Festival of Kites

Like everything in this Universe, humans also have a history of origin and growth. When the type took its’ origin some 85 million years ago, it would have been known by its fundamental qualities as a species. We have documents of Homo habilis and Homo heidel bergensis. Anatomically modern humans evolved from archaic Homo sapiens in the Middle Paleolithic, about 200,000 years ago. The transition to behavioral modernity with the development of symbolic culture, language, and specialized lithic technology happened around 50,000 years ago according to many anthropologists  although some suggest a gradual change in behavior over a longer time span. 

As it grew in number, it would have been identified by names. Humans still grew, not only in number but also in culture. Different cultures emerged and people had to be marked by the culture they belonged to. That was not the end; individuals later came to be identified by their race, caste, country and material possessions and power. The only time in which human beings were identified by the quality each held was the Vedic Period. 

Today, everyone upon earth is marked by the profession each one is engaged in. Everywhere we meet Mr Professions and Miss/Mrs Professions only. Individuality has no relevance; only personalities exist. Here, what we completely lose is our link with the values, which we once thought to be crucial in the lives of everybody. What that surprises me is that humans believe that they have advancement without any value aside. 

The festival of Kites has gone. Still, I remember the story of a kite which was flying high in the sky. A parrot saw that it flies even above an average birds range. It asked the kite how it could do so, without wings. The kite replied that unless the boy on the ground below was not controlling it, it could have gone much higher. The parrot told the kite that it can help it and the parrot cut the thread which held the kite. What happened thereafter, I need not tell you. The kite did not go an inch up; instead, it slowly came down. The moral of the story is clear; unless we hold tight our connection to values, all sorts of Professions miserably collapse.    

Joseph Mattappally