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Friday, November 25, 2016

Home is a feeling, not a place: Hiraeth of an Albatross

You might have experienced this in your life that some words or phrases have a special connection with us. When we hear them they may make us happy, angry or confused sometimes. One such word for me is 'Home'. It has a very mix feeling for me. It confuses me as well.

When I was young, I always wanted to have my own place, in which I have the full authority. Maybe I belong to the society where Men have a complete authority, which has always irritated me to the core. So, I had this unconscious desire to have my own place. Being a female, I have seen women as very vulnerable, so having my own home, this feeling alone gave me a sense of security.

When I was single, I was brought up with the concept that my parents home belongs to my brothers. I thought my husband home would be mine. Which is kind of mine, but it takes years to build this trust. I came to a new country with my husband, made many friends, some really good friends and again we have to move to another country. I am now in a phase where I am again making some new bonds to comfort me with the feeling of being at home.  I always struggle with this, the place I call home was the one which I have left years ago or the place I am currently living at.  But there is a phrase, "out of sight, out of mind", which scares me a lot. What if people I made good bonds with would forget me.

This seems something very ordinary, but many can relate to this. Especially, the age in which we are living in, this feeling of home has become even stronger and deeper for all. This is something, poor or rich, all can connect. We live in an age where there are no borders, we have become global citizens. This is a strange emotion and amazed me at times, have we really become global? We come to a new country in the hopes of security, a brighter future and fulfilling our dreams. And, sometimes we are left in total confusion. We have left our own homes in the hopes of dream homes and we are stranded. On the other hand, in the current global scenario, there are few unfortunate incidences, which force people to leave their own homes and sometimes countries. I really feel compassion for them.

Amidst all this mix feeling, this morning one of my friends shared an album about home. She shared the same feeling as I have for home and at the end, she concluded very well that home is not a place or address, it is a feeling. And, I realized, how simple and true is this.

Today, I read a Welsh word "Hiraeth", though I heard about this very first time, its literal meaning is hard to explain. But it seems so connecting.

Urban Loneliness and depression: Social mobility is one of the prices that we need to pay to afford the luxury of a modern lifestyle.  Along with this comes, a new term coined as Urban Loneliness and depression. Lack of social interaction, distrust, and shrinking communities are the root causes behind these symptoms.

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