What is "marriageable" material? Status? Money? Education? A nice 6-pack abdomen, perhaps? The list can stretch quite far. What seems to be more important nowadays is not what one has but what one hasn't.
What one shouldn't have is a "history". Prior marriages, divorces, and kids are some of the big items. They don't conform to the social norms. And to be outside the social norms is to be a social pariah. A beggar on the street corner must have done something wrong to deserve that fate. A mother giving birth to a mentally retarded child must have been negligent somehow. A deaf-mute must have been terrible in the a past life and karma is now coming back to haunt her. Maybe...maybe not.
The funny thing about "social norms" is that when you are in it, you don't learn anything. In terms of spiritual growth, to be outside the social norms is to be blessed with opportunities for growth. What better lesson to learn about hunger and lack of shelter than to be homeless? What better lesson to learn about compassion and unconditional love than to be blessed with a handicapped child? And only the most resilient and intelligent of souls can break past the physical handicap of being a deaf-mute to go on and become a historical figure.
To live outside the social norms is never easy. It is a life full of disapproving looks, criticisms, and harsh judgements...in the beginning. But the funny thing about social norms is that what is considered "unacceptable" today usually become "acceptable" tomorrow. And who makes them acceptable? It is the people who live outside the social norms. After all, that is why God had chosen these individuals in the first place. Not only do they have to be strong enough to endure the fight, but eventually they also have to be the beacon for the rest of the world.
What one shouldn't have is a "history". Prior marriages, divorces, and kids are some of the big items. They don't conform to the social norms. And to be outside the social norms is to be a social pariah. A beggar on the street corner must have done something wrong to deserve that fate. A mother giving birth to a mentally retarded child must have been negligent somehow. A deaf-mute must have been terrible in the a past life and karma is now coming back to haunt her. Maybe...maybe not.
The funny thing about "social norms" is that when you are in it, you don't learn anything. In terms of spiritual growth, to be outside the social norms is to be blessed with opportunities for growth. What better lesson to learn about hunger and lack of shelter than to be homeless? What better lesson to learn about compassion and unconditional love than to be blessed with a handicapped child? And only the most resilient and intelligent of souls can break past the physical handicap of being a deaf-mute to go on and become a historical figure.
To live outside the social norms is never easy. It is a life full of disapproving looks, criticisms, and harsh judgements...in the beginning. But the funny thing about social norms is that what is considered "unacceptable" today usually become "acceptable" tomorrow. And who makes them acceptable? It is the people who live outside the social norms. After all, that is why God had chosen these individuals in the first place. Not only do they have to be strong enough to endure the fight, but eventually they also have to be the beacon for the rest of the world.
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