My grandmother did not know the day of her birth. Neither did my parents. My grandparents were not serious about recording this information. It was not really considered important in those days. What was known was that my mother was born on a Krishna janmashtami and my father on a Durgashtami. So birthdays were not really a big deal in the home I grew up in. On my birthday, my mum cooked a big degchi of gajar halwa, because I loved it. And that was it.
In old days, when asked about time of their birth, people would say vague things like it was the year the big storm came or the village temple was made.They would not find the question particularly relevant. Probably, its still the same in rural, traditional cultures. I don't really know.
So I wonder what celebrating birthdays has given us. This constant clocking of years.This measuring of time. I am of a certain age. And so I should think, feel and behave accordingly. In other words, be age appropriate. I slot myself in boxes, labelled Young, Midddle aged or Old. I have been around for half a century. Such a long time, OMG! So now my twilight years are approaching, my time is running out, what have I really done with my life and so on. I find myself, riddled with a bunch of neuroses, pertaining to the calendar.
Counting years results in conditioning of the mind. It tells the mind that it is getting older along with the associated implications. I wonder, how this aging of the mind impacts the aging of the body as both are so well connected.
What if I had never seen a calendar? What if I did not know how old I was? What if I had never ever heard of birthday celebrations?
How old will I feel today?
In old days, when asked about time of their birth, people would say vague things like it was the year the big storm came or the village temple was made.They would not find the question particularly relevant. Probably, its still the same in rural, traditional cultures. I don't really know.
So I wonder what celebrating birthdays has given us. This constant clocking of years.This measuring of time. I am of a certain age. And so I should think, feel and behave accordingly. In other words, be age appropriate. I slot myself in boxes, labelled Young, Midddle aged or Old. I have been around for half a century. Such a long time, OMG! So now my twilight years are approaching, my time is running out, what have I really done with my life and so on. I find myself, riddled with a bunch of neuroses, pertaining to the calendar.
Counting years results in conditioning of the mind. It tells the mind that it is getting older along with the associated implications. I wonder, how this aging of the mind impacts the aging of the body as both are so well connected.
What if I had never seen a calendar? What if I did not know how old I was? What if I had never ever heard of birthday celebrations?
How old will I feel today?
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