10.Humans…Selfish

Everyone’s had the same dreams or daydreams at some point or another. The one where you were some sort of superhero rescuing a person…ahem…damsel…in distress. Funny.

Well, I’m back after another big hiatus.

So it’s been a year after I started working. It’s been a very hectic and eventual year.

I realized that my four years in college wasn’t all a waste. I also realized that my college never prepared me for what was actually out there. Getting started out in the real world is and will be one of the toughest phases I will ever encounter. But I’m glad I made it through for now.

I don’t know what it is about people that makes them…how do I put this nicely…EVIL!. If you have known me or read my previous post, you’d know that I believe in the relativistic nature of good and bad. I find it really hard to make it through as a ‘good’ person. Let me explain.

If you did everything ‘good’ no matter what happens, you’re either a really strong-willed person or a simpleton…or both …

What I’ve faced when I needed something done is that it became increasingly difficult to be a good and kind person. People would just take you for granted that way. In my view, When someone is good to someone they should respond in kind otherwise it makes it difficult for both involved. Now reiterating my earlier point- I wonder why people inherently choose to be bad.

Maybe it’s the priorities they have set. The fact that they should behave in kind to those around might be their least priority considering their job or other ‘important things’. And me, on the other hand, have set it as a high priority.

Maybe it’s their experiences. Maybe every time they tried to do things nice they got took for granted or some such, that taught them that being ‘good’ isn’t going to work.

Maybe what I’m saying can happen only in a utopia, where people be good to everyone without repercussions.

Whatever the reason may be, I don’t like it. I understand that everyone can’t be a goody-two-shoes all the time; that just doesn’t work. But there are some aspects like respect, empathy, selflessness and the basic urge to help others that should be ingrained in every individual. Most of the people I’ve met and work with are just plain selfish. This is just not right.

I had this long argument with my dad once. Let me bring it up again.

• Q.   Say, there was this person on the road who just met with an accident and requires assistance. And you happened to be nearby, what would you do?
•  A.  I said that I would rush him to the nearest hospital as soon as possible.

And my Dad disagreed. I was appalled at the response at that time, but now I am not so surprised. His reason behind this was apparently due to a law in India. ‘If you help an accident victim, you are required by law to appear before a court to testify’. It was this law that, according to him, dissuaded a lot of people from helping accident victims.

I beg to disagree. I believe that had such a law not been there, there would still be people…a lot of people… who be unwilling to help a person in need.

You don’t believe me? Below is a social experiment in India. (Opt for English Subtitles)

I guess all I’m trying to say is that there should be some basic ‘good’ in people. The ‘urge to help’ is one such aspect. You see someone in dire need, you help them.

I now urge all, Indian or not, to step out of their bubbles, set their priorities straight and reply in kind to those who are good to you. Because I tell you, this is wrong and we better correct it before it’s too late… before it becomes our trait…before it gets carried on to our future generations…it may not be a good future to live in.

 

I doubt these days, that even if you did have superpowers, you would use it for the greater good. I think humans would rather go about making their life better.

1.Grown Up

Aah! My first blog article! What should it be about?

Back in the day when I was kid, I couldn’t wait to grow up, get a job etc. But as I grew up I kept looking back to the life I had when I was kid. Is it just me?

As kids we all had our own small worlds, crawling about the floors and climbing chairs and cupboards. I think the biggest ordeal we had to go through was like bathing or doctors(dentists).

Didn’t think I’d miss being a kid so much. I mean it’s a lot less to worry about. Being a kid definitely has its pros. No worries, no responsibilities. But here’s what I think; when I was a kid, I looked all around, saw these big men and women who’d fuss over me, but I had no say in anything that goes on around me. So when you start to see that the ‘elders’ got privileges that you didn’t have, you yearn to grow up.

Growing up is inevitable. And as you grow up you get more and more caught up in life. Responsibilities, livelihood, family…

But I guess something I always (okay how do I put these nicely) ‘didn’t like’ was the fact you are dependent on your folks till you get a job , you get what I mean. I know there’s lot less to do when you’re dependent, and for a lazy guy like me it would be awesome. But it hurts.

Best example is that since I started college, I’ve been living away from my parents. So they wire cash in every month. But it pains me to ask cash from my parents when I’m low. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not that my parents won’t give it to me. It’s just that at times, I don’t feel like it’s my money and so I can’t spend it the way I want. Hope you get what I mean.

So it was that which gave me a strong will to grow up. The need to be independent. The need to show my folks that even I can make it on my own. But little did I know that along with that comes a lot more stuff…

I still don’t truly understand what my priorities are. And until I get that straight, I will always be in doubt. But if you had the chance to choose; what would you go for, being a kid or growing up?