We have all heard it, and known it. Home is where the heart is.
But the heart is very fickle. Our ideas and our needs change as we traverse the rough roads of life.
So where is home? Does it change as we make new friends,build new relationships, identify favorite stores? Can we be at home in more than one place?
I sometimes envy people who have had the privilege of living their whole lives where they were born. It must be so easy to feel at home always, to grow with your city, suburb or village, to continue with old hangouts and old friends. How comfortable it must be to belong so unconditionally, to be rooted so strongly.
I am torn at times because I love both my homes, India and the US, equally. And I miss being in one when I am in the other for too long. It is a privilege I am keenly aware of and grateful for.
But today the political climate in both homelands is unstable. Intolerance encouraged for political benefit has, as always, created strife and instability for the general population. Hate sears all in its path, it scars even those who are not its target. Unleashing injustice against one community or one particular section of society makes everyone insecure and unsafe. I cannot even begin to discuss how very wrong it is to selectively oppress one section of the country's people. I am only pointing out one practical ramification .I notice that evil people are also stupid. They cannot see that history shows that every time hate or oppression or aggravation motivates action, entire countries suffer. Or maybe that is exactly what they want.
Home is eventually where you feel safe. Safe in your person and property of course, but more importantly safe in your beliefs, values and priorities. Home is where you feel comfortable expressing yourself, learning and growing to be able to contribute to society. If that security is not being provided to a community in my country, it is definitely, eventually, whether I accept it or not, going to make me insecure too.
And that makes me wonder- do I need to look for another home now?
