Borders are for people...

For the past few days, I have been mesmerized by the opening lyrics of a song from the Bollywood film, Refugee (2000) directed by JP Dutta, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor. With music by Anu Malik and lyrics by Javed Akhtar, the song Panchhi Nadiyan Pawan Ke was sung by Sonu Nigam & Alka Yagnik.

Panchhi nadiyan pawan ke jhoken (Birds, rivers, gusts of wind)

Koi sarhad naa inhe roke (No border inhibits them)

Sarhaden insaano ke liye hain (Borders are for people)

Socho, tumne aur maine (Think about it, what have you and I)

Kya paaya insaan hoke (Obtained by being born as humans?)

Many of us are taking emotional stock take of our lives as 2011 draws to a close. This song speaks about what it means to be born as a human and how birds, rivers and gusts of wind have no borders which inhibits them. I don't know about you, but it's almost as if I envy birds, rivers, mountains, flowers and trees. Compared to these natural beauties, we are on this earth for far less than they will be. As humans, we continue to be arrogant, we hate more than we love and we worship material goods far too much.

What does it mean to live a simple life?

For me, it means having few or no material items. Think about it - the less we have, the less we have to worry about it. How often do we go away on holiday and immerse ourselves into complete relaxation mode? More often than not, we're worried about our home that is locked up and guarded by a security alarm. A house filled with valuables. Electronics? Computers, laptops, TVs, DVD players, DVDs. The list could go on.

Imagine what life would be like as an animal - either wild or domesticated. What about life as a plant? As a tree...living through harsh weather conditions, yet still remaining strong and majestic.

Simply put, we live in a harsh world. Deadly diseases and crime rob us of our loved ones on a daily basis. We gossip about others to feel better about ourselves and kill our soul with that six letter word called "STRESS".

If you're reading this, no doubt you're a fully functional person. We can't suddenly transform into a sunflower, river or a mountain. However, while we're here on earth, let's try to love "things" less and people more.
This brings me to another quote I read recently:

People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos, is because things are being loved...and people are being used.

The more I think about it, the more I would love to be reincarnated as a part of nature - a bird who soars freely through the open skies, a mountain - standing tall and proud, or a rippling brook...drifting into a river and the ocean. Never-ending. Without any borders. Borders are for people.