It was when I saw a ripe custard apple fruit with half of it still in the tree, with ants feeding on it, it dawned on me that the shell was a protection for the fruit. The shell was only the external and what was inside was what finally mattered.
In that sene the external is important. The external has to give way to access the internal, teh fruit inside.
We live in a society where the external is sensationalised. Of all the commodities which is made glamorous in a world for growing appetite of sensationalism, it is the human body which is in the centre of focus. The movie world, theatre and performance art, music world, sports arena, fashion and design science, healthy body for healthy living, etc focus on the human body. The commodification of human body is at its peek with modelling as a popular form of occupation for young men and women. The external is in exhibition. I do not remember any time in the past when human body was used in the way it is now to promote a faulty beauty consciousness.
But what is inside this glamourised external body! A popular singing artist from West Bengal died a few days back on stage. The autopsy done in his body revealed serious diseases affecting his liver and lungs. It is a revelation of the life style diseases he suffered from.
I pause to ask this question to myself!
Where is my attention focussed! How much I pay attention to upbuild my inner being! My true self is not my body, but the interior life of thoughts, aspirations, dreams, altruism, integrity, consciousness of others and the God of of our lives! How I wish this would receive more attention!
The large buildings in any village or town would be places of worship. When I see the church edifices with all the decorative art work on the building, I wonder whether that is what really matters! I wish the church will pay attention to the interior lives of its members! I am not even sure if a member of a church receives a pastoral visit except when there is a special occasion in the family!
I feel appalled the way parents attempt to nurture children without any introduction to parenting of children. Uninformed and unready for parenting, parents welcome children, mostly unplanned, only to expose them from even three months to screen time of TV or mobile phone to pacify them when they cry! Parents do not have the patience or wherewithal to pacify a crying child, so the the screens are used. I get lost in despair when some parents tell me of the use of six or more hours of screen time to occupy pre-school children! The result is that some of these children are without social skills, communication skills or language skills to go to school!
The inner life in a healthy body! Our body is the 'temple of the living God' ! I wish we regard our body respectfully and gracefully and nurture our inner self with attention and zeal.
Who we are in our inner being is what we will be valued for!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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