Khalil Gibran has written “Work is Love made visible.”
These lines struck a chord with me today as I sit and read articles about Homeschooling. (Yes I hear your responses. Stay with Gibran for now.)
My son Unmukt is my work and everything I do for him an expression of love. This recognition sent a jolt of fear through the Feminist inside me. She raised her head and said “They will use such statements to say This is why Women should stay at home and raise kids. This is why they should not make their jobs a priority. This is why they can not be paid equally because they might have to quit and go home because that’s where they should be!”.
Next, to raise her voice was the little girl who frolicked in Abu’s forests climbing rocks, hugging trees, wind in her messy hair, dirt on her clothes, sap on her face singing made up songs about how special she felt about being a Girl. How Blessed she felt about being made in the image of The Goddess herself. She didn’t say anything. She just laughed.
Finally awoke the Samvit Sadhika and this is what she said to me –
Work is a visible expression of Love when it’s an Expression of You.
As an intern of Law College working at Consumer Education Research Center (CERC) my work was truly an expression of love. Love for justice, service and community. It was work that expressed what mattered to me. It expressed a part of me.
As a fresh graduate I declined the job offer at CERC to work at Bodhi Global in Mumbai. There was no love there. It’s because my work was not an expression of me. I chose it for the money. I was MISERABLE.
Self Expression – It is a beautiful sight to see a Human Soul express itself. But it can only happen when it’s free from duress. There is nothing more beautiful than a woman choosing to express herself as a Mother. It is as close to divinity as we can get on a daily basis. BUT it can only happen when that decision is made consciously and freely by HER.
You wish to see stronger families? You wish to see more mothers respecting their motherhood? Raise boys who respect everyone regardless of gender. Raise children who value principles over money. Teach children Shankaracharya’s “Bhaj Govindam” not BeediJalaiKe or whatever Rihana is singing these days. Tell them stories of our child heroes like Markandeya, Prahlad, Dhruv, Arjun, Bheem, Kanha, Shankaracharya before you pick up the Fairy Tale book or Mickey Mouse’s Adventures. Then let them binge on Tom and Jerry. Raise children on Advait principles. Raise them so the first book they study is not Robinson Crusoe but Tatva Bodha. Then let them read Robinson to their heart’s content. Raise them so the first biography they read is not Bill Gates but Shankaracharya or Vivekananda!
I will summarize in 3 words
Raise them Hindu
