On the Foundations of Love

" The foundation of everything is love"

Have moved on from the romantic form of love to its broader manifestations.. happened to run into the home page of The Foundation, an NGO floated by Rahul Bose. It can be reached on the weblink stated above.

Had left an open ended thought as to what success in each dimension might mean to someone and how one might end up abandoing everything else in his passionate pursuit. In an attempt to look at epitomes in different fields one of the first names that struck me was that of Bhagat Singh and a little search on the web only revealed some more manifestations and proofs of the statement that's the title of this article.

"While discussing anybody's character you asked me one thing, whether love ever proved helpful to any man. Yes, I answer that question today. To Mazzini it was. You must have read that after the utter failure and crushing defeat of his first rising he could no bear the misery and haunting ideas of his dead comrades. He would have gone mad or committed suicide but for one letter of a girl he loved. He would as strong as any one, nay stronger than all.

As regards the moral status of love I may say that it in itself is nothing BUT PASSION, not an animal passion but a human one, and very sweet too. Love in itself can never be an animal passion. Love always elevates the character of man. It never lowers him, provided love be love. You can't call these girls - mad people, as we generally see in films - lovers. They always play in the hands of animals passions. The true love cannot be created. It comes of its own accord, nobody can say when. It is but natural. " - Bhagat Singh

He did write a lot further than this, but this much suffices to bring the point of the importance of love. Not just the love of one man for one woman.. but of a man for a cause, of a man for life, of a man for humanity.. of a man for peace!

Relooking at the definitions and parameters of success as I'd thought of previously, I'd say success is the joyful state of bliss when you're in love! Some kind of further exemplification was provided by Dr. Kiran Seth, (founder of the SPIC MACAY movement) when he was asked about his missionary zeal for the cause despite the odds not stacked but ingrained in the system and the culture and presenting hurdles at every step. He only had one thing to say... ' Jab pyar ho jaata haina.... ' I do not precisely remember the remainder of the sentence but it had touched me within.. and perhaps most others present.. and it elicited a heartfelt applause as an ovation to the spirit of a man... to his love for a cause!

To put it in the earlier framework, probably these people are high on their need for making a difference to the society and the nation and in that pursuit, they have forgone the material wealth.

To them, it doesn't matter.. does it. They couldn't care less.

Will some time try to contrast this situation with that of someone who's pursued something else in some other dimension and compromised on some dimensions. Nothing like being able to pursue all dimensions at the same time, but then we have one life!

Live it to the full.. make your choices yourself.

Wanderer