The Governor of Kerala, Arif Mohammad Khan, has narrated the story of the Prophet's Niece, stunningly beautiful, refusing to wear a hijab. She said that Allah has blessed her with beauty, & she wanted people who see her beauty to think of Allah, who created her!

This attitude of looking on female beauty as a creation of God & an aid in turning the mind Godward, as a spiritual option is being forgotten nowadays.