I watched a documentary about the Amish people in America. As usual, I went through some of the comments. Most were negative, pointing out the perceived vices within the Amish community and criticizing them for missing out on modern life while selectively using its conveniences. Many noted that the young girls and women in the documentary appeared sad, supposedly under the control of their elders, even though they are given the chance to secure their freedom—temporarily boycotted during that period but welcomed back if they return. Whereas we live a self-exiled life within family, community, society, and even in social groups—engaging in a game of “kabaddi-kabaddi,” a constant cycle of touch and run, or more aptly, “hit and run.” Reflecting on these observations, however, I began to wonder: What have we gained from all our modernity, and what have they achieved by forgoing it?
The Amish, at least, still live as ‘humans,’ connected to nature and closely related to each other, while we have become little more than data controlled by social media. We laugh with those who don’t laugh with us and weep for those who don’t weep with us, especially in the world of YouTube and other online platforms. Such criticism of the Amish is unsurprising, as they live amid a society steeped in individualism—a concept entirely absent in Amish communities, where they prioritize the collective over the individual. Meanwhile, under the same roofs, we sit isolated, consumed by our screens, barely acknowledging those physically closest to us. Conversations are often met with silence, and if there’s any response at all, it’s limited to an emoji—a token gesture, more about self-interest than any genuine connection.
What some call a burden among us—like the increased prevalence of genetic conditions due to marrying within their community—is seen by them as a gift from God. Even in our society, with all our precautions, we still face the presence of special individuals, physically and mentally challenged. Yet those who criticize the Amish lifestyle often seem to imagine that they themselves live in vice-free societies, filled with uninterrupted joy and all the conveniences of modern life. But as our lives grow increasingly complicated despite these conveniences, what we have truly gained is questionable. In comparison, what the Amish have achieved is profound: they have preserved a way of life that remains authentically human, while we are becoming little more than data.
After watching and read the comments, sat for meditation and as inspiration came I wrote this song. Very difficult to translate in another language. But I will try my best.
Kudil, [ashram] 8-11-2024 6.00 am
Secular Song 668 True State
1
Though I have freedom,
I am still in prison,
Though I gained liberation,
I stay in the cage.
2
Unaware of what I achieved,
Unclear about what I received,
Life continues onward,
What can I call it?
3
What I desired
I never attained,
What I didn’t want
Never disappeared.
4
Caught between the two,
Struggling within,
How can I conquer
This wavering state?
5
To regain what I left
To leave what I have gained,
I endlessly strive,
Battling in vain.
6
What I left and gained
Both fade away,
What remains within,
I cannot understand.
7
Life lived is unknown,
What I understood, I didn’t live,
What I know now
Was never my life.
8
Shall I live by understanding
Or understand by living?
This confusion lingers
Without end.
9
Where is the answer
To end this search?
Will I understand
The answer I receive?
10
Questions remain unanswered,
Though answers come to me,
Even with solutions,
They bring no use.
11
Thinking “let it be,”
I wrote it down,
But while reading back,
I realized nothing.
12
Why did I write it?
What did I write?
Even that
Remains unclear.
13
This is, indeed,
My true state—
A sense within,
Now that I feel.
14
Breaking free from the cage,
Gaining liberation,
I soar free at last,
Finding true freedom.
Kudil [ashram] , 7-11-2024, 11. 45
Secular Song 668 உண்மை நிலை
1
விடுதலை பெற்றும்
சிறையில் இருந்து
சுதந்திரம் அடைந்தும்
கூண்டில் கிடந்து
2
அடைந்தும் அறியாமல்
கிடைத்தும் புரியாமல்
சென்றிடும் வாழ்வை
என்ன சொல்ல
3
விரும்பிய ஒன்று
கிடைக்க வில்லை
வேண்டா ஒன்று
மறைய வில்லை
4
இரண்டின் இடையே
அகப்பட்டுக் கொண்டு
திண்டாடும் நிலையை
எப்படி வெல்ல
5
விட்டதை பெறவும்
பெற்றதை விடவும்
இடைவிடாது
போராடும் போது
6
விட்டது பெற்றது
இரண்டும் மறைய
உள்ளது எதுவென
புரியவும் இல்லை
7
வாழும் வாழ்வு
புரிய வில்லை
புரிந்த ஒன்றை
வாழவில்லை
8
புரிந்து வாழ்வதா
வாழ்ந்து புரிவதா
என்ற குழப்பம்
தீரவும் இல்லை
9
இதற்கு விடையும்
எங்கு கிடைக்கும்
கிடைக்கும் விடையும்
எப்படிப் புரியும்
10
என்ற கேள்விக்கு
பதில் தெரியாமல்
விடை கிடைத்தும்
பயனும் இல்லை
11
எதற்கும் இருக்கட்டும்
என்று எண்ணி
எழுதி வைத்து
படித்த போது
12
எதற்கு எழுதினோம்
என்ன எழுதினோம்
என்பது கூட
விளங்கவே இல்லை
13
இதுவே எனது
உண்மை நிலையென
உணர்வு உள்ளே
வந்த பின்னே
14
கூண்டை உடைத்து
விடுதலைப் பெற்று
பறந்து செல்லும்
சுதந்திரம் அடைந்தேன்
குடில், 7-11-2024, 11.45
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