Nobel Foundation insults China with Peace price for Liu Xiaobo
China is outraged with Norway and the Nobel Foundation for honouring Liu Xiaobo for his crimes against inhumanity with the Nobel Prize for peace. Liu Xiaobo is currently facing criminal charges in his home country for inciting peace, in addition to other inhuman rights violations. Also, Liu's wife is currently under house arrest for being Liu's wife.
Although we are at least a generation behind China, there are some things in India worth shouting about. And imprisonment of speech isn't one of them.
China does not understand that Respect and Freedom are mutually exclusive conditions.
ReplyDeleteIndia has always put freedom first- freedom of speech, thought and even religion. A Times of India editorial once said "Indians cherish freedom and democracy even above bread and butter"!
The Sananthana Dharma has also placed prime importance on freedom of choice of human action and has never made any religious rituals or practices mandatory! Even the Nitya Karmas for humans are what "should" be done not what "must" be done by every human.
However in Spirituality, freedom comes at the cost of Respect. When we are respected our freedom is often lost!
We are often expected to reciprocate respect.If someone smiles at us or wishes us, they expect us to smile at them, wish them, recognize them, behave in a certain way with them. If they don't respect us, we are not obliged to reciprocate, we can drop all the formalities. Either we will be naturally smiling at them or naturally frowning at them. When we are natural we are complete.
When people love and respect us, we are obliged to return their courtesies because we don't want to hurt them. When they don't respect or love us, they will not be hurt by your actions and expressions. So they set us free. When we gain respect, we often do it at the cost of our freedom.
Wisdom is to put the freedom first and not bother about respect. Humility therefore is a virtue only of the wise!
Sir, I agree for the most part. But I somehow feel that ,'When we are natural we are free, rather than complete'. And to digress, freedom of action does almost always lead to freedom of others' reaction, which we must also be prepared for. But then, he who is indifferent to the social order is also indifferent to social orders.
ReplyDeletePraveen Sir agree with your views. By complete I mean free from inhibitions, free from reservations- being true to our self and internal potential however limiting they may be.
ReplyDeleteAlso agree that freedom of action does almost always lead to freedom of others' reaction. Giving freedom to others is a double edged sword-too much freedom makes people seek refuge under their comfort zone. Too little freedom stifles initiative. True freedom is in motivating others to go beyond their comfort zone and making them creative.