Love is... transforming.

My cousin's engagement party last night was a traditional engagement with ceremony and protocol . Almost a wedding it was.  But what stood out was the end of the ceremony. With our family being predominantly Hindus and the engagement being a highly Charismatic Christian ceremony as the boy's side are Christians, it was high religious tension and an open minefield of possible exploding judgments. But after all the stifling protocol, my cousin brother made the most marvellous speech about how proud he was to have a sister who has turned out amazing, how much they love her and how happy they are to be welcoming her beloved into their family as he has made their sister so happy and is a great bloke all on his own, how their dad was definitely looking down and smiling, and finally how everyone present meant something because they had come with love and in the end that was what really mattered. Such a fitting finish to an event intiating the process of uniting two lives and two families. Everyone's hearts that were so trapped in Egoic protocol just a moment before that..melted. It was a miracle. It was so powerful the love coming from him..my cousin started crying and her mom and sister too. And their love..it just undid everyone. 

I live for moments like that. When i can see people just really being themselves from their heart..unscared. 

I see my generation doing more of that. Are we losing our culture? We certainly aren't as bothered to preserve all the protocol that have "rank and file reminder" display written all over them. We  are far happier to have meaningful ceremony without the elements that confine people into set roles. I think we are evolving our culture, not losing it or even worse, diluting it as our elders live in fear of us doing. We are more than happy to carry the costumes, the settings and the minor protocol that make us uniquely us without confining our identities. And so i believe we are not diluting, but purifying our culture by carrying into the future only those elements that will keep it relevant and heartfelt ...possibly the reason people invented ceremonies in the first place. As a genuine  expression from their hearts rather than convenient guidelines of behaviour to masquerade behind.  So perhaps, after all these years, last night i saw an amazing transformation that will set the pace for years to come for my generation. That we live unashamed of being true to ourselves. We are proud of where we have come from, but we are not trapped in our past. Our pride is of gratitude not superiority, so we are not ruled by the fear of losing our positions in the great scheme of things. 

Perfect Love drives out all fear. 

"Where there is no love, put love, and then you will find love." ~Mother Theresa

I would rather choose love over preserving cultural protocol any day. Because the latter can exclude love, as i have seen growing up, but the former has a way of making the protocol actually  meaningful, as i saw last night. 

Yes, living from the heart is... transforming.