It has been in my mind the subject of me. I am observing that whatever I read is always about the subject’s feelings and emotions. Mother’s day has just come and gone. Our memories about our mums are related to how wonderful and kind she was. How much she did for us. How many of us have thought of all the difficulties, our mothers and fathers went through?
It is ironic that the attention has gone to the love our parents bestowed on us as individuals. Those of us who come from large families are aware how rarely our parents had favorites. They loved each of us in a special way and it is essential for us to appreciate where they came from. Everywhere in the world, people have welcomed a male child because he propagated the family line. He was supposed to take care of his parents in their old age. A male child was favored for these reasons and often it lead to great indulgence of the boy.
A story of my childhood
I am going to share a story of my childhood. We lived in an area where there were monkeys galore, hyenas, porcupines and snakes. The monkeys were a menace as they increased their tribe on a regular basis and went on a destructive spree when the mangoes and other fruits were ripening. One of our neighbors decided to shoot the rogue monkey who was their leader, and he inadvertently shot a baby monkey. In India, we are not allowed to shoot monkeys and if a monkey dies, he has to be given a proper cremation. Our neighbor’s wife was sitting in her garden, when she heard wailing. She looked around and saw the mother monkey carrying the dead baby in her arms. The she monkey stood in front of her. The lady started crying because it was as if the she monkey was telling her, look what your husband has done. You are a mother too.
Has it ever occurred to us the grief our loved ones have experienced. Are we empathetic about their trauma? Everywhere around us there is joy, and despair. Do we just read, hear and watch the news and see the ravages of marginalization, discrimination and war? Do we think that we have to make the world just a better place for our children or for all its inhabitants? It is possible for us to accomplish this, by practicing atmabhava.
It is like a chain letter, the practice of loving your fellow creatures’ spreads. It is a matter of changing your perception consciously and it is very infectious.
Aim Hrim Klim