She may wear shorts...so does that make her a slut?
Having given your topic a thought, I think there are three
types of people.
Type 1: People who are only taught to look not think
-
These are the people who are brought up to believe in
stereotypes. For e.g. if you wear a saree, you have a behenji mentality…or if
you wear a bikini, you are easy and slutty…or if you wear jeans to office, you
take your work casually…and so on and so forth.
-
They are not taught to think deeply, or look beyond the
outer shell of just about anything...people, houses, situations so they take
everything at face value.
-
More often than not, they are a product of extreme low confidence.
They are not proud of where they come from, who they are and this more often
than not rubs off on their opinion of others.
Type 2: Those people who blindly follow culture and traditions
-
These are, more often than not, the opposite of the
people above. They have a false superiority complex about themselves.
-
It has been ingrained in their mind that they are
superior to others and they must not waver from this mindset. Their minds have
been trained to be fearful. If they do not follow the customs and traditions,
bad will befall them etc.
-
As a result, they follow religion and culture almost
blindly, and often are the butt of jokes by equally shallow people like the
ones above. Both, Type A as well as Type B, generally move around in their
lives with blinders on their eyes, judging, criticizing, bitching… ignoring the
needs of their own soul.
Type 3: These are people who live and think for their own
soul
-
It is these people who have shaped the civilizations
with their thoughts and deeds. They have the capacity to move with the times.
They make and follow their own paths…not worrying about what people have to
think or say.
-
They follow traditions which they think is fitting.
They adapt and make their own changes and are not fearful of implementing them.
-
These are the people who have found a balance with
their spirit. It could be the girl who wears shorts because she is comfortable
in it and nothing else. She could also be the girl who is a scholar in Vedic
studies.
-
Or it could be the guy who will only wear a dhoti while
his friends wear jeans, simply because it is more comfortable. Who’s to say
that he is not a lead singer in a rock band?
Finally, its up to you to decide which type you want to be.
So that’s what my take is on the subject. Feel free to add
comments if you have other opinions.
Well said Sunila! Those who blindly follow traditions without thinking about there relevance, meaning or impact are the ones to be afraid of.
ReplyDeleteYeah. Totally!!!
DeleteWhat timing! I was having a conversation about this with one of my colleagues yesterday. In our society, the clothes we wear often dictate what people will think about us. It's completely unfair and unjustified, but unfortunately that's the way things are as of now. How each person reacts to this situation is different, you know. I know some people who succumb to family pressure and wear traditional outfits (you're a slut if you wear shorts) and I know people who try too hard to run away from traditional clothes in an attempt to look "cool". They're equally bad.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I will wear exactly what I want to wear and when I want to wear it. Sometimes I use the whole people-will-judge-me-by-my-clothes situation to my advantage. Sometimes I dress to offend. Sometimes I dress to sensitize.
But at the end of the day, clothes are just clothes!
Yes I agree. The thing to understand is your own sense of balance and propriety. Also, I think we need to first begin to stop judging people before we expect others to stop judging us.
DeleteGreat thoughts!!
ReplyDeleteLove the last 2 paragraphs.
Will come back for more.
Damodhar Mata
www.financialplanningindubai.com
Thanks Damodhar, for your kind words. Do keep coming back.
DeleteExactly my thoughts Sunila ! I have seen the society criticising people on basis what they wear ! If a woman wears a Burka "God, look at her, she's in a mall and she is still covering with a veil" and if a girl is wearing a mid thigh skirt "Look, I bet she is a slut!' GAH ! People and their pathetic mentality ! Afterall they are just clothes ! Sigh.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless very well written post :)
And you know what is really very ironical? Some of these so called women and men who think their clothes are modern, in the confines of their houses, so very often, you will find the modern wife being abused and beaten by the modern man.
Deletepeople always upgrades their electronic devices but forgot to upgrade their mentality and tradition .
ReplyDeleteLOL. That's so so true. We need to take a look at our so called traditions and give them a serious version makeover.
DeleteNice read ! Miniskirt versus Salwaar-suits...D label is fixed.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, Ruchi, it's up to people like you and me to make a change...starting at our homes and with our kids. Don't you think?
DeleteGreat Write up!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Sushanta.
DeleteI really like the way you categorised, It's really true.
ReplyDeletenice read!! :D
:D. Thanks. Yeah. You see these types all around you, all the time.
DeleteWhoa ! Loved how you categorized the three types of people :D
ReplyDeleteIt made your post quite interesting to read.
Good one !
:D. Thanks Anmol.
Deletewell written! good thought.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ankit. :)
DeleteHe he, I like the categorization of people Sunila, very nice thought behind it and a beautiful article :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Vinay. :)
Deletewell,nicely put in words which many would not have !
ReplyDeleteThanks R! :)
Deletei dont know about the others.... but i m sure that i belong to the third type of people..... :) ;)
ReplyDelete