Easier Said Than Done

This is my reply to poojaa’s comment on my previous article.

Poojaa..........

Your point is well taken. We sometimes need to do a lot more than just dish out a few notes of paper.

But dear, dont mind my asking you this, I need to ask this question because you have zeroed in on this aspect. Hence, let me ask you this, in your lifetime, how many poor and needy have you lent your hand to and "filled the void in them". I know you have not been in a position to contribute monetarily maybe because you haven’t been employed for a considerable length of time, but you do realize that nothing so far has really stopped you from lending a helping hand to the downtrodden and the needy. So tell me roughly how many lives have you touched and made a sincere effort to bring about a change.

Not all of us can be social workers. We come up with excuses like “I really don’t have the time” or “I am the one who needs help more then anyone” or even such ridiculous ones as “No one has ever helped me at my times of need, why should I do anything differently”. Mind you these are not “bad” people, but ones who are as normal as they come.

Tell me sincerely, besides merely talking, how many of us have put their hands up said, “right I am ready to make a change to this world, and I start right here, right now”. Its very easy to talk dear, but it is very difficult to act on them.

Right, now let me make a personal confession, so you would understand what I am getting at, maybe this will make you feel a little easy. In my entire lifetime, I have not make an honest effort myself to visit the slums and see what I can do to help them. The bits of “social work” I may have done in my life was as a scout during my school days, in that too we used to make a lot of excuses to get away from the “dirty work”, ofcourse we were kids then and didnt understand exactly why we are being asked to do this work. But hey, we are not kids any longer. So what stops us from putting our so “noble” thoughts into action.

Let me give you the answer so you save your energy. The answer is – NOTHING.

So when my conscious comes crashing down on me, I try to justify my inactions my giving myself a bit of breathing space and contributing monetarily, because that way I don’t fall from my own esteem, because then I am someone who “cares” about this world, though he doesn’t have the “time” to get down and start acting. And not some stone hearted beast who doesn’t care whether people around him live or die.

The tsunamis of 2004 killed 230,000 people around the world. In India itself 18,000 innocent people were sweeped away from life as we know it, and were converted into pieces of rotten human remains. People were clinging on to branches of trees lamp posts or whatever they could lay their hands on, when the huge monterous waves were trying to take the air out of their lungs. What was their fault, that they were poor fishermen living on the edge of the land, looking towards “mother” ocean for their very survival or are they guilty because they used to take a morning walk along the beach every morning. Both I don’t think are offences that warranted the death penalty, but they still died a rotten death.

Natural disasters happen, but let me tell you I had never witnessed such brutality by mother nature from the time I opened my eyes. This was not just something that happens every now and then. This incident literally shaked people’s faith in the all mighty. People started wondering as to how someone can be so cruel to his own creation, as to destroy it with such ferocity and disdain. Even a little child would not break his toy with such disregard. Yet the tsunamis are a stark remainder to us how quickly our lives can be turned upside down.

Let me tell you why I brought this thing up, tell me after witnessing these horrific scenes on television, all I could “contribute” was a few notes of dough. I did nothing to “touch” people and change people’s lives. But I don’t think I did very bad, because I sleep every night knowing for a fact that there are millions going to sleep at the same time who didn’t even turn their heads when thousands were annihilated in one mighty strike. Think I am much better than those few millions.

Mind you there were millions of others who did contribute without hesitation.

Pardon me folks if I have been too graphic, but the organ trade story just made me feel that maybe hell is just a place on earth and I walk everyday with the devils themselves, because only most satanic can act in such selfish and heartless manner. The exploited people narrating their story just make me sick to my stomach. The look of sorrow on their faces pierced my heart. Aren’t they the creation of the very god that created the rest of us, then tell me how can some people be made to suffer so much. It is equivalent to “burning them alive”.

Just re-emphasizing my point, it is very easy to talk but very difficult to act. But we can atleast try and help those who have the courage and the will to stand away from the crowd and try and make a change to this “so so so imperfect” world that we all live in.