That thing you do

I was recently thinking about why people do the things they do, and it occurred to me that the reasons are not too many. I could think of the following as possible causes for people to act at all:

1. The thought that what they do will give them happiness
2. The thought that what they do will give somebody else happiness (this is actually not entirely true, and I'll come back to it in a moment)
3. The thought that what they do will give others pain. Sadists you may identify with this ;-) Actually, this also points back to 1 above, because the deeper motive for causing hurt to others is a (wrong) notion that that will give them happiness.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that there can be no more significant reasons than our own happiness that impels us to act in this world; reasons 2 and 3 mentioned above are really only special instances of reason 1.

Indian Weddings

"Traditional" Indian (Hindu) weddings are such a waste of time, effort and money. The parents of the bride and the groom go to great lengths to make sure that the event is grand (a substantial part of their savings goes into it) and yet, comments about how some things weren't simply up to the mark are inevitable. I'm sure most people know this, but they are so incredibly stuck to their traditions that they wouldn't dare do anything simpler.

I couldn't help observing at my cousin's wedding recently that people speak expected lines like "the food was great" (positive comment shared with others); and "the event was good, but the girl's father didn't even receive me" (negative comment shared with other gossipers) - as if it was a breach of conduct on the part of the girl's father if he didn't personally receive the thousand-odd people who pour in. In a huge gathering like this, it's virtually impossible to satisfy everybody, and yet, people insist on doing it.

A friend of mine was planning to get his marriage performed in the Arya Samaj style - where the priest / priestess chants mantras and explains their meanings to the assembled audience (after politely requesting them to remain silent when the ceremony starts). His bride-to-be was enthusiastic about the idea as well, but the parents of both put up a strong objection and said, with extreme contempt, "People of our caste don't do such things," as if simplicity was a sin, and any suggestion about spending less money was blasphemy. It is ironical that Arya Samaj weddings, which are generally known for their adherence to Vedic rites, are considered taboo among the Brahmin community.

Will we ever stop being hypocrites and blind followers of half-baked traditions?