“You just sit there… don’t look up. Don’t look in the eye. Don’t look! …act as if he’s invisible. He’ll just go away… or else the light will turn green and soon you’ll drive away. You’ll be home and then you can forget about it.” These are the first thoughts.
A deeper thought if ever taken reveals that one never wanted to forget about him. All of the ignoring actually means that he was never in your mind. The teeming million poor people are never in our minds. In fact no one else ever is. I know for a fact.
How did we ever organize ourselves in this society this way? Who made the rules? I am embarrassed, but I’ll tell you. I ignore all those little boys and girls begging at every crossing in Delhi. I don’t look at them in the eye. I look through them. I act as if they’re invisible. I roll up the window. I rev the engine. I rush away as soon as the light turns green. I don’t want to give any money as I know that one coin will bring in twenty more outstretched palms. Or will it? I don’t know. I’ve run away every time. I’ve never checked it out.
Who put them there in the first place? Is that very naïve of me to ask? Should I just let that question be? Can I ever find answers to that question? Or will it be entirely clouded with concepts of economics, development strategy, political will, gross domestic product, manufacturing sector, insurgency etc etc etc ad nauseum.
The simple fact of life: “hungry stomach needs food” has today been confused and manipulated to such an extent that we have nations of obese people co-existing in the world along with malnourished nations all in the same world. But it doesn’t matter right: it’s not your country, it’s not your home, it’s not your problem.
Who is to blame? Or is it not about a blame game? The ancient Indians would have us believe it is karma. Some are destined for greatness, some are destined for poverty. Or is it that some work harder than the others? What is the role of equal opportunities? What if I am a closet literary genius of the Swahili language? I just never got the opportunity to blossom that talent, having been born in India. Or is it that I was never meant to?
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3 comments:
its not about distribution, but creation. Its not about protest, but promise.India speaks of Prarabdh, Purshartha, and Samskara. Of the three, Purushartha is the most potent with an effect of releasing one from the effect of the other two.
When it turns red next, look close, look into his eyes, relate to him - for he is within you! help him, help yourself.
you are interfacing with the hologram of the universe at all times..the solid universe is 4% of all creation, the rest is a void that HOLDS it together...kinda 'god'... the root of the mind is ideas and thoughts.. you ARE what you think.you process the raw data of existence and make it meaningful ..but in your limited senses bandwidth... hence the wars and insecurity and hunger and obesity..buddha expanded the bandwidth...unfortunately only for himself..if only he had given it to the world..then beggars would in bliss at signals...
You have such God gifted writing skills that I was hooked reading all your posts. I know what it is to be in a "gilded cage", not being able to live the life you dream to..not being able to do the job that gives you the utmost satisfaction. But trust me, you should open the doors.. Jump of that cliff. There is nothing to loose. If God has given a bird wings, he also has ensured that the bird will fly. All it needs is to show a little courage. I have lived it, so I know what it feels to fly...A million dollars won't give that feeling...
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