Lazy day, been catching up on my favorite show, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. Should be working on HarmoKnit, and will get to that, but has been forever since I've seen TMOC. Actually back in May at Sh's place I got a quick glimpse of the show. I was surprised to see that Tapu had grown so much and that he'd cut his hair (more on that later). Hmm, may sound like I know these people or something, but I don't. It's just that the show is quite dear to me, and it's always brought a smile to my face :) See what I mean? And while I understand that it's just a TV show, that is not to say that we can't learn something from it, and on numerous occasions it's taught me something of value. Today I finally felt that I should show my appreciation for the show.
But before I get to that, just wanted to say I'm back in Toronto for a few weeks. Actually been here since June 1st, and heading back to Atlanta very soon. Not much to report here, looks like my deal to buy a place is going to flop. Don't know why they call it a "short sale" when the friggen thing took close to 4 months and went nowhere. Anyways, will now just find a rental as soon as I get back. There's a lot on my plate I need to catch up on, and September is just around the corner.
So back in April, when I had some more time on my hand, Jn invited me to visit his temple. He's a member of The Church of Jesus Christ, Of Latter-Day Saints. The Atlanta Georgia Temple was having their re-dedication ceremony on May 1st, 2011, 28 years after the original opening (gosh so many things this year in my life are coming in buckets of 28). The temple was having an open house of sorts and was open to the general public. For those unfamilair, the actual temple itself is not open to the public during normal periods. Here in Brampton, we have a beautiful LDS temple right behind my house, a mere 15 minute walk. During my teens, I would go to their community center to play basketball with my friend who was a member. I always admired the beauty of the temple as a youth, and always longed to enter it. When Jn proposed the opportunity, I couldn't pass it by!
Before this, I didn't know much about LDS and Mormons. Being a long-time South Park addict, I'd heard of the jokes made about Joseph Smith, Jr and his faith. Knowing how to separate mere entertainment, I took my visit to the temple as an opportunity to learn about LDS, and maybe about me. It was a beautiful sunny day. Jn and I went during work hours when the Atlanta traffic was less. His wife and 3 children (with a 4th one on the way) were going to meet us there. I don't remember now, but I think I was dressed appropriately (I usually ain't one to conform to dress codes). The open house started with a tour guide of the community center. A brief video was shown about the church and I was surprised to learn that the movement itself was very young, just close to 200 years old. The chapels are where the activities are held and the temple itself is the holy place which is outside of the world. The temple is where holy ordinances are performed and is the spiritual center. Church goers wear white clothing that represents cleanliness and purity. Moreover, they wear their church clothes *after* entering the temple. This is to represent that one is leaving the outside world behind when one is inside the temple.
One of the most important tenants of Mormons is that a family is made eternal in the temple. That is to say, that once a couple marries inside of the "Sealing Room", they aren't just married for this life, but for eternity. Families are made eternal: brother to sister, wife to husband, parent to child, forever. Mormons really value tracking their ancestory, and were the driving force behind Ancestry.com. Needless to say that the website was the brainchild of two Brigham Young University graduates. Descendants can also perform rituals on behalf of their ancestors, and those ancestors can choose to receive the blessings if they so desire (obviously in the afterlife). The concept of everlasting family ties was new to me and quite different from the Hindu Gita that I believe in.
Once inside the temple I was awe-strucked. It was majestic and absolutely beautiful. The Celestial room was absolutely bright, decorated with an astonishing chandelier, and a large stained glass window looking outside. Directly opposite each other were two huge mirrors. You can only realize their significance after standing in front of one of them. Looking out into an infinite reflection can really humble oneself. But I was more interested in how I could have made a better reflection model in my ray-tracer. My recursive depth stopped at 2, but here peering into the infinite recursion depths of my reflection, in front and behind me, made me marvel at God's beautiful creation. Obviously, here the implication was on the infinite family ties that is fundamental to the belief system of Mormons.
Overall, the experience was very insightful. The volunteers were extremely welcoming and professional. I've been involved in such open houses through my temple, BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto. Being also involved in gala dinners, walk-a-thons, and the grand opening of the mandir in the summer of 2007, I've a keen appreciation for the efforts of volunteers. My Swaminarayan faith is also very young like the Mormon movement. We also place high importance on family ties. And probably most importantly, both faiths agree on the necessity of the Temple.
The temple is not only a place of worship, a place where one only goes to ask something of God. Instead, it's also a place where one grows spiritually and morally, it's where one learns *from*. I'm not one to buy into the doctrine that all one needs is a small prayer room in a corner of their house, and temples should instead be replaced by schools and hospitals. While God is everywhere and in everything, doesn't mean that we has humans don't require focus to find Him. Temples such as the Atlanta one and the mandir in Toronto are not pretty for artificial reasons. Don't mistaken their beauty for what one would expect from the night lights of downtown, something that is used to lure people. They are that way because it's the home of God. Not to lure, but to inspire and teach.
We can't all be experts. Home schooling has shown to be beneficial to children since it encourages them to become more social when they step outside of their house and interact. Though my mom isn't an expert teacher nor do I expect most parents to be. We go to school to learn from those who are wiser than us, our teachers. Same applies to temples and churches. I go to the mandir because I have much to learn about my faith and I don't think that I'm capable of doing it myself. We go to a doctor cause he's an expert at medicine. We shouldn't attempt a surgery on ourselves! Hindus believe in a concept of Guru-Shishya, that of a teacher-student relationship. I'm by no means perfect, my past is a testament to that very fact! What with all my imperfections and mishaps I don't trust myself to be my own teacher on the complexities of life and God.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj, my Guru, has taught me by not only preaching, but by example, to lead a more righteous life. He's both my teacher and doctor, and the temples he inspires are both my school and hospital. A lot of people believe in leading a healthy lifestyle; balanced diet and rigorous workout. Why? Prevention. No one wants to get inflicted with an ailment. And though you've taken the initiative to lead such a life for the betterment of your body and health, don't think that you did so without first learning either from experts, family, or your peers. We learn best by example, especially the things that are most important for us.
But what about the ailment of the mind & soul? What about preventing it from getting clogged up? That's why God made temples and gurus. So that the other two-thirds of the puzzle can also have a rigorous workout schedule. I don't believe in Hell (we instead believe in Karma - law of cause and effect e.g. what goes around comes around), and so makes it easier for me to strive to do better since I'm not always living in fear. And when I do go astray (and trust me I have!) my Guru is always there to steer me back on the right path. I applaud the LDS temple for instilling good values in their youths. And though we may have vastly different beliefs, we are united on one front, we believe. Pramukh Swami Maharaj said it best in his speech at the UN in 2000: "Thus every Hindu should become a better Hindu, every Jew a better Jew, every Christian a better Christian and every Muslim a better Muslim and every follower should become a better follower". And if I may quote Obie Trice, "I'll be searching for You longer than the Legend of Zelda".
Even till now my mom remembers the 80's shows "Family Ties". It was Michael J. Fox's breakout appearance. Actually, I even remember a young Tom Hanks. I never understood why the people in the show would enter the house from the door that leads into the kitchen. Actually, only realized that when my uncle bought a similar house in Lowell, MA. Maybe one of my reasons for adoring TMOC is cause of my affinity towards Family Ties. Whatever the case be, if there is one thing I know about myself, is I rather come out of something happy and optimistic, than miserable and pessimistic. I don't watch horror flicks or even too much action movies nowadays. I have a soft heart for dramas, romances, and comedies (just saw Vampires Sucks, yeah I got some lame taste ;) I like seeing people happy, and I like living happy, as much as its hard nowadays to do so. And as the American Declaration of Independence states, it's all about "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness".
TMOC is about a family unit of 4, father, mother, son, and grandpa. The actors that play the roles are phenomenal, especially the mother. The episode I saw today resonated with me well. Tapu, the son, went to school in the morning all excited and happy about the day to come. His friend, Kunal, was coming back from a long hiatus, so Tapu asked his mother to pack Kunal's favorite snack. Now Tapu is like the hero of the show. He's a very smart, confident, and a charismatic kid. He gets in trouble a lot from the headmaster, but gives a lot back to others. He's the ringleader. After coming back from school, he wasn't himself, and he insisted to his mother that he wanted to shave off his head! The comedy aspects of the show thus started. His parents wouldn't allow it and they had to get the whole society (that's what Indians call neighbors) involved. In Indian traditions, a boy only shaves off his head when one of his relatives have passed away.
Everyone tried to convince Tapu not to go ahead with his plans, but he would resist. When they asked him why he wanted to shave off his head, he would reply with a simple "just cause". There was even a discussion about if he shaved off his head today then tomorrow he'll want a pierced lip or tattoo or something. Tapu promised he would do no such thing, and that all he wished for was to shave his head off. As you watch the show you would see that it didn't seem like Tapu was being demanding, but instead there was some hidden motive. Anyways, long story short, after all the comedy and melodrama, Tapu finally shaved off his head. His dad's best friend was still perplexed as to why he would want to do such a thing, and weren't satisfied by a simple "just cause". They narrowed the scenario down to the fact that something must have happened that day at school. They thought maybe it was a dare or prank, but then again Tapu is not that sort of kid to get peer pressured into something like that. They thus decided to spy on Tapu as he went to school.
The next day at school, as Tapu and his friends got to school, the principal stopped him and asked him why he's being mischievous again and had his head shaved off. Tapu's father is watching this escapade, and he says something funny. "Most parents hope that their child grows up and shoulders the good name of the family. But with Tapu, I have to worry about if he doesn't screw up!". Or something like that. Anyways, as the principal is lecturing Tapu, Kunal walks in. He too has a shaved off head...
Kunal runs to Tapu and hugs him. Kunal's parents are with him too, and asks the principal not to taunt Tapu anymore. The day before, after Kunal had returned from his trip, we find out that he had developed Leukemia, and his trip was actually at the hospital for months. There cause of his treatment, he lost his hair. When Kunal came back to school, all the kids were making fun of him, calling him baldy and stuff. Tapu heard this and tried to comfort Kunal. But being a little boy, Kunal said he wouldn't come back to school ever again. This is where good family values, friendship, and great problem solving skills comes into play. Tapu promised Kunal that tomorrow he'll have his head saved off so that he too can bear the burden of everyone's jokes. Tapu being so confident even went as far as saying that he'll make bald heads the new fashion!
This is a real sign of real friendship, when you're in it, you're in it together. Needless to say, after hearing this, everyone couldn't but praise Tapu enough for his thoughtfulness and friendship. It was really touching I must say, and it got to the core of me. When asked why he hadn't just told everyone his reasons, he mentioned what his grandpa said to him before. "Whenever you're going to do a good deed with your right hand, your left hand shouldn't even know about it". Tapu had being taught the importance of being humble.
Would it make me less humble if I said I thought I was humble? Ok, fine I won't say it then ;) My cup runneth over with all my kindness :) NOT! I know my faults, and I'll be the first to point them out. But my good points, naw, I learned this lesson a long time ago, that of being humble, behind the screen sorts of guy. Did that all the time during my volunteer work at the mandir, and still live by the moto. But just a week ago I started questioning this very quality of mine. I even asked At that I wanted to sing some kirtans (religious songs) in front of everyone. What to show off with my lousy voice, hehe! I felt like I've done so much for others, and I've not been ever recognized for that. For a week there I felt like I wanted someone to remember me by, what with a statue or something? What with all the good deeds I've done in the past? I even for a moment started to see reason behind why people liked to have their name announced when they do something charitable. But Tapu brought me down from cloud 9.
Doing something nice for others isn't so that you can account for it later, or be asked about it. You shouldn't expect anything in return, not even a simple appreciation. I think it goes back to the simple understanding that if you expect something to happen, it likely won't, and you'll just end up hurting yourself. As much as I wanted to be pumped up and praised for whatever it is that I think I've done, that'll just negate it all together. Day in day out I'm trying to defeat myself, my own Ego. It's then quite ironic that I worked for a company actually name Doppelganger! Nay, I'll continue to defeat my ghostly self, be it when it comes to being even more humble, controlling my temper, or whatever else vice I may have. Sy said to me the other day that in a year's time he won't even recognize me. I'll take that as a compliment :)
My actions will speak for themselves when the time comes. Only God can ever judge me...
