Monday, December 14, 2009

Is modern synonym to west?

On hearing the word 'Modern' the term 'western' automatically pops in.I kinda agree that modern actually means western or in other words west is modern.But I completely disagree with the picture of west which is usually projected.For a common person in east a modern person means a person who wears western clothes,smokes,booze or go to discos.While these attributes are completely acceptable for an eastern male but for females they are completely No No.Well I am not debating the discrimination between males and females.My point here is do these terms actually describe the word modern.Is west all about clothes and parties?
I strongly disagree.In my view a person is modern if he can think and think logically and objectively without any prejudice.A person who is ready to accept the change.Someone who can understand the rules of society and knows the importance of it.Who can understand why those rules were laid and weather they still hold good.Who is ready to change these rules for the good of society.Who is not ready to accept those obligations because these existed or because his grandparents or his parents followed them.But he is ready to fight against or for them as he understands their importance.Someone who is ready to adopt the good without discriminating against its origin.At the same time someone who understands his and his societies weaknesses and is ready fix them.A person who respects not only his culture or religion but others too.
In all these attributes west is modern.People at west do not just destroy something because it is influenced from east.They don't vandalize other places of worship because those are not according to their religion.They treat their wives and mothers and ladies with respect and dignity.They adopt the good attributes from everywhere be it Yoga,Ayurveda,Clothes or Food.Take any modern female from west to the streets of Delhi.I bet in two days she will ask you to buy her a pair of 'salwaar kmeez' unless she already came prepared.Because a modern person understands and respects others culture.(I at least had two such instance in front of me).
Take a look at history-you will find modern people everywhere.I am thinking of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.He was undoubtedly a great modern visionary.Can you believe we were actually burning widows alive on the name of rituals.If modern people like him had not existed we would have been living in the stone age.
Hence wearing western clothes does not make you modern but its their thoughts which made west modern.

1 comment:

mixdbrew said...

I really like this! I would like to 'ditto' every word...very well said :)