I dream.... forever?
By Mahendra Speedy Gonsalkorale
I dream as I often do
Of a planet where humans are free
Free to join hands
in caring for our precious abode
Free to be ourselves
While being an integral part of a community
Free to stop searching for a purpose where there is none
Free to love others and be loved
Free to feel the pain of others less fortunate
Free to state our feelings without being judged
Free for our views to be considered dispassionately
Free to receive and understand the views of others
Free to forgive and bear no grudges
Free to let go the burning ember of regret and revenge
Free not to be classified according to birth, belief or bias
An interconnected world permeated by respect and love
A veritable Utopia without the need to commit to a Faith,
Judged on action and behaviour, not on words without meaning
Will I be dreaming forever in this complex world or ours?
Mahen
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughts.
Retirement brings the freedom to reminisce, reflect and think more deeply of life and its many twists and turns. Your vision is indeed a deeply thoughtful and philosophical dream. Philosophers, thinkers and religious leaders have dreamt of this utopia since life as we know it began. Looking at the world around me I see the poverty, inequality and suffering from cradle to grave. Religion and philosophies have made us all realise what the ideal world should be like. But it has made very little change to the real problem. We are all entranced by the material world and also too dependent on it now. It was St Paul who said “Money is the root of all evil.” How very true.
I am equally impressed by your image as much as your thoughts. Hands on the chin reflects thoughtfulness and also the concern and that progress is slow. Being seated and crossed legged suggests you cannot just walk away from it and it will take a long long time. The watch on your left hand makes us realise time is of the essence and we haven’t much of it left.
Many thanks for your comment Nihal. I am indeed a kind of "realistic idealist" (I know it is an oxymoron!). I fully realise that my ideals are not new and to me they are destinations which are worth keeping in "sight". The journey is important and is crucial.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of my photo the way you interpreted it! Just wanted to look thoughtful, like Rodin. Thanks for your interpretation.
My thoughts are a lot on responsibilities of Humans and not just on how to be content or find meaning in life.
Yes, I was reminded of Rodin's 'Thinker.' I guess you were trying to evoke that image in our minds.
DeleteWhile writing the above comment I was interrupted by a phone call and lost my trend of thought. I also wanted to say Yours was an impossible dream but we must never stop dreaming. At least then we know what must be achieved. I appreciate your thoughts very much as I fall way short of the ideal.
ReplyDeleteIs it too much to expect the following?
ReplyDeleteFree to join hands in caring for our precious abode,
Free to love others and be loved
Free to feel the pain of others less fortunate
Free to state our feelings without being judged
Free for our views to be considered dispassionately
Free to receive and understand the views of others
Free to forgive and bear no grudges
Free not to be classified according to birth, belief or bias
A veritable Utopia without the need to commit to a Faith,
Judged on action and behaviour, not on words without meaning
Is it too much to expect the above?
I don't think so. They are within our capability and not too much to ask for.
None of the above is too much to achieve. Sadly we achieve them only at our convenience and only when it is to our benefit. These good thoughts have swirled around for centuries but how many of us will do the right thing every time in the 21st Century. This is a wonderful reminder of what is expected of us and I give my thanks to you Mahen.
DeleteI write about the deeper meaning of what you have written. You can hold hands without love in your heart. That is harder to achieve at times.
ReplyDeleteMahen and Nihal, I do appreciate the thoughts expressed by you both. Without dreams and thoughts there can be no actions. I believe that everything we do results in a series of events, rather like the ripples in a pond when you toss a pebble. All of our actions have an impact, no matter how small. Dreams can become reality!
ReplyDeleteKumar, Rohini, Sumathi where are you my good friends and Lucky, I hope you are getting better. I can manage the Blog for as long as you wish.
ReplyDeleteHi,Speedy,I am fairly in good health and was busy in my garden,removing some barb wires from my hedge with Laurel trees.The barb wires have poisoned some of the Laurels and the wiring was done by an unskilled gardener,over 30 yrs ago.I was busy with my work and
ReplyDeletemy wife was supposed to supervise the work.The workman had his own ways and carried on regardless.He is now,dead and gone.
By the way,I read your article as soon as it appeared,followed by Kumar's.
This is from Zita and I am posting it on her behalf as she has sone problems posting.
ReplyDeleteDear Mahendra, I have had discussion with you on this and similar subjects for many years. We always agreed to disagree in some areas and managed to reach a consensus in others. To me, even more than finding an answer, it is the freedom to ask the question that is important. During two millennia with the formal calendar and many millennia before, fellow beings have asked this question. Some have been martyred for what they said, some have achieved high status, some have followers in their name, yet the world goes on, with all its ups and downs. All you are asking, in a few words, is to ‘live and let live’ without the imposition of rules and authourity by leaders. I have no perfect answer to your question and wish we can see that after millennia man has not conquered his desire so this is taken as the need for leadership, guidance, rules, police, prison, equally as prizes, honours and places named after those who have achieved great goals. We cannot deny that man is an intelligent being, even if a bit selfish. So, we have come to the 21st Century with an earth full of wonders, beings, advancements, technologies and extra planetary knowledge. But while being so advanced in many ways, but still unable to solve the mystery of a tiny virus, Covid 19, still unable to live in harmony with fellow beings, ‘judged on action and behaviour and not in words’! Zita