Monday, July 28, 2014

A Thousand Splendid Suns

There I was, sitting quite high in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, wondering what I am doing with my life, how everything is stagnant and dissatisfying.
And then I was shaken to reality by 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini. 

Here I am educated, having a loving family and wondering about the complexities of life. Being able to read, write, voice my opinions and decide for myself.
And there lies a world, not far from here where being a woman is a sin in itself. A quote from this book: 
There is only one, only one skill a woman like you and me needs in life, and they don’t teach it in school . . . Only one skill. And it’s this: tahamulEndure . . .

When a 60 year old man can proudly say and mock his 15 years old second wife, "What is it that is saving you now? Your wits or me" and quite rightly so. 
A world, where whatever a man does is acceptable and to be endured and respected. Where his words are the final and beyond question. Where you may not be allowed to show your face to the world, let alone voice your opinion.

I felt thankful, happy and sad at the same time for the two worlds that are there. There are loads of things that have fallen in just the right place for us, so that we can crib for the trivial things in life. 
This perspective may not last long, but, it will be good enough to keep me sane for sometime.