Sometimes it is difficult to say the truth, especially when we know that the truth is sure to prick the conscience of the listener. There are many whose conscience are made of thick skin, and so they may not mind whatever people tell about them, and we shall leave them in peace and would not venture to disturb them for a while. We do not say that people of this sort can be left scot free, just because they are stiff-necked people who would not listen to any one, even if God the Father were to appear before them and ask them to change. We have to find some way of letting them know that they cannot decide for the whole world; at least once in a while, they have to be human.
Today is the golden jubilee of a few nuns, and I had been invited to attend the celebrations, which is comprised of the Eucharist presided over by the archbishop, felicitation to the jubilarians, a dance drama of Tagore and festive dinner. I could make out that it would take at least five hours to complete these programs, and I did not want to waste my time sitting there doing nothing. It is not that going to attend the program would be useless, but I thought if it would be worthwhile. It would have been an occasion for me to meet some of my friends, and I had known at least two of the jubilarians, who wanted me to attend the function. But one of the most important questions that I was asking myself is : should I go there to attend the function, just to please some?
Yesterday as I visited the place and told one of the friends there that I would not be going for today’s program, she told me I could not afford to miss the program. After a little while, one of the most famous jubilarian came to tell me that I should attend the celebrations, since I was partly involved with the preparations. When I told her that I would not, then she jokingly said they would not be able to forgive me if I miss the program and dinner, for which I retorted I would not require their forgiveness. Later on the hind sight, I thought I should not have been so blunt to the nun, but I found no other way of communicating to her what I hope to tell her one day.
I was told that some 600 to 700 persons would take part in the dinner today, and I was just imagining how much it would cost to feed all of them, and having known the way how these nuns host dinners, I am quite sure it would cost them a fortune. Theirs is a poor congregation with a very limited resources, and I was told that all the convents of the congregation would be required to contribute for the celebration. Some of the convents are too poor to contribute, and yet they would have no other option to dish out from their bare necessity for the dinner. I was asking myself if such a dinner should be organized at all?
Often such dinners and programs are organized to show off, and to exhibit to others how important they are. I would have readily agreed to join them for fifty golden years of service to God and people, if the celebration were organized in a small-scale with only some friends and acquintances. I know that my attending or not attending the celebrations is not going to change any of their programs; they all will go on as planned; but I would be able to share with them the real reasons for my not attending the program, if they wished to listen to me. I had seen the dance of peacocks, and do not require to see yet another one dancing!
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