Reviving the art of genuflection!!

In the cavernous departure lobby of San Francisco International airport, I came upon this scene of an aged couple being sent off by their obviously despondent son. A few moments later the time for the final send off had come, without a word the man bent down , his right hand reaching for the momentarily hallowed ground in proximity to his parent's feet & after performing the act of genuflection stood again like he was , then without a word the couple disappeared into the rabble that is modern day airport security.

"Why do they do that? " chimed a voice in proximity to me , I turned to my right to see two sweatshirt clad teenagers seated on the table beside me. Having figured that they had some time to kill they had taken to do some people watching. Their subject of interest quickly turned to this fair lass whose comeliness promised to provide much more fodder to the conversation that was to follow.

But their now rhetorical question had given me my "east vs west" moment of the day, quite obviously the actors in this drama were Indians while their fleetingly curious audience were thoroughly caucasian. Somewhere in this interplay the poignant yet powerful act of genuflection that the Indian man indulged stood out , & the abiding question that emerged was related to its place in the coming times.

The act of genuflection has a chequered past, alternatively elevated by inspired devotion or extorted by the unforgiving sword. Some have demanded it , yet others have coveted it while a few have truly attained it. History is replete with tyrants who have shed blood because of genuflection or lack thereof. Absolute autocrats were particularly prickly about perceived slights,needless to say they got their kicks from seeing forcibly bent posteriors.On the other end there are many who have have been genuflected to without any stated expectation.

Probably it is this schizophrenic nature coupled with that great manifestation of modern times namely 'Individualism' which probably inhibits one from indulging in genuflection. Maybe we see it as a superfluous antiquity. Maybe it runs counter to our self image as as contemporary & unbending both physically & metaphorically.Maybe we view it as an anachronism whose time has come & gone. Maybe we see it as a way of establishing hierarchies when we strive for a world without one or maybe it is because we don't see instances of it.

But the fact remains genuflection is actually purely an expression of free will & it is probably a singular way of showing respect to the recipient. You can probably use words to express respect but just like a picture is much better that a thousand words, so is a gesture. I happened to watch Ronald Reagan's funeral & I saw a number of members of the armed forces go on their knees to demonstrate respect, not a word was spoken, but the gravitas of the scene said it all.

The West might get a pass here as there is no established tradition of genuflection, but I find it disturbing that in the guise of aping the west, even countries with evolved cultures of genuflection are now abandoning it . If the Japanese no longer bow, if the Indians no longer touch feet , something indeterminable will be lost forever . Some bridges with history should not be burned.

Again a perfectly executed act of genuflection needs a few prerequisites to be met. One you don't feel compelled to do it often cause it loses it meaning .Two, you only do it if you really and I emphasize again really feel the person is worthy of that level of respect. Three you are not coerced. Whatever it takes to show reverance & not servility.

It may just be the traditionalist in me who in the face of modernism yearns for a throwback to a time where such forms of human expressions were vogue. But I really wonder if we really don't see anybody worthy of genuflection then what does it say about us & the times we live in?