Anthem

This should have been a part of the previous post but I was trying an experiment. I realized that, when I read the words (or their translation) while listening to the national anthems, they were all equally inspiring, one way or another. All of them extol progress with hard work, intellect and courage; all of them laud their land with 'milk and honey' qualities; all of them speak of brotherhood and faith and, you know, all those human qualities. Since I am really really neutral about nations per se, I decided to test myself a little. I used YouTube to find the anthems of a whole bunch of countries; chief among them countries that India has had a bit of trouble with somewhere in the past - Pakistan and China. I read a little about the history of their anthems and their meaning and context. Then I heard the anthems with the words (or translations) in front of me. I listened to the musical compositions as they were. And I realized, it doesn't really matter where you're from. There is a chance I'm getting myself into some trouble here, but I liked Pakistan's anthem too. As I did China's. As I did all the others I heard.

What makes us different? It isn't where we're from, but what we're taught, what part of that we learn and take up, and what we experience through our lives. History defines us much better than geography, and politics divides us much more effectively.

Reiteration: "India is my country. All Indians (except Fi) are my brothers and sisters. I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage...."

:-) But, seriously, I identified in some way with every one of the anthems I heard today. How many fences am I sitting on?