Very interesting. I’m glad to know there are people in this universe who realise the true meaning of the word “freedom”, which for most of us is a myth.
Bernice Pereira Sent from my iPhone > On 13-Jun-2018, at 11:15 PM, Joao Barros-Pereira > <joaobarrospere...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Frankly, nationalistic attitudes put me to sleep. Maybe, the reason is > because I have never grown up. That's the way I see it. Maybe, there > is another explanation. The reader can decide for himself. > > As a child who didn't spend too much time in Goa since I was educated > in a boarding school in Bangalore (real name at the time), it made me > an observer of the influences of not only Portuguese culture on Goans > in Goa but also British culture on Indians who lived in boarding > schools in Bangalore, as well as day students who lived with their > parents unlike us boarders. > > What excited me was the great diversity of the various groups . This > colorful quilt made my life an enjoyable experience; in fact, it was > more enjoyable watching this magic show than focusing on my studies. > Maybe, the only negative aspect was that it made specialization in one > particular area of intellectual enquiry next to impossible. I got into > the habit of looking straight ahead, sideways to the left, sideways to > the right, and believe it or not, backwards too. I began to feel yours > truly was the only one in the school with eyes in the back of his > head. And, I became an outsider in the school, and for life; someone > who can relate to one and all as a human being but has no group > identity. In short, I remained a human being and started to feel I > belong to the world. > > One day I refused to go to mass. Until then, I had gone to church > every day and even served mass, learning the prayers in Latin which > was the custom at the time. I was around twelve when I handed in my > papers. I refused to go because it became obvious to me it was a > brainwashing exercise, and I wanted to experience life - what was true > - to discover for myself and not be told what to think or what not to > think or what to believe or not to believe! Not doubt, as expected, it > caused a big commotion. I was told by a senior priest to go to another > school if I was not willing to go to mass in the school chapel. I > couldn't understand the logic as non-Catholics didn't attend mass > either. I looked the priest in the eye and told him I would go to the > newspapers and inform them how my legal rights were taken away. That > was the last I heard from him. > > The soft shells of my school mates were slowly hardening, almost in > front of my eyes. They started to take on identities which to me > seemed rigid and accidental; Hindus became more Hindu, Christians more > Christian, and Muslims more Muslim. These were the three communities > with whom I interacted with at school daily. Meanwhile, here was I > (and still am) with no particular place I can call home other than the > world. Did something go wrong? > > I became aware early in my life of how all religions were conditioning > students in various ways using the carrot-and-stick as a way to > strengthen group identity. Looking back, psychologically not belonging > to a group was not an easy way to grow up, and reach maturity. Like a > baby, I often had to fall before I could finally walk and, own my > soul. Later on - as a father and husband - I have always given my wife > and two children freedom to choose for themselves their path in life. > The reward has been this: all three are my best friends today. Other > people may have a different view or philosophy from mine; for me, this > path has worked wonderfully. > > I think of the world as one big supermarket where we can take our pick > from a variety of religions, ways of thinking, languages, food, > culture, and countries. Just as in a supermarket, the sections do not > confine us but allow us to move freely from one place to another and > make our choices. > > No one section (or country!) can provide us with the best of > everything. We are free to shop around and enrich our lives with the > best of everything, from anywhere and everywhere. Even something as > basic as food offers so much of a choice, and we are free to choose > what we like, and in our view, is the best for each one of us. And, > the same with culture, religion, and you name it! They all enrich us. > And, we are free to choose from anywhere. > > Today mass communication is global and multinational companies are > everywhere, in dozens of countries. We are living in an > inter-dependent global village. While it has been said often enough > how nationalism is the last resort of scoundrels, it is no longer true > in the twenty-first century. Nationalism, in our age, is for idiots > only! I am a human being first, second, and last. > > I'm not afraid to take the best from any section in a supermarket or > country or tradition. It is a basic human right and choice. Is it bad?