“I can wear whatever I want. It’s my life. God does not love me any lesser for my outer appearance and what really counts is the inside”.
I’ve heard this quite a number of times when I used to go for the Mizo Church Service in Bangalore. It came mainly from the younger generation, and among them, a majority of them were from the female species.
It is ofcourse considered a normal psychological (and sociological) behavior for any youth to rebel against the existing norms of the Society. Nobody likes rules. Breaking (unwritten) code of conducts is considered cool and hep. It’s all a part of the adolescent phase.
But sometimes we need to contemplate on a few issues before discarding it as something that is natural or something that cannot be changed. It can indeed be changed! If the youth of Mizoram can dress up smartly to Church, why can’t the same youth dress up decently for Church Services outside Mizoram? Why is there a transition in the way one dress up for Church here in Mizoram and outside the State?
One reason is ofcourse the “Elder Factor”. In Mizoram, the Elders would definitely give you the “evil eye” if you dress up shabbily for Church. But outside Mizoram, the looks given by the Elders do not hold much water. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying our Mizo Elders (Families, Pastors, Civil servants, real grown-ups etc) outside Mizoram are not doing anything about it. Ofcourse they are; this is more of a hypothetical question “but are they all doing enough?”
Sometimes it might have to do with an ego thing too. Job opportunities outside Mizoram are definitely more abundant than in Mizoram. Hence many of our youngsters earn quite a lot. They soon reach that stage of being independent and having a sense of achievement without maturing properly first. Hence if an Elder (say an IPS or IAS officer) reprimands such a person for wearing shabby clothes to the Church service, the first thought on the youth’s mind would probably be, “Hell, I’m earning almost as much as you are. You’ve got no rights to tell me what to wear.”
Another important factor is ofcourse the climate. Places like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai etc are way hotter and more humid than Mizoram. Hence one cannot expect Mizos in such areas to come to Church in suits or formals all the time. It is only logical for guys to wear tee shirts to Church sometimes. And with tee shirts, one cannot really wear formal pants along with it, hence must resort to jeans. And with jeans, comes sneakers instead of formal shoes. Similarly, women wear sleeveless. After all, with all the bras and other inner padding they must wear, you really don’t expect them to wear full body covers in such a hot climate.
But hang on a second here. This is exactly a case of “giving an inch, taking a mile”. By wearing jeans or cargoes, why must some of us wear those really flashy, baggy, hiphoppy, over-sized, torn, multi-branded ones? Don’t we have “normal” jeans? Ofcourse there is no actual official definition of what “normal” is, and it all depends upon the concept of the majority and its conformity to social norms. By “normal” I mean a simple plain jeans: Not flashy, not over-sized, and definitely with no chains and other trinkets hanging all around the side pockets! Some of the guys claim they do not have the financial capability to buy “normal” jeans. Ironic indeed, when they could afford such extravagant jeans…
Similarly, to the women, sleeveless is a wise decision when it's hot. But aren’t you pushing things a bit too far with tubes and spaghettis? Some of the guys’ minds do definitely wander a bit when you come walking into Church dressed in such revealing top and short minis that concealed less than what it’s actually supposed to… I know some women want to be the center of attraction all the time, to be admired and complimented upon… but during Church time, the center of attraction is ALWAYS God. Or have we all strayed away from the path of the good Lord so much as to have forgotten this?
Then comes the extra fitting. Once again I am defining “normal” on the basis of its conformity to social norms. Is it really necessary for guys to wear earrings to Church? Or in that matter, large steel bracelets, bling-blings and 5 metres long steel chains hanging from their low waist jeans up to their large Nike skids? Or the 10 extra pounds of make-up some women apply on their faces with fiery dark-red hair color, making them look like the “madam” of a “pleasure house” at Sodom and Gomorrah?
Such dress codes mentioned above, are the same clothes such people would wear to Pubs and Discs. Leaving aside the iniquity of getting drunk and immoral lifestyles at such establishments, we are further diluting and polluting the Holy Sanctity of the Church by even daring to enter the premises with the same clothes of Sin! Sure, some of you may feel I am taking an extremist view on this whole issue, but for a second there, please excogitate and think of all the sentiments that you are hurting… There is a fine line between being liberal and being promiscuous.
I know the first thing pro skanky-clothes sympathizers are going to say is, the ones who wear decent clothes aren’t all sanctified. Sure, they (we) aren’t, but atleast many of us got the decency to show respect when it's required. And by doing that, the faithful around us definitely feel comfortable in the presence of Christ. It is important to be considerate of others’ feelings too. Just because some of the guys who dress up decently aren’t decent, does that mean you must show your true colors by coming to Church almost naked like a cheap prostitute or an F-word addicted rap artist?
Again, I have read such discussions like “what if it’s a prostitute thirsting for the word of God, or a drug addict seeking God’s help and forgiveness, or a woman coming straight from work where her profession demands of her to wear such an outfit… don’t they all deserve to receive the Lord’s blessings too?” Ofcourse by all means they all do, the good Lord welcomes especially such people into His fold. But before you indulge yourself in such empty rhetoric, remind yourself about this: Our community is small and most of us know each other personally; hence we all know very well that such people are not the above mentioned people. They are merely students and a few proletarians, who definitely have a set of decent clothes for Church but decide to act otherwise, for reasons best known to them.
Once during my time in Bangalore, I was already seated inside the Church (Mizo Service) one fine Sunday, when a girl came and sat right next to me. It was hard not to notice her: She smelt like the perfume section of a high class Shopping Mall. Her long brown-dyed hair was curled beautifully, with the perfect touch of eye shadow and liner making her even more attractive. But what made me notice her the most were her legs. In other words, her milky white thighs. Because she wore an almost knee-length skirt which revealed even more when she sat cross-legged right next to me. During the entire Church sermon, I found my eyes subconsciously wandering every now and then to those legs…
As a human being, it is quite natural to have such “feelings”. Everyone, regardless of whether they are sinners or people of God, are susceptible to the temptations of the flesh. In that particular situation, I think I would have definitely listened more attentively to the ongoing sermon instead of being distracted by uttering a thousand times in my mind not to look at those thighs 3 inches away from me…
Some people might brand me as a conservative. However, as a Christian, it is our moral obligation to lead a Christian Life, a life that will distinguish us from people of other faiths. Do you want that distinctness to be all about wearing extravagant outfits or revealing micro skirts? Do you want the non-Christians to think that that is what being a Christian is all about? At Bangalore Wesley Church, one can easily observe many “roadside romeos” hovering around the Church premises waiting for the Mizo Service to be over so that they can ogle at some of our women. Sad…
Coming back to my opening line, “I can wear whatever I want. It’s my life. God does not love me any lesser for my outer appearance and what really counts is the inside”, ofcourse God loves us all for our inner thoughts and action rather than our outer appearances, but the real question is this: Do you really think that a person who claimed to be worth loving and yet show disrespect to Him in His Home, is actually worth being loved? Or are we going to fool ourselves endlessly by bringing up irrelevant topics like the fact that some people who dress up decently at Church are being hypocritical... How does that affect you in any way? That’s the hypocrites’ problem. God will deal with them on Judgment Day. Whereas in your case, not only are you being disrespectful, you are also creating a whole lot of unnecessary distractions…
Hence as a conclusion, comes the proverbial question: As a responsible Mizo adult settling outside Mizoram, are we all doing enough about the dress codes at our Mizo Church services? Giving them the “evil eye” or gossiping behind their back will not suffice. We need to walk up to such people and tell them frankly but politely, face to face, that such dress codes will not be tolerated and that maybe they might be better off not coming to Church at all if they are going to continue dressing up that way… Sometimes it might even be proper to ask such people to leave the Church premises right in the middle of the service infront of everyone… the embarrassment will not only assure them of ever repeating that again but will also make others think twice before putting on that skimpy outfit. Do we have the guts to tell them that? Or are we going to spend the rest of our lives bitching about that particular person “eeee kha nu kha maw? BiakInah a rawn in chei hot thei rapssss” without anyone ever actually telling the person that he/she is out of place?
Less gossip, more action, that is the key to our progressive development. Trust me, we Mizos have an advantage over our non-Mizo Christian friends when it comes to this. At many non-Mizo Christian services that I’ve been to, the Churchgoers don’t know each other personally, whereas our Mizo Church services are more of a community thing. Jonathan (Anglo) whom I befriended at an English Church service back in Hyderabad once told me that there are always such elements at every Church, but there was nothing much they could do about it since they don’t know them and there was also a question of privacy and wanting more people to attend the mass etc. But among our close knitted Mizo society, we can indeed do the needful. The question is this: The next time you see such a person at Church, will you rise to the occasion and tell that person it’s not right? The power to make the change rest in your hands my friends.
I’ve heard this quite a number of times when I used to go for the Mizo Church Service in Bangalore. It came mainly from the younger generation, and among them, a majority of them were from the female species.
It is ofcourse considered a normal psychological (and sociological) behavior for any youth to rebel against the existing norms of the Society. Nobody likes rules. Breaking (unwritten) code of conducts is considered cool and hep. It’s all a part of the adolescent phase.
But sometimes we need to contemplate on a few issues before discarding it as something that is natural or something that cannot be changed. It can indeed be changed! If the youth of Mizoram can dress up smartly to Church, why can’t the same youth dress up decently for Church Services outside Mizoram? Why is there a transition in the way one dress up for Church here in Mizoram and outside the State?
One reason is ofcourse the “Elder Factor”. In Mizoram, the Elders would definitely give you the “evil eye” if you dress up shabbily for Church. But outside Mizoram, the looks given by the Elders do not hold much water. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying our Mizo Elders (Families, Pastors, Civil servants, real grown-ups etc) outside Mizoram are not doing anything about it. Ofcourse they are; this is more of a hypothetical question “but are they all doing enough?”
Sometimes it might have to do with an ego thing too. Job opportunities outside Mizoram are definitely more abundant than in Mizoram. Hence many of our youngsters earn quite a lot. They soon reach that stage of being independent and having a sense of achievement without maturing properly first. Hence if an Elder (say an IPS or IAS officer) reprimands such a person for wearing shabby clothes to the Church service, the first thought on the youth’s mind would probably be, “Hell, I’m earning almost as much as you are. You’ve got no rights to tell me what to wear.”
Another important factor is ofcourse the climate. Places like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai etc are way hotter and more humid than Mizoram. Hence one cannot expect Mizos in such areas to come to Church in suits or formals all the time. It is only logical for guys to wear tee shirts to Church sometimes. And with tee shirts, one cannot really wear formal pants along with it, hence must resort to jeans. And with jeans, comes sneakers instead of formal shoes. Similarly, women wear sleeveless. After all, with all the bras and other inner padding they must wear, you really don’t expect them to wear full body covers in such a hot climate.
But hang on a second here. This is exactly a case of “giving an inch, taking a mile”. By wearing jeans or cargoes, why must some of us wear those really flashy, baggy, hiphoppy, over-sized, torn, multi-branded ones? Don’t we have “normal” jeans? Ofcourse there is no actual official definition of what “normal” is, and it all depends upon the concept of the majority and its conformity to social norms. By “normal” I mean a simple plain jeans: Not flashy, not over-sized, and definitely with no chains and other trinkets hanging all around the side pockets! Some of the guys claim they do not have the financial capability to buy “normal” jeans. Ironic indeed, when they could afford such extravagant jeans…
Similarly, to the women, sleeveless is a wise decision when it's hot. But aren’t you pushing things a bit too far with tubes and spaghettis? Some of the guys’ minds do definitely wander a bit when you come walking into Church dressed in such revealing top and short minis that concealed less than what it’s actually supposed to… I know some women want to be the center of attraction all the time, to be admired and complimented upon… but during Church time, the center of attraction is ALWAYS God. Or have we all strayed away from the path of the good Lord so much as to have forgotten this?
Then comes the extra fitting. Once again I am defining “normal” on the basis of its conformity to social norms. Is it really necessary for guys to wear earrings to Church? Or in that matter, large steel bracelets, bling-blings and 5 metres long steel chains hanging from their low waist jeans up to their large Nike skids? Or the 10 extra pounds of make-up some women apply on their faces with fiery dark-red hair color, making them look like the “madam” of a “pleasure house” at Sodom and Gomorrah?
Such dress codes mentioned above, are the same clothes such people would wear to Pubs and Discs. Leaving aside the iniquity of getting drunk and immoral lifestyles at such establishments, we are further diluting and polluting the Holy Sanctity of the Church by even daring to enter the premises with the same clothes of Sin! Sure, some of you may feel I am taking an extremist view on this whole issue, but for a second there, please excogitate and think of all the sentiments that you are hurting… There is a fine line between being liberal and being promiscuous.
I know the first thing pro skanky-clothes sympathizers are going to say is, the ones who wear decent clothes aren’t all sanctified. Sure, they (we) aren’t, but atleast many of us got the decency to show respect when it's required. And by doing that, the faithful around us definitely feel comfortable in the presence of Christ. It is important to be considerate of others’ feelings too. Just because some of the guys who dress up decently aren’t decent, does that mean you must show your true colors by coming to Church almost naked like a cheap prostitute or an F-word addicted rap artist?
Again, I have read such discussions like “what if it’s a prostitute thirsting for the word of God, or a drug addict seeking God’s help and forgiveness, or a woman coming straight from work where her profession demands of her to wear such an outfit… don’t they all deserve to receive the Lord’s blessings too?” Ofcourse by all means they all do, the good Lord welcomes especially such people into His fold. But before you indulge yourself in such empty rhetoric, remind yourself about this: Our community is small and most of us know each other personally; hence we all know very well that such people are not the above mentioned people. They are merely students and a few proletarians, who definitely have a set of decent clothes for Church but decide to act otherwise, for reasons best known to them.
Once during my time in Bangalore, I was already seated inside the Church (Mizo Service) one fine Sunday, when a girl came and sat right next to me. It was hard not to notice her: She smelt like the perfume section of a high class Shopping Mall. Her long brown-dyed hair was curled beautifully, with the perfect touch of eye shadow and liner making her even more attractive. But what made me notice her the most were her legs. In other words, her milky white thighs. Because she wore an almost knee-length skirt which revealed even more when she sat cross-legged right next to me. During the entire Church sermon, I found my eyes subconsciously wandering every now and then to those legs…
As a human being, it is quite natural to have such “feelings”. Everyone, regardless of whether they are sinners or people of God, are susceptible to the temptations of the flesh. In that particular situation, I think I would have definitely listened more attentively to the ongoing sermon instead of being distracted by uttering a thousand times in my mind not to look at those thighs 3 inches away from me…
Some people might brand me as a conservative. However, as a Christian, it is our moral obligation to lead a Christian Life, a life that will distinguish us from people of other faiths. Do you want that distinctness to be all about wearing extravagant outfits or revealing micro skirts? Do you want the non-Christians to think that that is what being a Christian is all about? At Bangalore Wesley Church, one can easily observe many “roadside romeos” hovering around the Church premises waiting for the Mizo Service to be over so that they can ogle at some of our women. Sad…
Coming back to my opening line, “I can wear whatever I want. It’s my life. God does not love me any lesser for my outer appearance and what really counts is the inside”, ofcourse God loves us all for our inner thoughts and action rather than our outer appearances, but the real question is this: Do you really think that a person who claimed to be worth loving and yet show disrespect to Him in His Home, is actually worth being loved? Or are we going to fool ourselves endlessly by bringing up irrelevant topics like the fact that some people who dress up decently at Church are being hypocritical... How does that affect you in any way? That’s the hypocrites’ problem. God will deal with them on Judgment Day. Whereas in your case, not only are you being disrespectful, you are also creating a whole lot of unnecessary distractions…
Hence as a conclusion, comes the proverbial question: As a responsible Mizo adult settling outside Mizoram, are we all doing enough about the dress codes at our Mizo Church services? Giving them the “evil eye” or gossiping behind their back will not suffice. We need to walk up to such people and tell them frankly but politely, face to face, that such dress codes will not be tolerated and that maybe they might be better off not coming to Church at all if they are going to continue dressing up that way… Sometimes it might even be proper to ask such people to leave the Church premises right in the middle of the service infront of everyone… the embarrassment will not only assure them of ever repeating that again but will also make others think twice before putting on that skimpy outfit. Do we have the guts to tell them that? Or are we going to spend the rest of our lives bitching about that particular person “eeee kha nu kha maw? BiakInah a rawn in chei hot thei rapssss” without anyone ever actually telling the person that he/she is out of place?
Less gossip, more action, that is the key to our progressive development. Trust me, we Mizos have an advantage over our non-Mizo Christian friends when it comes to this. At many non-Mizo Christian services that I’ve been to, the Churchgoers don’t know each other personally, whereas our Mizo Church services are more of a community thing. Jonathan (Anglo) whom I befriended at an English Church service back in Hyderabad once told me that there are always such elements at every Church, but there was nothing much they could do about it since they don’t know them and there was also a question of privacy and wanting more people to attend the mass etc. But among our close knitted Mizo society, we can indeed do the needful. The question is this: The next time you see such a person at Church, will you rise to the occasion and tell that person it’s not right? The power to make the change rest in your hands my friends.
30 comments:
DITTO!!! ka ngaihdan chiah ani,"there are certain unwritten norms to be followed everywhere". Inkhawm dawn hian a then chuan party na a kal tur emo an inti thin,pawi khop mai...
Hetah chuan an khap daih,incheina kan uluk ve tawh :)
Sandman, keep it short. If you want more people to read thru top-bottom. Apply brevity. Let it be short, concise and precise.
Good stuff but too long! Always.
Formal ltk a inchei chu inkhawmna a len nghal a rem lo :-)
FYI: I wear the same normal jeans to pubs and discs :-)
3x an Mizo tlangval/tleirawl ho chu negro emaw an ti vek a ti (an ha baggy ltk a :-) )
Ka ngaihdan chiah a ni, Aizawl lam chu ka awm lohna a rei tawh a ka sawi lo mai anga, Delhi ah kum 8 nikum thlengin ka awma lehkha zirin, Mizo inkhawmna chu inchei tak ani, kei ngei hmeichhia pawhin chawlhni a hak atan chuan 'mah mah a' ka ti, myself sawi angin, "there are unwritten norms . . ." Jeans te pawh kei ngei pawhin ka ha tawh, mahse tight tak jeans tak hak kher te, pawnfen chhing mah mah biakina hak kher te hi 'mah mah' deuh chu a ni.
sandman cu... sei thei eee.... i soi tum hi para pakhatah a leng thei tho sia.... entirnan, ''phai-a om thralaite hi kan inkhomin thomhnaw 'ati-keng-kung' lo deuh or 'a-ti-per-pur'' lo deuh , fel fai deuh hlekin in i in thuam ang u...''ti mai ta la... :D
Once during my time in Bangalore, I was already seated inside the Church (Mizo Service) one fine Sunday, when a girl came and sat right next to me. It was hard not to notice her: She smelt like the perfume section of a high class Shopping Mall. Her long brown-dyed hair was curled beautifully, with the perfect touch of eye shadow and liner making her even more attractive. But what made me notice her the most were her legs. In other words, her milky white thighs. Because she wore an almost knee-length skirt which revealed even more when she sat cross-legged right next to me. During the entire Church sermon, I found my eyes subconsciously wandering every now and then to those legs…
inkhom tura i rawn kal chhan ah i chhiang lo top tihna nih chu sandboih..knee length skirt te chu extreme vak em ni o..a bawp khawkherh lai te poh chu i lo va en nasa om re re..hehe
isnt it possible for a person wearing a skimpy outfit to a church cermon, genuinely there to seek the lord's blessings? Now assuming the god also knows about this, do you think he would still "take care" of her on the judgement's day? do you think , all this even makes a difference to the lord?
Right! What's your purpose of going to the Church? The Lord said, "Resist the Devil and the Devil will flee".
tha leh hle zel mai...chhiar tham law law hi a tha...
Pawl a chuan,ka unau[a ringtupuite] te tan a tlukphahna tur a nih dawn ai chuan a thil tih thin te pawh tih tawh lo a thlang..kha kha pawimawh khawps mai.
Sap ho abikin American tam tak te chuan inkhawmna ah pawh kekawr bul,jeans,kawr pan tak tak,pawnfen chhing tak tak te an ha mai a.An rinna leh an ngaihtuahna a tibuai lem lo a niang.Thusawitu thenkhat te pawn,ke kawr bul nen/jeans ha chung ten thu ''rau'' tak tak an sawi tho..
Mahse,hetiang ang hian ti ve dawn ta ngawt ila kan la zo chhiah lo mai thei,mipui a nawl pui ngaihdan turah.Achhan chu kan culture,kan world view a dang a.
Chutih rual chuan,tuna trang a kum 20 vel hnuah chuan kan inkhawm dan te,inkhawmnaa hak tur a kan duh zawng te pawh hi a la danglam viau mai thei ani.
Helai a kan inkhamwna ah poh hian,jeans te Tshirt ha in a ni ka inkhawm ber..
Chutih rual chuan,
Dear ammi,
Thanx for commenting. Even I don’t find knee length skirts to be that extreme. However, if you read my sentence carefully again, I never said that particular lady wore a knee length skirt, I said she wore an ALMOST knee length skirt :-) That’s a nice way of saying she wore a mini skirt. And when she sat down right next to me, where our legs were almost touching each other, it was hard not to notice her thighs. It's not about fantasizing or having dirty thoughts in my mind, trust me, that’s not what I was doing. It's about being distracted. See, it’s easy to say that we should not be bothered by such things, probably because you’re a woman and you don’t find it distracting as it is something that you see everyday. It’s different for guys. Suppose you are sitting in Church with a bunch of Mister Universe Contestants, all of them tall, fair and blond, some dark and handsome, faces of Adonis, with looks that could make you melt right at that very spot, all bare bodied with well chiseled chests and Arnold Schwazzneger biceps, all well oiled and the heavy scent of seductive musk emerging from their Heavenly bodies and surrounding you, your bodies touching each other with electrifying results… ofcourse you won’t fantasize about them, but won’t you find it a bit distracting too?
Dear John,
Great comment from you as usual. You hit the article right on the head. “If our action is going to cause people around us to fall, it is best not to continue that action”. A true Christian would rather change his lifestyle if it means other Christians will fall because of his/her action. Word! Keep commenting brother. But your comment is incomplete! “Chuti chuan…”??? hihihi
Dear Anonymous (Delhi),
“Myself” told me that the DMZP or other Mizo Leaders in Delhi have started banning Mizos from coming to Church wearing outrageous outfits. I applaud such positive action, hoping other Mizo Unions at other places of India will take such a measure too. Thanx for commenting.
Dear Ben and Popsugar,
I will work on making my posts shorter. It’s just that there were just too many points to be added. And, among some of my posts that received recognition in the blogging World, it’s always the lengthy ones that received such acclamation, never the short ones. Ofcourse I am not writing long purposely, but as I write, more and more points just kept appearing in my head. Infact I even reduced the article to less than 2000 words… it nearly reached 3000 when I first completed it! :-)
Ps. Popsugar: i suggestion anga tawi te a ka ziah a, ka blog post zawng zawng sentence khat a ka changtir vek chuan visitors ka ngah awm :-) Chutia tih te chuan Bible pawh natinge a sei hi kan neih le? “Pathianin thil engkim a siam a, chuan a fapa a rawn thawn thla a, a thi a, a tho leh a, chuan Vanramah a chho leh a” tih chauh hi ni tawh se tiraw Bible a in ziak zawng zawng pawh hi :-)
But thanx for your suggestion anyway dude. I really appreciate it. Keep visiting, I will try to write shorter definitely.
Dear-regular-reader-of-my-blog,
Thank you so much for a very interesting comment. That is a question I have come across now and then. My friend, I take it for granted that you must have missed the part of my article where I stated the following:
Again, I have read such discussions like “what if it’s a prostitute thirsting for the word of God, or a drug addict seeking God’s help and forgiveness, or a woman coming straight to Church from work where her profession demands of her to wear such an outfit… don’t they all deserve to receive the Lord’s blessings too?” Ofcourse by all means they all do, the good Lord welcomes especially such people into His fold. But before you indulge yourself in such empty rhetoric, remind yourself about this: Our Mizo community is small and most of us know each other personally; hence we all know very well that such people are not the above mentioned people. They are merely students and a few proletarians, who definitely have a set of decent clothes for Church but decide to act otherwise, for reasons best known to them.
Dear friend, in such a case (skimpy dressed girl genuinely seeking the Lord’s blessings), there is no harm in coming to Church at all, and if she is really genuine about it, it might not make a difference to the Lord if she dresses up in formals or lingerie. But, again, if she ended up disturbing the others around her in Church by making them uncomfortable, I think that might make a difference to God... I mean, why must she put on that skimpy dress in the first place anyway? If it’s a sudden one time thing, fine, but every Sunday?
Skimpy dresses are for seeking attention from the opposite sex, to seek admiration and to feel good about one’s own body and sex appeal, to be comfortable and lead Life on one’s own whim and fancy... If she seeks all that, just how serious do you think she might be about seeking the Lord’s blessings too?
Ni e Biak In-a in cheina hi a theih hram chuan duhtui ve deuh chu atha alawm, a hmunin a zir bawk a...
Biak In-a thawmhnaw Sexy hak hi chu ka Support vak lem lo, rilru ala peng ve tlat...
Helama ka tawn hriat kan sawi ve mai mai ange, hei Mumbai-ah hian ka inkhawm ta zauh zauh a, hmeichhe kekawr ha chu ka hmu tam a, kan chhut kual kan chhut kualin ka thiam lo ta hran miah lo. A chhan chu Mumbai hi chu a khua hi a thui(sei) ve reuh a, inkhawm tur hian zirlai leh hnathawka awm tam zawk hi chu rel-in an kal thin a(keimah tiamin) hei bakah hian Auto leh Bus ka la chuang tel zui..vawikhat inkhawm hian hawlam leh kal lamah a tlem bera ka chhut pawhin Rs.60/- chu hman a ngai..hetiang ag karah hian hmeichhia zirlai leh lailo rel tawt rapthlak lutukah an ran inhnawh a, an rawn inkhawm ve thin a, an fel ka ti zawk asin aww..
Hey Ill:
Its interesting: why must she cover her milky thighs if its my conscience that's wavering?Eliciting such partisan responses reflect the fluidity of the issue as one that will not be easily settled. I think your length is fine as brevity, as attractive as it may be, often leads to over simplistic reductions. The baser issue seems to be grappling with change...something even early Christianity wasnt immune to either. So before we get all acrimonious, lets take time to read 1 Corinthians 8 and 9...the issues are different but similar in principle.
Nevertheless, where did we ever come up with stuff like 'unwritten norms'...as human constructs, they are not immutable. So also the physical church, it's a structure that we by concensus agree as more than just bricks and mortar. Your previous blog about the SUnday School...why dont we just scrap such activities if all they showcase is the somnific! It's an activity set up by a committee and one that might need to be scrapped...and get in something else. I dont 'whole-sale' relativize just because they are social constructs but try to push progressive ways of thinking and doing that are less paternalistic and inclusive because the shift from a traditional to modern mindset or way of life, from communitarian to individualism will never be easily resolved. There will always be carryovers and detractors...but its important that we keep talking about it like your blog does.
An interesting byte: the hip hop overflowing jeans style that we replicate...comes from a US prison sub-culture. Denim issues without belts meant they usually overflowed below. It was also part of the homoerotic symbols that signified the 'receptor' by being 'less covered'.
ps: What if Ammi, responding to your rhetorical question were to say that she (im guessing its a she) was a lesbian?
a ngaihnawm khawp mai. A tha e.
And, among some of my posts that received recognition in the blogging World, it’s always the lengthy ones that received such acclamation.
- That does not proved length is a plus point.
Thusawi tawi chu a eng a thawl e, an tih kha.
A true Christian would rather change his lifestyle if it means other Christians will fall because of his/her action
- As the same time a true Christian would seek the lord's help not to fall because what he sees around.
So should one blame the girl with the mini-skirt or oneself for keeping one's attention on her milky white thigh?
For all you now, she might have come that way with no bad intention.
You cannot suddenly tell them not to wear skirt.
Once they find their purpose of life, they will change themselve.
In the metros, outside Mizoram, Sunday service is more of a community get together. And I am sure many turn up to socialize.
Inspite of that, you get to hear Gospel preachings too! How good is that?
Let them come in whichever form they are comfortable. We should welcome them with open arms.
Once they see God has their heart and their heart is won, they will change.
I didnot read all the lines becuase of the length. I don't seem to come across "prayer" for this issue?
Dressing neatly to give good impression of a Christian doesn't sound good enough for me.
When one is a good believer and knows the purpose of his life and the reason why God made him, he won't dress up like a punk to begin with.
I don't think you would make a person discover the purpose of life by telling him not to dress up like a punk.
That is what is happening in Mizoram
- Biakinah kekawr hak loh tur
- Make up hnawih loh tur
- bla bla..
Biakin hmeichhia kekawr ha hian Pathian a awih theih lohna tur ka hre lo.
Ti chuan incheina ler pawh ni lo, tha nei zo lo te kan awm ang. Hreawm pawh tih chang a awm ang.
In ngaituah chiang la, vanneihna ah ngai rawh. Kha hreawmna kha tumruhna ah chan tir zawk ang chhe.
Pathian hian hreawm kan tawrh hi a phal a ni. Hreawmna chu hnufulna ni loving, hmasawm nang hmang ang che.
Hna I thawk emaw, lekha i zir emaw, tha takin "Pathian" nen tila, malsawmna in a la vur ang che.
Tichuan, biakin a kan inchheina te hi siamthat kan duh a nih chuan, kan finna leh rem hriatna mai a in nghat lovin, Pathian rawnin hma lak ni se.
Nia ,inchei dan chungchang hi chu dan han siam vak chi poh anih lo rual in,mahni threuh hi kan in chei dan ah hian fimkhur ila. Bible a kan hmuh ang deuh khan ,vawikhat mai poh nilovin vawikhat aia tam inchei dan chungchang new testament ah kan hmu a.Biak in ah hi chuan inkhawm tur a kal kan ni bok a inchei dan hi fimkur a trul hle mai.Korinth biak in ah poh khan an lo khawvel mi lutuk avang khan tirkoh Paul a khan inchei dan tur a chah nual a,Korinth Hmeichhe trenkhat kha ringlotu nawhchizuar ho inchei dan ang deuh in biak in ah an lo inchei thin ani awm a.chutiang bawkin kan nula te pawh hian khawlai a kan inchei dan ang lo deuh hi chuan inchei thei ila chuan mipawn mi sawi lo deuh ,mizah poh kan hlawh zawk ang chu moh.Thil pawi mawh leh pakhat chu a in khawm a te poh hian kan inkawm nachhan hi hrechiang ila ,midang in chei dan hian kan inkhawm lai harsat na min siam lo mai.Mahse Bible in azirtir ang in keini pawn heng hi chu kan zirtir tur ani a ,bible zirtir na an lo hriat lovang a lo ha poh an ni thei a ,hetah hi chuan kohran hruaitute mawphur na ani tlat.Zoram leh state hrang hrang mizo church hruatute hian thil tam tak hemi chungchnag kher lo poh hi bible ami thil tam tak kan beram te zirtir tur kan la nhgah zia entir na mai ani zok e.
Not to take personal issue but the point against brevity is that it flattens out issues. For example to say, "Once they find their purpose of life, they will change themselve..." implies I/we are right and 'they' are wrong and that everything is fine when 'they' change and not I. I dangled a few red-herrings: our notions of propriety, hetero-normativity that we take as GIVEN from ABOVE, the ref. to 1Cor. was not to settle the issue once and for all but to say that Christian communities arent immune to such issues and that we do have ONE (among many others) resource to address the problem/issue.
Here's something to mull over: if you look at the mizo demograhics, you'll note that we've lost comparatively more young men to substance abuse over the last two decades than women. Factor in more women being professionally progressive than the men. Our mizo women thus are more mobile and transgress traditional roles...especially in the cities. Here's the wicked part: we a patriarchal community! How does 'Pa'-ness handle this new configuration? Could our uneasiness over dress be an expression of this traditional mindset trying to assert an old privilege?
This is not a measurable theory but a thesis up for grabs!
Dear Ben,
Interesting observation there bro. I have typed out a pretty long reply, but decided to publish that as my next post because of the “complexity of the nature”. Hope you can take some time to read it, entitled “Culture and Christianity”, containing my take on the reason why Mizo women must wear “puan” at Churches here in Mizoram etc.
Dear Zorun,
Thanx. Your visit and readership is much appreciated.
Dear Kima,
Yup, maybe ammi’s opinion might have changed had she been a lesbian :-) But I know her personally too well to know that she doesn’t swim upstream.
Great comment from you as usual. Mucho gracias. I completely agree with you, that there will always be a clash between traditionists and so claimed modernists. C’est la vie. But the crux of the argument is, in our attempt to modernize a system or an Institution, are we “modernizing” the existing tradition part by part or are we burying the tradition completely in the name of modern progression? As Humans evolve, so do our thinking. But caution must be laid at the pace of radical changes implemented. For traditions can be changed only one step at a time. Anybody overstepping the rung of that ladder would definitely be labeled as a pariah by society, like it or not.
Dear ThugAngel,
That’s exactly my point. Culture is very important too. Jeans are ok outside Mizoram, taking into consideration the means of transportation a Mizo girl will have to undertake (crowded public transport etc) as you mentioned. Similarly, sleeveless (for women) are fine by my standards, deliberating the temperature of the particular city. If it’s really hot, it’s better to be in cotton sleeveless listening comfortably to the Word of God rather than to nearly reach a point of blackout-ness from heat due to the formal top. But to wear tubes and micro-skirts, I say that is stretching things a bit too much. I’ve tried explaining about this in my next post.
Dear BillyJason,
i rawn sawi tha khawp mai, a lawmawm lutuk. Ni e, chutia kawr hak tur chiah dan han siam hi chu a ni em em ve deuh a, mahse mi ho hi an rawn in chei that duh vakloh chuan nakinah te chuan dan an la siam tak tak ngei ka ring. Kan vai in kan in ngaihtuah that a ngai khawp mai. “Pathian Malsawmna ka dawng duh” ti tlat chunga ruak deuh teng tung Pathian zah duh miah lovin BiakInah rawn kal ta se, Pathianin a Malsawmna a pe tak tak a ngem? Hei chu Pathian thu a nia, kan sawi ve theih a awm lova mahse personal opinion min zawh chuan kei chuan “Ka ring vaklo” pawh ka ti hial maithei. Tuna ka article ziah kawhlam ber chu, Mizoram pawn a kan thalai te Mizo Service a an Inkhawm dan chung chang a nia, a rawn hnial tawk hi chu an awm reng tho a nga, mahse kan hriat tur pawimawh pakhat chu, Bible ah pawh inchei that tur tih hi lo in ziak ta lo se, mi zawng zawng Inkhawm ho hi saruak deuh hian kal ta vek i la, a tam tak chuan kan tih diklohna kan hre chhuak ang nge, discotheque anga BiakIn kil khatah kan lo che khawlo ang?
Gr8 post Kim. Ngaihnawm khawp mai. But don't know what to cooment ;o) I enjoy reading ur articles but have not reached that stage to be able to comment. Keep writing Kim.
- Sangi, Xarkot.
connexion test!
Thanx Sangi.
You don't have to comment if you cannot find the words to do it. My main aim is to write so that you can read, and I am glad to see that job is delivered. Do keep visiting. And hope you read my next upcoming post too.
Regards.
Hello. I read your posts, really impressive. i knew it would be worth reading but i never thought it would be this good. Kuddos kiddo
Good post! Our take on this issue is surprisingly* the same. I am one of the few people who believe in decent dressing in Church. My question is, how many guys do you think would walk up to a girl to tell her of her inappropriate dressing? Rather, how many guys really think that it is inappropriate? of course, we all know that the girl who hardly dresses gets the most attention from the men folks anyway!!
*I always thought men love skin no matter where!!
I have really enjoyed your interesting article :) Great Job!!!
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