Why women deserve to be respected

 The binding force for every family is almost always the female. Be they transmission of values, character, knowledge, the female members play a vital role.

if you develop a man you develop an individual, if you develop  a woman you develop a family.

The bedrock of a healthy, happy, prosperous civilisation is the family.

Societies that have valued and respected the feminine's contribution in all its aspects as much as they did the masculine, have been found to be deep, truthful, robust and resilient. All these traits that help realise the best in human potential.

High respect and regard for the female has been the bedrock of Indian civilisation for millennia and one of its secret of great cultural, social and economical success. Greed, arrogance and power from within and religious, cultural influences from without had minimised the value of women in Indian society. As a consequence India became easy prey for exploitation, loot and degradation.

Guru Nanak ji, the expounder of Universal Truths which is commonly known as 'Sikhism', awakened humanity to the need to value the all pervasive feminine aspects in Creation, The Guru says,

“From woman, man is born; 

Within woman, man is conceived; 

To woman he is engaged and married.  

Woman becomes his friend; 

Through woman, the future generations come.

When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; 

To the woman he is bound. 

So why call her bad? 

From her, kings are born. 

From woman, woman is born; 

Without woman, there would be no one at all”

Guru Nanak ji's teachings have had a profound and positive transformational effect and helped reinforce and revive the value and respect for women in general. This has been one of the key elements in the success of Sikhism as a way of life.

Respect for the other cannot be taught nor legislated, it can however be learnt. 

If one is guided to realise the transitionary nature of life, be it our body, beauty, strength, wealth, status, or position we will discover ourselves living simpler and healthier lives. 

By associating with good and noble people, by contemplation and listening to the Guru's advice we can awaken the consciousness. Then we need not be told by others as to what is right or wrong for we will know it.

When there's focus on awakening rather than teaching, we come to respect not only the woman but all of humanity and Creation. To respect is not to pamper, or worship but rather to cope with and accept that the nature of women is different from, but complimentary to men.

To respect the woman is to respect ourselves.

Respecting the right to worship

  

Because we seek the meaning of our existence outside of ourselves, we humans have not realised our own potential and our own divinity.

Rarely if ever looking within ourselves, wherein our soul is the same as that which encompasses the entire universe.

That is why we humans need someone or something to worship.

Our arrogance and unlimited desire to dominate, does not allow us to accept that others have essentially the same desire but expressed differently. That is why more blood has been shed and destruction wrought in the name of religion than any other cause.

Every individual is inherently born free.

However with the passage of time we get shackled by some individuals or institutions to them through some ideology or the other. The more sophisticated the ideology the more tactfully are individuals robbed of their individuality. Crude ideologies impose rather than convince and seduce.

Freedom and liberty essentially means that individuals have the right to choose, as long as it does not intentionally harm others. In essence liberty is the right to be wrong.

Philosophies are realised, ideologies are imposed.

If an idea or thought has to be implemented using mainly fear, it will be unsustainable as many ideologies, religions and belief systems have discovered to their dismay. 

All empires eventually crumble under the strain of imposition and fear.

The best of humanity can flower only in free societies.

There is too much talk about tolerance and intolerance, and that misses the entire point for we need respect for the other not tolerance.

Where the Gods reside

“Yatr Naryasto Poojyantay,
  Ramantay Tatr Devta"

- Manu-Smriti*                   

Translated from the Sanskrit the statement means,

Where the women are loved and honoured, the Gods are pleased to reside there. 

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Nowadays one regularly reads about incidents of mistreatment and disrespect of women and that can never be condoned. Exceptions however do not define the majority. 

Contrary to common belief, in India, as in most agrarian societies the Goddess, the provider of all things as mother nature has always been revered. The female has always been respected, loved and worshipped. Hindu and later Sikh tradition has always honoured women with the highest status of which women are rightly deserving.

Somewhere along the way, this valuable lesson which kept man and nature in harmony got disturbed. Influence of patriarchal religions, industrialisation, urbanisation etc. amongst other causes has taught man that nature and hence females are to be exploited for man's convenience and pleasure. Exploitation can never bring dignity and love. 
Our salvation and lasting joy can come only by loving and cherishing nature which is manifested in the female.

Culture is shaped by both tradition and historical influences, and provide many valuable lessons. 
Love, trust, respect, and worship can never be legislated, it can only be instilled and cultivated in the hearts of our children. This is not the responsibility of the government, media, priests, schools, or even civil society but only by elders and parents in our own homes.

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* The Manu-Smriti, also known as Manav Dharam Shastra, is the earliest work on Brahminical Dharma in Hinduism. Manu-Smriti is believed to be the word of Brahma, the Creator and it is classified as the most authoritative statement on Dharma .

The scripture consists of 2690 verses, divided into 12 chapters.  It is presumed that the actual human  author of this compilation used the eponym ‘Manu’, which has led the text to be associated by Hindus with the first human being and the first king in the Indian tradition.

Namaste

It is customary that when people meet or depart they hail each other. It could be a salute, a bend, clap, rubbing of noses, an embrace or shaking of hands, etc. None however is more significant than 'Namaste' which originated in India and now popularly used around the world.

In Sanskrit 'Namaḥa' means  'respect',  'humble greeting’ or 'high regard' whereas 'te' means 'to you'. The greeting is performed with bowed head, palms touching,  fingers pointing upwards and the thumbs near the chest, to convey that with my entire being, (my soul, mind and body) I humbly greet you.

Indian belief is that we are all divine souls. 'Namaste' simply means my soul recognises yours and therefore honours divinity. 

Those who perform the greeting with their complete being, see God in everyone and all things.

Variations to this greeting are Namaskar, Namaskaram and Sat Sri Akal. The latter performed by Sikhs which means that I greet the divinity within you which is true and timeless. 

Namaste

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How you treat one person is 

how you treat the whole universe, 

because everything is One.