Why?

During tense days or lonely nights, there are questions that go through our minds. Questions that may or may not have answers but ones that keep coming our way every now and then. Questions varying from ones that are debatable and could lead to outrage to questions that could lead us to peace if at all we pay attention and find solutions for them. The first step however, could be to jot them down, in hope of being able to sort them one after the other and to have a peaceful sleep.

Why is it that we want equality among genders but we aren't okay with a woman running a roadside pan shop? Why is it that most of us offer to drop a female friend home when its late in the night but not a male one? Why is it that a man's income is the primary source of running a household but if a women earns in the same family, her income is at her own disposal? Why is it a big deal if a man cooks dinner as a routine instead of his mother, wife or daughter? Why is it that there are reserved seats in a public transport for women but not for men? Why is it that in a quest for gender equality, we start undermining the other sex?

Why is it that a foreigner sits along with a roadside cobbler while getting his shoes repaired but an Indian is reluctant to do so? Why is it that few folks don't dine with others only because of the family they belong to? Why is it that in primary school, references of a bright faced girl and a dark one are used to explain the meanings of beautiful and ugly respectively? Why is it a taboo for a Hindu person to visit her friend for Ramzan - when she has the option to not feed on selective items or not dine there at all, but what is the harm in celebrating together? Why is it that the skin colour of a person determines their personality and not their morals and values?

Why do we fail to express our emotions to folks we really care about? Why is a man considered weak if he breaks down? Why is it that we let go of people we love only because we are too afraid to bend a little to accommodate them in our lives? Why is it that we are polite with strangers but not with our siblings when it comes to making a mistake? Why are we so afraid to offer a non-trivial opinion to our family and instead chose to stay away and let the relation break? Why is it that we expect everybody to be happy with their lives? Why do we consider mental therapy a taboo when it can help our families and friends lead a stable and sane life?

Late in the night when such questions take control of our minds, it is very common for us to get into a conversation with ourselves. In these conversations, we either try to justify the injustice and explain the current state of affairs or we offer solutions that would lead to an ideal world. However, this remains limited to our mind. What is it that keeps us from sharing it publicly and having an open debate? How is not speaking helping anyone of us, when we continue to argue with different versions of ourselves on topics that keep our interest? The first step however is to know what it is that genuinely helps us attain peace. We need to understand that everyone might have different opinions and perspectives with regards to these questions. There is a need to acknowledge how we all love diversity and hence a difference in opinion is indeed essential. After all, who likes to see the same sunset hues every evening?