I think, growing up watching Tamil movies and listening to powerful lyrics written by some of the greatest poets has been one of the most powerful forces behind my lifelong longing to be a better person.
These little things can have a profound impact on a kid and do set the tone for the rest of life.
Plato's dream of ruled by philosopher-kings was indeed true until the last couple of decades in Tamilnadu.
As a young man, one of the most shocking realization after coming to the US was the lack of respect for knowledge and education (leave alone life-long education). I was in utter disbelief listening to people belive and debating still about the spontaneous genesis of humans and all other sentient lives were "made" to be used by humans. I haven't made peace with that truth until this day.
The past couple of months has clearly shown that a combination of lack of education with ultra-individualism can not only be disastrous but has the power to wipe out humanity.
In this scene from the movie Thevar Magan, Kamal wants to go back to London after experiencing religious fanaticism and realizing the backwardness of the village he grew up in.
His father's speech to convince him to stay and advising him on the "responsibility of a human" is one of the most powerful scenes in the history of cinema.
I have been in the US for close to 25 years and I haven't seen anyone do this in say remote parts of West Virginia. Young men and women move to Afghanistan and African jungles to educate people but they never do that in their own backyard.
It is also very sad to realize that it is not safe to do educate minds in some parts of the US. I would further add mindless individualism has caused this more than religion. I have seen educated people fall into this category.
Those who believe in the continuous miracle of gods or markets or technology or human capacity to change without an iota of an effort fall under the same category.
I am pessimistic about any immediate change in this attitude for one reason.
Kamal heeds to his father's wish, sacrificing the love of his life and stays in the village. In the last few minutes of the movie, Kamal's pleads the villagers to stop these killings and invest in educating their children. It's time this country listens to that pleading. You can watch the full movie here.
These little things can have a profound impact on a kid and do set the tone for the rest of life.
Plato's dream of ruled by philosopher-kings was indeed true until the last couple of decades in Tamilnadu.
As a young man, one of the most shocking realization after coming to the US was the lack of respect for knowledge and education (leave alone life-long education). I was in utter disbelief listening to people belive and debating still about the spontaneous genesis of humans and all other sentient lives were "made" to be used by humans. I haven't made peace with that truth until this day.
The past couple of months has clearly shown that a combination of lack of education with ultra-individualism can not only be disastrous but has the power to wipe out humanity.
In this scene from the movie Thevar Magan, Kamal wants to go back to London after experiencing religious fanaticism and realizing the backwardness of the village he grew up in.
His father's speech to convince him to stay and advising him on the "responsibility of a human" is one of the most powerful scenes in the history of cinema.
"Everyone has to die someday. Death is not important but how you live your life to be useful for others is important.
You cannot expect to eat the fruit as soon as you plant a seed. It takes time and patience. How can you expect these people to talk science overnight when they lived for centuries fighting with knives and swords.
It is the responsibility and obligation as a human being that you do something for these uneducated people."This is not only true in movies but also there were numerous wise and unknown faces in parts of India who sacrificed their lives to educate and awaken minds.
I have been in the US for close to 25 years and I haven't seen anyone do this in say remote parts of West Virginia. Young men and women move to Afghanistan and African jungles to educate people but they never do that in their own backyard.
It is also very sad to realize that it is not safe to do educate minds in some parts of the US. I would further add mindless individualism has caused this more than religion. I have seen educated people fall into this category.
Those who believe in the continuous miracle of gods or markets or technology or human capacity to change without an iota of an effort fall under the same category.
I am pessimistic about any immediate change in this attitude for one reason.
The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of a doubt, what is laid before him.
- Leo Tolstoy, The Kingdom of God Is Within You
Kamal heeds to his father's wish, sacrificing the love of his life and stays in the village. In the last few minutes of the movie, Kamal's pleads the villagers to stop these killings and invest in educating their children. It's time this country listens to that pleading. You can watch the full movie here.
Nothing is more commonplace than to lament that moral progress has failed to keep pace with scientific knowledge. If only we were more intelligent and more moral, we could use technology only for benign ends. The fault is not in our tools, we say, but in ourselves.
In one sense this is true. Technical progress leaves only one problem unsolved: the frailty of human nature. Unfortunately that problem is insoluble.
- John Gray, Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals
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