Obligations can be universal or individualistic.
Life is busy. There are daily concerns and obligations that have to be met, and to take time to think
about how precious and special a human life is that you only get one, and that every wasted minute is lost. You can't get it back.
Sometimes I feel like, I want to wake up every day and do whatever comes in my mind, and not feel pressure or obligations to do anything else in my life.
There are numerous personal obligations, like as a child you face parental obligation and when you become a parent you are still obligated.
We are obligated to talk in a certain way, obligated to dress accordingly, obligated to get married at the right age, obligated to perform our duties, obligated to earn to support a standard lifestyle, obligated not to express our views on controversial issues, obligated to fit into society, obligated to ......
Lets not get into the sensitive details.
Jan 2014, For sometime I felt obligated to help my good friend financially, I refused as I was not convinced by the reasons provided. I ended up loosing that friend, He speaks to me no more.
There is a huge set of moral obligation, which we are taught from the beginning and as we grow we tend to question them.
What we need to understand is that when traditions become laws, rules, obligations and expectations others put on us that we don't want to fulfill, then they lose real meaning and steal the joy from our lives.
Off course there are professional obligations which need to be catered whether you like or not !
I try to remember and practice that My only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to myself. If I fail at it then Being true to anyone else or anything else is only Impossible !
Have you ever felt obligated? Do you feel obligated now? Tell me about it !
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We all go through this during phases of life...what you wrote about today could relate to that totally . The line where you spoke about being obliged to one's true self ...I just loved that :)
ReplyDeleteSomehow the word obligation has a negative aura around it I feel.. Kinda forces one to do it.. If we start feeling something as an obligation, that should mean we re no longer interested in doing it rite?
ReplyDeleteGS at Moontime Tunes
some where we all find harmony between obligation and perception. The earlier we find it, the more we smile :)
ReplyDeleteHey Ananya, it's an interesting perspective an Obligation which is actually very complex and blurred. I feel that we tend to go through the phase like with parents or with friends. However, it shouldn't be forced on us like the way it is socially constructed or else we become in conflict with ourselves-self growth and obligations.
ReplyDeleteObligation is a really overloaded wrod. You feel bad after you do it and you feel bad even when you don't do it. I have lost more friends becasue I tired to 'obligate'. I suppose the old saying holds true. 'Do your deed and forget about it ")
ReplyDeleteYes, I feel obligated to my responsibility as a elder son. Thanks, ananya. It was a good read! :D
ReplyDeleteIt is so easy to feel weighed down by 'oughts' and 'shoulds' when in fact those things are optional and some of them may not be good for us or for those closest to us. I find it helpful to look at responsibility rather than obligation. I do have some responsibilities but I need to remember to review them so I am not taking on too much or things that should actually be dealt with by others!
ReplyDeleteYes, we all are obligated for something or the other...either family, friends, kids or society. As a human, we have some moral obligations, some ethical, some logical....We never are free birds, are we? If we are, I don't think we can live in a society.
ReplyDeleteObligated to get married at the right age? Oops, I blew that one...
ReplyDeleteLiz A. from Laws of Gravity
You look beautiful in the picture :-) and yes, we like it or not, have to feel and act obliged most of the time. I don't think it is really worth it though!
ReplyDelete"Obligation" has a negative connotation to it and one sort of feels cornered into doing something against our grain, isn't it? It's good to be free from all obligations. And don't worry about losing that friend, Ananya. A true friend never leaves you.
ReplyDeleteObligations, what would the world be without them?
ReplyDeleteEverybody has certain obligations in life, it's true. The question is, which ones are actual and which ones are perceived. I think we need to make that distinction. The "friend" who is no longer speaking to you? You are well rid of him. He was not a true friend.
ReplyDeleteIs that you in the picture?! :)
ReplyDeleteSociety is to be blamed for more than half the obligations that we face today. Who made them up anyway? Shouldn't it be our right to be the way we want to? Its a crazy world out there.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm glad you got rid of that friend. He was not worth it.
I think when we live in a society and become a part of a family we have our own set of obligations. And for a women it's still more, as she is bound by the rules in society. I think to be free from obligation we would have to renounce and live the life of hermit :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I also were ignored by couple friends of ours when we couldn't lend them money...They were already living on EMIs and wanted more money for a flat screen television...We couldn't understand why and hence said we couldn't..The next day we were unfriended in FB...!
ReplyDeleteO for Ostracized-Random Thoughts Naba
I always feel obligated, being born in a traditional family puts lots of duties on your shoulder and even if you have plans and things that you want to do...you still have to give first priority to your duties. I think the challenge is to complete your duties and then have the whole time to your passions. The only solution I saw was not taking up any more duties than I already have. :) :D
ReplyDeleteWe are always obligated to something or someone but the first obligation I feel is towards ourself. It might sound selfish but that's me
ReplyDeletePhenoMenon
http://throodalookingglass.com/2014/04/oats-interesting-ways-to-eat/
We all feel the obligation weighing us down at some point of life. Its just about how we overcome them and live life !! :)
ReplyDeleteObligation has a negative connotation and it makes an ordinarily pleasant task a cumbersome liability.
ReplyDeleteObligation I think we all feel at some point or the other..but we have to take a call for self and sometimes break these obligations..otherwise it will be too much
ReplyDeletehttp://ashalifeishope.blogspot.in/2014/04/optimist-vs-opportunist.html
To Overcome Obligations have a talk Over a cup of coffee and haldirams Aloo bhujiya!! What say Ananya di?
ReplyDelete~S(t)ri
Participant|AtoZ Challenge 2014
Smile, it makes (y)our day!
Obligations sometimes become a learning phase either on oneself or on the psychology of another person. And for a women, it becomes a part of their life and doubles up on getting married.
ReplyDeleteYes obligations are a sort of burden.You put it rightly that the only obligation is ,to be true to self !
ReplyDeleteWe all have obligations....
ReplyDeleteIts only that sometimes it is done with happiness....and many a times its forced
Obligations are for everyone but we must never be buried under them. Great strength for you that you don't suffer because of them.
ReplyDeleteNice posts from you, always a pleasure to read them.
Yes, even if it's something as subtle as being on time somewhere. I think if we sat down and made a list, we'd all find we feel obligated A LOT more than we think we do. This is a great post. Gets one to thinking, especially when you think of all the different societies in our world today. Something I might feel obligated to do or pay respect to, might be insulting, or irrelevant in a different society.
ReplyDeleteObligations are no fun. I hate it when friends try to take advantage of your good nature and ask for financial help, have lost a couple of them due to my sensible nature of being logical instead of emotional.
ReplyDeleteI really don't like feeling obligated to do something. It brings out the rebel in me!
ReplyDeleteThanks guys, I really appreciate your efforts by sharing with us your views on OBLIGATIONS !
ReplyDeleteI have a 10 y.o daughter who spent two days in the hospital and way more than that sick at home in March. I felt obligation big time.
ReplyDeletebecoming an adult, one is faced with a plethora of obligations.
ReplyDeletefrankly my dear
Outstanding write!
ReplyDeleteYes, at some point or other we have all felt the weight of obligations. Anything when done more out of a compulsion or the feeling of "ought" can actually drain you out of the real emotion. A good write-up on a sensitive topic.
ReplyDeleteObligations are a part of our day to day life... what would life be without it.. (kept me thinking for a while)... :)
ReplyDeleteSo true Ananya, I guess no matter what we do, we are always bound by the laws of obligations and my gosh they are always so big and meaningless. It is as though a whole set of responsibilities which we never agreed to in Life!! God bless our souls! :)
ReplyDeletei believe god create the word obligations as soon as he created mankind ... because he knew the moment we don't have obligations... we will cease to exist ...
ReplyDelete