AGAPE

John Lee identified six basic styles of love that people use in their interpersonal relationships: Eros (romantic love), Ludus (love as a game or sport), Storge (friendship), Pragma (love driven by head, not heart), Mania (obsession) and Agape (selfless altruistic love). Agape is akin to caritas (charity) where the gift of love is sans any expectation.

Every 14th February, across the globe, the emotions of love are out on display. Flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. The immensely popular Valentine's Day greeting cards have turned into a highly profitable industry. Some go on to celebrate other occasions, like birthdays, anniversaries, etc, to display their true love to their loved ones. But more often than not, Ludus and Pragma overrule Eros & Storge and Agape is at sea.

It is pertinent to note what happens on “non-occasion” days. It is back to “routine” for most… a routine that is mechanical and impersonal… a routine that finds little time to see, speak or listen to our loved ones… a routine that plays blind, deaf and dumb! Invariably we presuppose our loved ones and hence, we take them for granted. In the fast moving world, the expression of love has become a circumstantial commodity whose display is dictated only by occasions.

To be better at love, we must move from need-love to gift-love. The spirit of agape cannot be an occasional emotion. We must share quality time with the ones we claim to care about. It is about enquiring and listening to our loved ones rather than supposing and speaking. It is about wishing people with a smile in the morning, evening, night… every time we meet them (we are more likely to wish a stranger more often than one’s spouse or child).

The measure of love is to love without measure
Indulge in agape and as a human be better!

yours-in-agape
Pravin-da

NERO’S GUESTS

Nero fiddled while Rome burned – is an oft quoted statement that is not based on historical reality. However, the real fact of what happened after the burning of Rome remains out of our information. That dark incident was exposed by Magsaysay award winner, P Sainath while speaking at the D D Kosambi lecture series, in Goa.

After the ruin of Rome in the fire, the atmosphere was one of depression. The time was also one of rebellion. To deflect the attention from the incident, Nero hosted a lavish dinner party. The guest list was a virtual “who’s who” of Rome. The elite, the learned, the artists… everyone was invited. However, there was a problem of illumination. The torches were running short of oil. Nero ordered for his captive prisoners to be tied to the torches so that they could be the fuel for the torches.

Sainath said that Nero’s action though barbaric, was in keeping with his royal attitude of insensitivity. But, Nero’s guests who devoured the feast, despite the screams and the scene of this inhuman act, are the ones who are greater culprits. Not one of them raised a voice of protest. They just gorged! Sainath raised the question – who were Nero’s guests?

Neros’ guests were educated men of art. They were people who took pride in describing themselves as cultured persons. They were people like you and me. People living in comforts. People who get entry into the social circles of the powerful elite of politicians and businessman. We are Nero’s guests, partaking in the feast while the oppressed poor burn at the torches of injustice.

Indifference is said to be a greater crime than hatred. No matter what we do develop our lives, it is of no consequence if we kill our conscience. To be better as a human being is to connect better with our humanism. And humanism is all about standing up to the values of truth, justice and equality. To be better, we must be sensitive as well as responsive to what is happening around.

to BE BETTER as a human, shed the indifference and inaction…
Quit playing the Guest and stand up to Nero’s brutal actions!

Regards
Pravin-da

RECORDS

6.00 am. 26 January 2008. Mangalore.
Konkani Nirantari begins.
Eric Ozario leads his team in creating history of 40 hours of marathon singing and enters the Guinness Book of world records. They overtake the previous Brazilian record of 36 hours. Surely in the sometime of tomorrow, somebody else will break the new record too

We see old records being overtaken and new records being established. In cricket Bradman’s record of 29 centuries seemed unattainable till Gavaskar overtook it. Since then, Tendulkar has set the new record and Ponting seems in striking distance of breaking that, too… only until somebody else comes and overtakes him. Pole vaulter, Sergie Bubka kept breaking his own records and taking the bar higher!

So is breaking records all about bettering somebody else’s achievements? If we look at the above individuals you notice that their greatness remains undiminished even when their records are overtaken. This is so because they are seized with bettering their own previous best rather than that of others. Hence they race against their own performance and retain that unique quality that underlines a winning attitude.

Eric Ozario has been reinventing himself and setting new challenges for his team of Maand Sobhann. Since 1986 when the Sahitya Akademi awardee Chafra D'costa, Poet Melwyn Rodrigues and musician singer Eric Ozario started the Maand Sobhann as an initiative to nurture Konkani music, the team and the dream has only grown. Like the name Maand Sobhann which literally means Scenic Stage, they have engaged mega challenges in line with their lofty vision and mission.

It is the passion for newer experiments that transforms Eric and Maand Sobhann into inspiring winners! It is this attitude of Eric and his team that we need to applaud and embrace. The attitude of walking the path to BE BETTER than what we are in terms of our efforts, our challenges and our attitudes

Let’s BE BETTER than our previous best…
Instead of being seized of outdoing the rest!

Regards
Pravin-da