A long weekend. Thanks to independence day.

I always buy a small flag on independence day every year( this time, I bought a cloth flag instead of a plastic one). I think of people who gave up their lives for our freedom. I hum patriotic songs. That is my way of celebrating independence.:-)

But I think Independence day is best celebrated in schools. In school, we started our day early on August 15th. We had to stand for hours listening to all the speeches before the flag hoisting ceremony. Pride swept over me when the flag was hoisted. We then performed march fast and saluted our flag.. At the end of the function, sweets were distributed. So we used to celebrate Independence day in a true sense.

But now, indepedence day is just another holiday. Most of us don't even think of the spirit behind this day. Probably we don't realize the value of freedom because we never had to fight for it. We were all born free.:-)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Speaking about freedom, isn't it true that most of the times, we shackle ourselves with all these customs and traditions in such a way that our freedom is curtailed? These customs, these traditions, that were made for the betterment of life, become suffocating when they become rules. Instead of understanding the meaning behind such customs, we tend to follow the procedures blindly.