THE THINKERS’’..TOPIC 1. - Page 5

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Akshata thumbnail
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Posted: 19 years ago
#41
Hi II,

I am not at all offended but I am not sure I have understood what you are trying to say in the first half of your post.
About PMS, it's a biological thing and it can be really disturbing to some women.It's all about harmonal changes and a little irriation and other side effects are seen...I won't go into details.Most women I know are able to cope with it and no will even know that they are going through their PMS.

I hold all the ideals in The Ramayana very highly.But it would be wrong to take just one example and apply it to today's Kaliyug.There were plenty of norms for men to follow as well.Unfortunately,Man (Male) himself conveniently altered values to suit his selfish needs. Today's man understands this and hence respects the woman he marries and accepts her as his equal.

I want to say more....shall be back....in a rush right now.

Akshata
sree thumbnail
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Posted: 19 years ago
#42
Oh, I have been away, bit busy oflate... This thread is so long now that i do not even have time to read and reply... 😭 😭 😭

I will try and contribute from the next thread onwards... Btw, i have not got any PM about the next topic...

So Aksh, what next? Will this thread go on for few more days?
Akshata thumbnail
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Posted: 19 years ago
#43
Hi Sree,
I think we'll carry on till someone actually posts you a different topic.This topic it self has so many aspects that it's leading to other topics?
What say friends?

II,I read again what you wrote and this is what I feel.

Respect from anyone in this world has to be commanded NOT demanded if it has to come from the heart.There is no need for any law to enforce this because it cannot be done.Love and Respect are both feelings that are related to the heart.
For a wife to respect her husband,he should possess such qualities and vice versa.I am talking in today's context.In many arranged marriages,for example,there might not be that'love'or respect in the initial stage,because how can you have such feelings for a person you don't even know.But when the couple starts living together and sharing their joys and sorrows, these feelings of mutual love and respect will develop depending on their experiences.For instance,if the girl stands by her husband when he loses a good job which he had when they married and proves that she truely understands the meaning of"in good and bad times",she will definitely command respect from him.Similarly,if he supports her morally in case of some illness, and nurses her back to health,instead of looking for greener pastures,how can she not love and respect him?
"In good and bad health" is one of the vows,too.

But I agree with what you said about Abhi moving into Simran's place.I didn't think it was the right decision.

Cheers
xyzee thumbnail
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Posted: 19 years ago
#44

Hi Akshata, Good points! Espcially about a husband losing a good job, etc.

As for Abhi staying with Simran - let's set aside the fact that Mr. M was an interfering old person. If that is the case, I personally do not think there is anything wrong in what Abhi had done.. Let's leave the old traditions aside (Many of the 'old' traditions can do with being tossed anyway) - let's look from a practical, logical viewoint. He was old and I don't know where Rashmi stayed. What would he have done? Also it was SIMRAN's place and it was Mr. Mathur who was staying there - not SImran staying at her dad's place..So he was not a gahar jamai.. I know my parents come and stay with me for months together, are people saying thats' wrong? And this is their own wish - I have a brother too..My hubby treats them more as parents than in-laws..They stay with my brother too - but as I have said many a time I see nothing wrong in staying in a girl's house after marriage, none at all. She has the same responsibilities towards her parents after marriage that a guy has..Maybe ii meant something else and I understood it as something else..But these are just my viewpoints. According to me this is one aspect of feminism that I can nevere ever sacrifice - the idea of my parents coming and staying with me when they want to! I think I mentioned that in my earlier posts as well. I can say one thing a girl is not pariah dhan - to me that's an olllld old concept that needs to be tossed..

Don't get me wrong, a guy does owe responsibility towards his parents - as for Abhi's case, he already explained why he was staying with Simran. My point is a general point, I believe a girl owes as much responsibility towards her parents (and the guy is not doing his in-laws a favour) as he has towards his parents..

In Abhi's case the ideal situation would have been to stay in a separate place so both sets of parents could come and live with them. Just like when he was married to Neha, both Radha and Abhi's parents could come and stay with them. Otherwise where else could Radha go? Yes,s he could stay with Abhi's parents but a certain awkwardness of staying with the Sambandhis would be there. That way Abhi's parents were extremely understanding. Very nice set of in-laws.

Let me also add that if getting married meant giving up parents or throttling their freedom to come and stay with me - I would not have got married.... To me that's a ridiculously high price to pay. No offence meant to anyone here...

Edited by xyzzee - 19 years ago
Akshata thumbnail
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Posted: 19 years ago
#45
Pallavi,
According to me Abhi did not make the right decision because,theirs was a "much against the norms" marriage.They had had too many problems and needed to live by themselves.Simran was definitely the stronger personality and with a possessive father to add to it,Abhi was kind of over shadowed.His parents too had missed him for 18 years.They had lost their only daughter,so Abhi was their only child.
All these arrangements of who will stay with whom depends on circumstances...there should be no hard and fixed rule.
A daughter is as much a child to her parents as is a son.But I think it makes a world of difference whether the parents are living with the child or the child is living with them.

We discussed it in some other thread that when the couple lives seperately,the adjustment is made by both, but the presence of any set of parents will most definitely affect the behaviour of the one who is in a minority.

In real life there can be no rules to decide these things.To each his own(opinion and arrangement).

Cheers
Akshata

xyzee thumbnail
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Posted: 19 years ago
#46

Originally posted by: Akshata

Pallavi,
According to me Abhi did not make the right decision because,theirs was a "much against the norms" marriage.They had had too many problems and needed to live by themselves.Simran was definitely the stronger personality and with a possessive father to add to it,Abhi was kind of over shadowed.

Exactly what I mentioned in my reply above, Akshata:-) I was talking from a general standpoint/traditional beliefs etc. Not just pertaining to Abhi-Simran.

I agree 200% on this - "We discussed it in some other thread that when the couple lives seperately,the adjustment is made by both, but the presence of any set of parents will most definitely affect the behaviour of the one who is in a minority. "

The best arrangement would have been to stay by themselves in the Abhi-Simran case, though I do not believe that in Abhi's case he was being a Ghar Jamaai...

I guess my point was and always has been that a girl's parents have as much right to stay with her as a son's does. I was also putting aside all of Mr. Mathur's personality - just the situation of a girl's parents staying with them.

Edited by xyzzee - 19 years ago
vazz thumbnail
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Posted: 19 years ago
#47
I wanted to comment on II's post.. about woman respecting her man and her family. It is true that when one marries, the lady marries the family and not only the man. A man should be respected even if he is a dud. etc. The problem is that though that happens, the vice versa is not always happening. There are way too many instances of men dominating the households that some times I do not see the men treating the women with respect.
Unfortunately I do not know the upanishads or the Indian 'granths' well, so I cannot quote anything. Respect CANNOT be demanded. It is a give and take road. If a woman does not respect her man and the man does respect her, then it may not be the feminism, but it could be defect of hers. If a man does not respect the woman, then what is it? We call the man arrogant, egoistic and leave it at that.

People in some houses may not ask the boy in the house to be like the girl because in their minds and conscience they may have the feeling that the girl is not being equal opportunity.

Why does a boy need to behave like a girl or the other way around? Let the kids develop on their own, keeping their instincts and behavioural traits original to their sex and see how the blossom.

About Simran's dad living with Simran ... is an issue that needs to be addressed by the author. He should have shown how the couple spends time with Simran's dad and Abhi's parents. After all it is about spending time. Simran could have stayed for a few days in her in-laws place. Abhi's parents could have visited her when her dad was away.... and these little things make all the difference to our parents.
xyzee thumbnail
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Posted: 19 years ago
#48
Vasantha, I agree with you for the most part. Let me also add that when 2 people marry, it is NOT just the girl who marries the boy's family. It is the coming together of 2 families....It is the marriage between 2 families....When I got married, I did not think my parents' family lost a member but rather that the number of members increased by one! Same with my hubby's parents! His family increased by one member. Life cannot be a one way road..
Edited by xyzzee - 19 years ago
vazz thumbnail
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Posted: 19 years ago
#49

Originally posted by: xyzzee

Vasantha, I agree with you for the most part. Let me also add that when 2 people marry, it is NOT just the girl who marries the boy's family. It is the coming together of 2 families....It is the marriage between 2 families....When I got married, I did not think my parents' family lost a member but rather that the number of members increased by one! Same with my hubby's parents! His family increased by one member. Life cannot be a one way road..

Yup.. I forgot to add the part that when the guy marries, he also marries the family of the girl.. he needs to also acknowledge that.

There are many families that do not have the equation right and we see that the girls are the ones to suffer more out of this situation than the guys. The men folk who are dominated by women are in minority. The problem is that it is not about domination one partner over the other in a marriage. Husband and Wife is to act like a team.. not rivals. Sometimes the husband takes the lead in the team, sometimes the wife.. that is the way things should be... but not all women may agree to this or not all men may agree.. I wish they did... 😊

Kruts thumbnail
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Posted: 19 years ago
#50

Originally posted by: innocentindian

OK guys (or should I just say gals? 😳 )….nopes, Ill just say "Hello Ladies" 😃 …my sincere apologies for not replying earlier….just one those things, u know…I was going to write earlier in the week, but was having problems logging on…and then I also thought perhaps you guys (sorry, gals…sorry, ladies) might thing what is this tuppence he's put up! And then I got frightened… 😕.

rriiiiiight...no, i dont believe you got frightened...just busy 😉

I wont go into the definition of the word as it has already been defined so well…and all of it makes sense, so I just concur… 👏

(I think this has been said already...)
It's all very well saying that men and women are equal, but from what I can see, well, they just ain't. 😉 Not only are they worlds apart physically, but they are totally dissimilar mentally as well…it has been asked how often do women grope men? Ummm, well, I think we all know the answer, but it is also very true to say there are many women who look so simplistic and naive in the exterior, but who do tend to get their upper body very (and I mean very as in totally) close to a man and thereby get themselves felt. OK, peeps here may want to throw eggs at me for that comment, but it does happen, and each time it is surprising at who the lady is…so where basic human instincts are concerned, each and every one of us can be as guilty as the other….

Yup, but on an average men do tend to be more aggressive physically than women - emphasis on 'average'

Men don't give birth, but without them, it just can't be done.

Yeah, i agree - however a good sperm bank can eliminate the need for men 😆 I am kidding of course, you are right.

Women get one opportunity a month to give birth, but man! that one opportunity can sometimes (so often) cause so many other problems!!! I am talking about PMS!!! Men don't get it, but they do suffer its effect! Although I am sure there is a male equivalent, it is certainly not as rife (yet anyway) in this age of irregular eating habits, and irregular living habits. (And also, lets not go into that one here). Can I ask you all a question please? If u don't mind? But why do women explode and display the full symptoms of PMS upon the mere mention of the word(s) PMS? Please, someone, enlighten me…. 🤢 😳 😃

OOOOOoooooo...i think that telling a woman that she has PMS is a surefire way to start a fight...the reason being that hormones typically cause stress in the woman around that time of the month. At that time she becomes particularly sensitive to everything and everyone around her. The problem with most males is that there is a tendency to take things for granted. Most women feel neglected and hence react especially when their sensitivities are at a peak. It is probable that at other times women merely ignore some of the behaviors displayed by men. For example - you can tell a guy a million-billion times to put down the toilet seat, or to place laundry after showering in the hamper - it takes years before men get this right unless they have lived with their parents (esp. mothers) all their lives. Now in ordinary circumstances, a woman can ignore this or merely state that "you forgot this AGAIN" but during PMS, it becomes an irritant. Many women do not have any PMS at all...but i think it basically depends on many other factors in the woman's life. I actually feel that there are some days in the month when men get antsy and display weird symptoms also...but this is just IMHO.

You see, there are many many differences between the two sexes… the fact that one is a son and one a daughter is just to expose the obvious differences. If, in a family, a daughter is like a son, then that is OK. But will it be equally OK for the son to behave like a daughter? 😉

I think you confused the issue of 'a daughter is like a son' versus 'a daughter behaves like a son' - the former refers to independence and self-worth whereas the latter refers to behavioral patterns. For instance, growing up i was a tomboy - while my parents adored my independence and respected it, more than once i was taken to task for 'behaving' like a boy! I hope this clarifies the difference 😃

As far as I am concerned, it is perfectly alright for a woman to go to work and expect to be treated equally to a man. She should expect the same benefits, and there is no reason why she can't be as good, if not better, than the man at whatever it is she is doing. However, you have to bear in mind that many woman themselves choose to stay at home and look after the family (Thank GOD, cos the man would probably make a right dogs-dinner of it all!). And this decision on the woman's part should be equally respected. In fact, how many of the ladies here don't go to work, and that too out of choice? If it is a choice, then this is something that should also be respected.

Amen to that!! BTW, i do think that men can do a good job even at home.. the roots of feeling inadequate lie in social norms that have been ingrained into us for so many years. I have known men who are home-makers and do a fabulous job. Heck, if i look at my own life...i believe that lynn would be a better homemaker than i can ever be - assuming it was required of one of us for whatever reason!! 😆

You see, these things are based on personal choices, but as far as I am concerned, and according to my observances, I feel a woman has a role in the family and sometimes she has to accept it, like it or not, and make the best of it.

Ummmm....define role!

Hope u guys don't mind, but once again, I shall refer to the raamacharitamaanaasa, in which a woman, Ansuyaji, tells Sitaji, another woman, that a woman should respect her husband even if he is old, dull-headed, sick, indigent, deaf, poor, wrathful or wretched….etc….despite all this, he should be respected.(I'm sorry, I am not able to reproduce the translation here, but I do have a jpeg of the translation if anyone wants it). Now, by all this, I don't mean a husband need be worshipped literally like GOD, and bowed down to umpteen times a day. No, he should be respected despite not wanting to. I have seen that when this doesn't happen, then the feminist woman who is a "mahila-mukti-morchaki-maha-mantri" will then go on to damage herself mentally. This is because, I feel, that woman needed to force themselves to respect their other half because if they don't then it is as if they loose out on a very necessary and integral part of their life and soul. i.e. her husband. A married woman needs him (certainly as per the Indian mentality).

Like some of the others have said in this thread...it is a matter of mutual respect and deference...if woman does not get respected than showing respect for her other half is self-inflicting. In the Ramcharitmanas - why did sita have to give an agnipariksha but even though Ram stopped at Shabri's place, he didnt have to?? How come Sita had to leave to go to the forest when Ram was considered blameless even though he had taken responsibility of Sita's protection when he went to the forest with her? dont get me wrong, i have the logical, philosophical, and mythological answers to all these questions but it does not detract from the fact that rules were different for men and women, regardless.

It's almost as if the dialogue between the 2 women that i mentioned is to actually protext the woman from herself!......I know there are extreme circumstances where this does not apply, but that is another topic. I am not saying the above applies 100% of the time. But the woman really should accept her husband, for her own sake. She should accept her husbands family as well and try to make the best of it. This, I feel, will lead to her leading a more happier and fulfilling life. I'm not sure I have explained myself very well in this paragraph, but please do try and understand what I am saying…it's just that I don't have the time to think and write more clearly, but thought I should contribute here. I will further say that I don't think it is something I can approve of for the man to go stay the the girls house. Abhi left his parents and went to stay at simran's. I didn't agree with that, but I can accept their were extenuating circumstances there.

I dont see anything wrong with a man moving in with a woman - esp. if she is his wife. In today's day and age there are many successful women also...a decision that benefits both parties involved does need to be taken. It is the basic of the principle of pareto optimality - life is pareto optimal as long as at least one of the people involved benefits without causing any harm to any of the others. I mean if the alternative to such a move is splitting up, then it is better to have a compromise which allows for both people to at least be with each other. Another for instance here - i might be moving as a result of my job in the next few months. Lynn has two choices - move with me or split up with me since i have spent 27 years of my life in achieving my goals. There was never any debate over this between us and he actually suggested that we move together to wherever i go. Now, is this a question of lack of mutual respect? NO. It is a question of the fact that he has established his career and he had my support through that. Now he is returning the favor! I hope this makes sense...but male-female roles are distorted these days...and that is not necessarily a bad thing 😃

Can I also say, that as a man, I also feel that quite often, the term "weaker sex" can more often than not, refer to us men. Ladies, we are totally lost without out woman. Really. It's no good without the woman. Really.

Hehehehehe...I think men can do just fine without women also...but i do see your point!

Peeps, I've gone on and on. Please do give me your comments, but please don't burn any bra's (cos I think men in fact really do want you to do that – you see, they have an ulterior motive!)…and please don't bite my head off. I don't know any of u personally, probably never will, so no offence is directed at any of you dear ladies. In general, I do agree with what most of u have written, perhaps more with srees and kruts postings…so any eggs sent my way should be targeted at them first. 😉

Nah, no bra-burnings here...and i guess nobody will bite your head off. Thanks for your inputs. I hope my explanations have not offended you in any way...i was simply clarifying some common differences that even intelligent men (such as yourself) and intelligent women (such as the rest of us) have in terms of thinking!😃

I know this was posted late, but please do reply if u can, even if another "Thinker's" thread has been started. Thanks peeps.


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