Business of Bothering

Walking down the prestigeous Park Street, now Mother Teresa Sarani, every day has made me realise that drug addiction is an open reality that no one bothers about today. On three locations on the pavement, I can see middle-aged men huddled together, sometimes partially covering themselves with a dirty towel around, experimenting with drugs to get one fine "kick". I also see often one very thin, skinny-looking lady doing it all by herself. Two days ago, I had seen this lady with another man, whom I am tempted to think her companion, initiating this noble art of taking drugs to a boy of about 12 years. As I passed by, I was tempted to stop there, and shout at the youngster sitting cozily between this man and the woman. The boy was far too young to enter into the world of drugs. But the very moment I realised, but what if they were to tell me, "What is your problem? Mind your own business!"

One of the main problems haunting the modern world is that we mind only our own business, and don't bother to look a little beyond our own selves. We are too afraid to cross the lakshman-rekha that we ourselves have drawn. No one can deny the fact that we have become far too individualistic today that a few years ago. We live in a world where what really matters is my family, my friends, my relatives, and my acquaintances. There are often deaths, suicides in flats just opposite to mine, and yet I may not even know who it is, what has happened to the persons, ... We are learning the art of insulating our lives, keeping a safe distance from others... and it will not take too long for us to realise that we have alienated ourselves from the rest of humanity, a mistake that will take centuries to correct.

Why should I bother about my neighbour? I have all the resons to, and it would be a grave "sin" against humanity and against the universe, if I fail to bother. It is true there are times when I am questioned by others, "but what is your problem? Why dont you mind your own business?" And the next time, I dont dare to repeat it. Why should I dirty my hands unnecessarily? Imagine, if all of us were to mind our own business, then the world will become one big factory, where each of the machines will do its part, and ... If we were to stretch the imagery, we will realise that problem with one part will affect the entire output.

We do not realise the fact that we live in a world where each one of us have a role to play, and in order to strike balance in the world, every one needs to be healthy. We often say, healthy persons make a healthy society. We are duty-bound at the welfare of each of our neighbours... This is what is so very unique to human beings... but what we see in reality is that we often behave worse than animals... hoarding, self-centredness, vengeance, jealousy, these are the vices not known to the animals. Care and concern for the neighbours is not necessarily a religious virtue, but a basic human virtue. It is time that we wake up from the slumber and look at the world around us, and do our part to show that we truly care for the world and the universe.

Today I would like to pause two or three times during the day at different situations, and ask myself this question : how can I show through my actions at this juncture that I care for the world and the people around me? I dont need to think of something heroic, or noble; it may be a silly act of charity or concern for the people or nature; what is more important is that I begin to educate my mind to make these things happen automatically, without consciously doing them. If at the end of the day, I can tell myself that I was able to do such and such act to show my concern for the world, then I can really be happy. For happiness is born when I go out of myself to stretch out my hand to reach out to the needy.