With Valentine’s Day 2021 around the corner, our team at Queen’s Brigade has been contemplating the true meaning of love and universal brotherhood, especially in India. Much has been said about this typical Hallmark holiday that claims to celebrate love in all its glory – Valentine’s Day. You may have been seduced by the cheesy romance of this holiday as depicted in books, movies and social media over the years. Perhaps you love to celebrate this occasion with your partner or your gal pals. Or maybe you’re one of those that shuns this annual event with a vengeance! No matter what your stand on Valentine’s Day, we’re sure most of you believe in celebrating love, in cherishing it and nurturing it in all forms.
For centuries, people have acknowledged various kinds of love – romantic, parental, filial, friendly and communal. In recent times, however, this communal brotherhood and principle of living in harmony seems to have gone for a complete toss. What happened to celebrating love across all communities and appreciating the beauty of each and every religion?
Current events have let our base emotions overpower our good intentions, by encouraging divisiveness among neighbours and an attitude of polarisation. What has this division achieved for any of us? Why does a depth of feeling have to be restricted to lovey-dovey couples? Shouldn’t everyone’s ultimate goal be to achieve universal brotherhood in India and love across communities and between countries?
It is not only important for each of us to honour and respect each other, it is imperative for our long-term survival as a species on this beautiful planet. Let’s learn from a simple example: everyone agrees that there is no love like a mother’s love for her baby – it is the textbook definition of unconditional love. But as the child grows, the mother inevitably begins attaching conditions to that love. Only when mothers stop mollycoddling and keeping high expectations, will they allow their children to thrive. Women who honour their own space will always give space to their children. Similarly, a person that respects themselves, will surely respect the opinions and lifestyle of others.
Thus, when you find yourself in a difficult situation, enraged and upset about the actions of another person; take a moment to reflect instead of simply lashing out at them. Assess why you feel the need to ask a person to change their views, simply because their views make you feel uncomfortable. This doesn’t mean that you sit back and ignore brickbats and abuse thrown your way, but attempt to find a peaceful alternative. After all, each one of us bears equal responsibility towards safeguarding our world. Can we thus strive towards universal brotherhood in India on Valentine’s Day 2021?
These lofty ideals may seem easier said than done but you can begin by implementing small changes for long-term results.
- The first thing we can do is to respect everyone’s opinion. We must bear in mind that everyone’s personal beliefs are a reflection of their circumstances and experiences. Hence, we should not stop people from sharing what they feel is right. After all, the definition of what is right and what is wrong is subjective!
- Secondly, we should refrain from imposing our decisions on anyone. We should share our beliefs on what we feel is right and let others do the same, but it should be limited to stating of feelings.
- Thirdly, we should discourage a suppression of anyone’s voice, as our patriarchal system has unfortunately drilled in to us all these years. Every person – man or woman – has the right to state their opinion.
- Fourthly, whatever we may personally feel about a person and their views, we should never shame them for it. There is simply no need to personally attack people who don’t agree with us.
- Fifthly, as parents, we should aim at raising self-assured children who honour each other’s space. We may disagree on fundamental aspects with close members of our inner circle, but we maintain those ties with cordiality. It is important to keep in mind that true love is signified by giving ample space to people without judging them.
Here we sign off with simple takeaways from this post and a sincere hope for universal brotherhood in India for Valentine’s Day 2021:
Allow everyone the space to be who they want to be. Accept them with their opinions. It is not your responsibility to change anyone’s view on anything. First change yourself to love and accept them with all their beliefs. Instead of trying to school others, we must stop expecting people to behave according to what we feel is right.
Do you agree with us? What does Valentine’s Day mean for you? We would love to know your views and thoughts on the idea of universal brotherhood in India for Valentine’s Day 2021. Do share your thoughts in the comments below.
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The writer is a lawyer who writes lifestyle articles for various newspapers, publications and on her blog www.nooranandchawla.com.