Quote:
Originally Posted by ImOpen  Have you even read Dostoyevsky? Strindberg? Blake? Faulkner? Voltaire? Rimbaud? Do you know a van Gough when you see one and how many times have you been outside of the US? Have you seen the children dying in the smelly streets of India and have you seen the sun go down over the Mediterranean.b |
I am reminded of this parable from the Hitopadesha (lit. sermons for one's benefit).
A young scholar returns to his native land and makes his way towards his village. He reaches a river and asks a boatman to ferry him across. Aboard, the scholar strikes up a conversation with the boatman which runs thus:
Young Scholar(YS): So, tell me boatman, have you read the four Vedas?
Boatman (BM): No, kind sir, I have not.
YS: Oh, a third of your life has been wasted. Have you read the Upanishads and the Aranyakas?
BM: No sir, I have not. I am a mere boatman.
YS: Oh, then two-thirds of your life is wasted.
At this time, the weather turns rough, and the boatman is really tested. Unable to control the boat, the boatman asks "Young sir, do you know how to swim?"
YS: No, I don't.
BM: Too bad son, all your life is a waste.
What Steve is doing here is sharing with us his experiences and his thoughts. We have our own critical thinking to help us decide if what he is says is useful or not. But to assume that because one hasn't studied the works of Schopenhauer, Nietzche, Faulkner one is not cultured is unfair.
You quote great works and artists of the West. Have you studied the philosophies of the East, the art and culture of South-east asia? Have you heard of Sankara or Vivekananda? Have you listened to and appreciated the sweet sounds of the veena or the santoor or tried to enjoy Indian classical music? If you are aware of only the West, and all that you quote is Western, I would assume that you are only half-cultured.
Lastly, about the "smelly" streets of India. You visited one city/town in Kerala, which is one small state in the Union of India. Does that qualify you to make a sweeping statement about Indian streets or the plight of street children? How do you know they were not happy? Maybe they were looking at you funny, since they hadn't seen any one like you in their midst. India is a wonderful country, full of "strange smells and sounds". It is a living, breathing entity unlike some places in the West that are "sterile" (for lack of a better word) - lacking that vibrancy that I see in India. And I have a travelled a fair bit.
Steve shares with us, what he knows. We, in turn, use these fora to share what we know, with each other. We don't have to all agree with what is written or said, but it does get us thinking.
I thank you, ImOpen, for sharing your views, because that has also helped us.
Sarve bhavantu sukhinah (May everyone in this world be happy).
- S. Anand