Bibles/47

My friend Sandhya Mudumbi sent me the following reflection, which reminds me of the chapter in The Book of Mev, “The Gospel according to the State Department.” The following contains some of Sandhya’s “storehouse of operative scripture.”

We must form our own Bibles, our own scriptures. That is a revolutionary statement for me, because my whole life I have been told to follow this scripture, that one, if you don’t you will not succeed. You must study. You must listen to your parents. You must not drink. You must not eat meat. Why? Now it has come time to question the bibles that have followed me to this day. What is the end of these “scriptures”? Is it happiness? Is it union with god? I guess my ultimate end is happiness, here and now. I want to be a product of my past, living in the now, but hopeful for the future. What I really love about my parents’ bibles is the respect and humbleness they have taught me to have for everything in life – people, animals, plant, every thing material or immaterial one has acquired in life. I hate their bible of acquiring material wealth and of sticking staunchly to cultural traditions, and not expanding to what makes you happy.

The beginnings of my Bible:

1) Do what makes you happy without directly hurting others.

2) Knowledge is not worth having unless it changes you.

3) You must experience any theory you believe to know or follow it.

4) Do not allow yourself a busy schedule in which you do not have time to breathe.

5) Find peace in solitude.

6) Enjoy good company, avoid bad company. Good company = people who are honest with you and motivate you to be who you want to be. Avoid people that make you unhappy, if you have the choice. If you do not have a choice, find peace in helping them, if you are unable to help them, let them be.

7) Do not chase money.

8) Life is the same, you change.

9) Find an art that satisfies you.

10) Traditions are there to guide you, not to rule you.

11) Smile at least once every minute, Laugh at least once every hour, and Cry when you must. Follow the actions in your life that allow you to do this.

12) Do not indulge, do what you want, but in moderation.

13) Reflect on your life, on your actions, on your thoughts often.

14) Find a physical activity that relaxes you and also maintains your body– dance, yoga, exercise.

15) Unhappiness results from questioning what is true. So first, find the truth, and then learn to slowly accept it.

I guess what I’m wondering next, is how can I take responsibility for this premature bible of mine? I follow these guidelines, but what can I say to the people who do not understand that this is what makes me happy? How can I reconcile the relationships that will be lost because of this bible?

Sandhya graduates from Saint Louis University this May and has been accepted to Creighton University Medical School.