Well, hello there. It has been yet another hiatus for me, and at this rate, I am beginning to believe that these phases are a part of life. I took some time off to focus on my studies again.
Have you ever been so affected by a situation that pretty much has nothing to do with you or your beliefs, but somehow you feel the need to act on it?
I know I have.
A lot of things that happen in the world right now are simply indicators of a lost sense of humanity.
A couple of days ago, I was browsing my Instagram discovery page and came across some videos of a member of the rainbow community getting quite a beating. Now, I know that most of us have our reservations about this, as I do too, but at what point does a person get the warranty to punish someone else for living a lifestyle they do not understand? I ask myself, what would happen if everyone got attacked for living a life that someone else did not understand? Wouldn’t we all be hospitalized or non-existent?
A lot of times, we act under the impression that we are doing the Christian thing. But what part of the Bible tells us that it is okay to harm someone else? To take matters into our own hands and punish people for their “sins”? And in doing so, what makes us any less of a sinner?
A lot of people around us are going through a lot. A lot! Since I started reading about mental health and became an advocate for the same, I have come to learn that a lot of things happen right under our noses, and we do not even see it.
The other day, a friend of mine confided in me that at one point in his life he was one step close to committing suicide. And the most painful part of his story was that no one noticed. At all. This is not an isolated situation. A lot of people around us are going through tribulations that we know nothing about, mostly because we are too self centred and self absorbed to see the next person; to hear the words that go unsaid. We do not pay enough attention to the people we call friends because every time they try to tell us something, we dismiss it.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where a person was lying on the streets, perhaps after a car ran them over, or they had a medical emergency? You have a mental conflict because your heart wants to do the right thing and take them to hospital, but your brain contests your intentions and reminds you of the many ways in which carjacking and kidnappings happen. You end up choosing your own safety, as any sane person would, because that is what matters anyway, and your instinct could be right. But can you imagine what happens if the situation is genuine?
We have created a lifestyle around us that dismisses others, makes us self absorbed and focused on our own gratification, that we forget that, above all other things, we are human.
And we need to be in touch with our humanity.
That we need to be more kind and understanding to those around us.
Love is a beautiful thing, and one that serves best when shared. Why can’t we put in some extra effort and be there for others?
Take it a day at a time. One good deed per day.
Imagine one million people doing one good thing for someone else, every day. That’s a million smiles a day. A million grateful hearts each and every day. And the good thing about that is the ripple effect it causes.
Amazing, isn’t it?
It cost absolutely nothing to be a good person; to be kind and generous. Let us have just a little bit of heart. That’s all that matters.
Happy New Week!