Lets' talk about life

I've noticed since I've been here that many people just like talking about living as compared to living life. Some people talk all spiritual and it sounds as if they have thier life dialed. They do good for strangers, they're nice to poor people, etc. I find this chatter annoying at times.

Why not live life and not talk about living life. Just do what is right, don't talk about doing what you think is right. Sometimes, I'm nice to poor people, sometimes I'm not. For instance, I was painting today and this group of young adults came up to me and asked for some money. I was like, 'chello' (go in hindi) leave me alone. I assumed they were like these fake sadus that run around asking for backsheesh. Real sadu's (religious men) don't bother tourists jingling cans of coins. Real sadu's are too busy being religious.

So I disregarded these guys, but then one of the guys I know who was hanging out watching me paint, explained to me that it's a wedding and I should give five rupees. So I did. Then he explained to me, that the guy getting married was poor and that's how it was done around there. In families where the people have money, the family gives the newly weds cash, but in this case, he walks around town and does it. Needless to say, I felt a little bad, so I wandered around looking for him, to give him a little more.

As I was wandering around, I came across part of the wedding procession. In India, the groom rides around on a horse with loud music and a band before he heads over to the brides house. The group that was part of the wedding procession seemed funny at first.

They were dressed up in dirty old marching band uniforms, with some beat up dusty drums, pushing this heavy cart up this steep hill and having a terrible time of it. Their uniforms were half hanging off and none of them fit. The cart was falling backwards and they just seemed like one motley crew. I chuckled at the scene, but then thought about how it was kinda sad cause they were poor and doing the best they could for this celebration.

Mentally I compared it to a rich family who go through all this pomp and ceremony, but in reality thier procession is just the same as this poor family, but with more western glitz and glamor. Clean uniforms and shiney shoes don't make the wedding today, what makes it is friends and good company. This dirty looking group who were struggling to push up this cart, were laughing and joking the whole way up. Life is in the attitude of the people, not in anything else. Thier attitude was great, mine wasn't, but I changed it for the better.

I can talk about how I know how to live life and do right and be a great person, but we all make mistakes. We all make unnecessary judgements against people. I just try to acknowledge my ignorance and change my ways before I fall into the same old mental routines and stereotypes.

If I find that guy again, I'll be happy to help him out some more, if I don't I'll just help someone else out. That's the best I can do.