The roles we play.

In our relationships with others, we play a variety of roles. We might be a parent, partner, professional and party clown all rolled into one. If our personality is integrated, our roles flow smoothly without too much strain.

But if the aspects of our personality are not cohesive and assimilated, we often force ourselves to wear masks in our dealings with others and this can be exhausting.

First we have to calculate what kind of face will have the desired effect and then we have to wear it, even if it doesn't reflect who we really are deep inside. We become prisoners of our images, unable to express the simple truth of who we are.   

A few years ago, I was privileged to experience the gentle humour of the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu at an interfaith breakfast in Seattle. Like innocent children, the two luminaries joked and bantered with each other and broke into prolonged peals of laughter. Suddenly, Archbishop Tutu became serious and said to the Dalai Lama, "Your holiness, this laughter must stop! After all, our guests think we are holy people. We have an image to uphold". At that, we all roared with laughter.

- Imam Jamal Rahman

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Deliverance is not for me in renunciation. I feel the embrace of freedom in a thousand bonds of delight.

Thou ever pourest for me the fresh draught of thy wine of various colours and fragrance, filling this earthen vessel to the brim.

My world will light its hundred different lamps with thy flame and place them before the altar of thy temple.

No. I will never shut the doors of my senses. The delights of sight and hearing and touch will bear thy delight. Yes, all my illusions will burn into illumination of joy and all my desires ripen into fruits of love.

- Rabindranath Tagore

Gitanjali, verse 73

Tailpiece.

Got up around 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. The courier for me had fetched up around a half past 10. We, then, went by Unnikkuttan's auto rickshaw to the town for sundries.

On our return, Suma kunjamma was waiting at The Quarterdeck, after having arrived about 10' before us. A boisterous lunch.

In the evening by around a half past 5, Suma kunjamma and Lekha had gone to the Guruvayur temple and the Thiruvenkidam temple. They had returned by a quarter to 8.