Thursday, May 25, 2017

The Ripple Effect

Pic Courtesy : google images

There are very few things now that surprise me. Kindness, Sanity are few of the acts that make me turn to my blog and actually write a post.

This time, it is about the “lack of it”.

Do you remember the first time you sat in an airplane? Most of you reading this, would have, am sure! What did you do? Did you try to scrap off the leather seat-cover, or tear off the front pockets of your seat? Or did you use your keys or hairpin to write “abc loves xyz” message on the seat handles.

Did you go to the washroom, to write profane messages? Did you draw diagrams of your body parts, or parts you lust?

I know you did not! So, Awesome!

But would you be disgusted by someone who did all of this? You would sigh in your very educated tone “Petty Indians”! Wouldn’t you?

Well, yes! We all would. We as a group should be ashamed of fellow Indians who wreck public properties and if you have guessed it already, this rant is about Tejas express, that the Government enabled for the citizens and we bungled it!

Don’t you say, it wasn’t you! Of course it was one of you. All of you! All of US. You, me, everyone! Educated or not. Literate or not. Wise or not!

Let me tell you the difference between the words I just used.

1.       If you can read and write – you are a literate. That’s about it.
2.       If you have been to a school and “learnt” subjects, how things work, history, math, geography, science, art, languages – you are educated.
3.       If you have used your education towards the betterment of your own existence and that of the society – you are wise.

Please feel free to classify yourself as either of the above.

I doubt how many of us can dare call ourselves “wise”.

You know, let me just talk about how I can make sure, I do not go about damaging a Tejas, henceforth. I need to correct my actions first, to be able to bring about any change I hope to see.
I am educated. I know how taxes work. I know about hygiene and environmental sciences. I know about civic rules and co-existing in a society. I also have had moral science in my school, so I know the basic values, morals and etiquette. So I call myself educated.

How can I go from being educated to wise?

I interact with following people on a day-to-day basis.
1.       My house maid
2.       Sweeper
3.       Watchman, Guard
4.       Cook
5.       Taxi/Cab drivers.

I interact with some on a daily basis, and with some just one time, and I never see them again. With people I interact daily, I can make sure they understand the basics of everything. I can teach them about using Math and applying them in their daily transactions. This will make them wise.

With regular talks, I can tell them about current affairs, what is the right decorum of existing in a society, what it means to use public facilities? The chances are most of them already know it, but sometimes, they turn a blind eye towards significant things.

I can also guide/teach them about safety, savings, health and cleanliness.
I can let them know, by being an example, that monetary status does not define how good a citizen is. It’s all about attitude.

The same applies to cab drivers. I can always engage in friendly conversations, and talk to them about what they feel and think about so many issues surrounding us. If possible, I try and leave a thought behind that he can ponder upon and bring it into action. I shouldn’t be preachy. It is very important to let the other person know, that whatever service he is giving me is valued immensely, and same will be his attitude towards the other person from whom he is taking a certain service.

Kindness, love can go a long way.

Imagine, if your family or someone very close to you, is convicted of a crime and is undergoing an ordeal, can you eat/sleep/live peacefully? Will it not affect you until he/she is alright?

Now consider the entire humankind is your family!

How can you eat/live/sleep in peace when you know something somewhere is wrong with someone.
Do your bit.

This is not about what an intense wreck, some stupid people made on the new brand train the government introduced.

This is about getting rid of “chalta hai attitude”, “Respecting the country you live in”, and watching the ripple-effect of goodness. It is a Chain Reaction! Join in!


Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Solidarity on Sale

It did put me in a zone, from where I could only escape with a blog post. 

Well, she happened to ask me, why do people only express solidarity on Facebook, when something happens outside of India and not when some thing is reported in India. For instance, not undermining the ruthlessness, the terror attacks that took place in Manchester, two days ago, had so many people condemning the attacks.

Any terror attack or any crime, leading to loss of human life, unity, or integrity, only portrays an abysmal state of human beings. It is really really sad!!

My post, or the brooding I underwent, since the topic came up, is not about how the world is succumbing to negative forces, but what makes people so hollow from within? If you have read my posts, my constant whining has been about pertinent hypocrisy.

Why did the Facebook and audience, not express their concern over Rohtak Gang Rape, or the rape of a 2.5 year old kid that left an indelible scar on her body, mind and spirit? Why is there immense consolation for something that happens outside, and so little for crimes and attack that happen here.

Humans are same everywhere. Don't get me wrong. I am not trying to divide people on the basis of how they feel for their "foreign" brethren. I am only asking, why isn't there awareness about crimes that happen around us?

Is it the "yaha chalta hai", "yaha aisa hi hota hai", "India hai, what do you expect?!", attitude that holds us from expressing solidarity? Or is it the acceptance that we have developed over the time, about what's ok and what's not! 

We do not spread any awareness, or we do not express as much, and that's fine. Perhaps, that is not our prerogative as citizens of the nation. But sympathizing with what happens out of the nation, and putting it on social media, will only prove how well you have been influenced by the media. It proves nothing about your reading skills or your knowledge about the current affairs.

This is again not about who reads what and expresses what. This is about, being true to oneself. If you sympathize so strongly with a terror attack outside, I want you to express your sympathies to someone who's suffered on a similar scale in your own country. Or else, just don't express it!

That's the difference between sympathy and empathy. If you were empathizing enough, you would KNOW so much to not express it and feel the pain of the things that are happening around you, first!
Try and change it, because it is affecting you too. And then watch society change, person by person, community by community, city by city and state by state. 

That's when you can associate yourself with the tag of  "Global Citizen" and empathize at all levels.

Stop acknowledging. A crime on humanity is a crime on you. Have emotions, not recognition! 

Let me know, what you can really do, being where you are! Think about it!

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