A R Rahman, recipient of several Oscars, stated in his acceptance speech “All my life I have had the choice between love and hate, and I have chosen love… And I’m here.”

When Rahman spontaneously says that he has chosen love over hate, it sounds simplistic. Perhaps choosing love over hate is something that only someone like Rahman – immersed as he is in making music – can do, as his is a more philosophical and spiritual vocation than what most of us are engaged in doing as part of our working lives. May be we could at least choose not hating over hating?

However, the choice often doesn’t seem to be a choice at all. Often we don’t really choose to be angry, hurtful, resentful, or hateful. We tend to get consumed by these emotions despite ourselves. We seem to be, as former president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan says in his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, “…helpless tools of nature”.

Nature gives us love and hate, jealousy and reverence. Ours is the power to choose which impulse us to follow. Exercising that power consciously can perhaps add a few years to, and reduce a few tears from, our worldly existence.

“Krishna advises Arjuna to fight without passion or ill will, without anger of attachment… We must fight against what is wrong, but if we allow ourselves to hate, that ensures our spiritual defeat.” Says Radhakrishnan.

May be when you begin with loving people anyway, putting your hurt and anger and angst aside, that is when you are able to give the world the best you have. Looking at Rahman talking about choosing love over hate on a platform where he stood because he’s been able to give the world the best he has, all this does make some sense.