Can We Be More Sensitive Towards Those Less Fortunate?

Another day, and another incident… one that shook me to the core of my deepest existence. I still shiver in shock and deep sadness at the upfront brutality of it. What is worse, it is so common to see – in many forms everywhere. A poor man comes to a store for a cup of tea; he is dirty & smelly, probably hasn’t bathed in a long time, and what does he get? A gets beaten and chased away, with a stool. Like an Animal. A man so poor, and yet – all we can see is how he discomfits us? We, who call ourselves Human Beings {Insaan}, cant see his pain, his haplessness, his abject status?

Where is our pity?

Where is our pity? Where is our feeling of mercy? Where is our feeling of insaniyat? Gone south for the winter?Those of us, like me, who feel bad – cant even speak up, due to the public furore, and the risk to self. That is the worst of it; it reduces us to the level of everyone around us, making us just like the rest – insensitive heartless people. Today, I am blaming myself, my soul  writhing in pain and intolerable agony at what I have witnessed, the ritual beating of a hungry, dirty and helpless Fellow Human. This is not a sight I will forget: I carry every such sight in my mind, eye, heart from my entire life.

My heart seeks solace…

My heart seeks solace; there is none to be found in the world at large. And yet, this is the world in which I must survive, this is the world in which I must live, and succeed in; my family and my own life depends on it. Some corner of my heart tells me all is not lost : you at least feel the pain of those less fortunate. But that is poor and pointless solace compared to the pain I witnessed today on the streets in Pune. It was a  mind-numbingly shocking display of insensitivity. And yet, the logical me also realizes the fear of personal risk or risk to business clientelle is also genuine; does that make me a bigot? I hope not.

The Other Side

Others can state poor people are everywhere; how much can we do, and for how many people? I would agree to that thoroughly logical observation, especially given each person is fighting his or her own fight to survive and grow. There are no easy answers. But – and this is a big but – does this mean we treat those less fortunate than us with such disdain, such insensitivity? Cant we be more humane, more understanding, more gentle, more comforting? Doable – most of the time, yes?

A Balanced Look

Each person in this world – poor or rich, educated or uneducated, accomplished or not, successful or not, achiever or not – is still a Human Being, and is your equal. Then may you be a PhD or may you be a daily wage labourer. Chasing away a poor man, dirty / disagreeable / problematic – with a stool, no less – that isnt human decency. This incident cannot be seen in isolation; why did that hapless man become so negative? He certainly wasn’t born this way. Sure he may have been negative – but life’s experiences have converted him to negativity. It is the collective responses built over the lifetime that results in such behavior, both caused and exacerbated by extreme poverty.

As I sit today to document this incident, yet another blog in my Poverty series, my mind is a blank. I wonder at the extreme poverty I see on the roads every day; my heart aches for my fellow human. There are no easy answers to this conundrum; we are a poor country. This is further exacerbated by the insensitive and shockingly numb behavior of some among us towards those less fortunate. I understand there are no easy answers, but can we at least be more human?

Conclusion with a Silver Lining

But, even in this midst of this dark shadow of thought, a silver lining does occur – I also have seen good Samaritans offering such poor people tea, or snacks. Some, offended by the exterior, gently ask the poor person to sit at a side, but don’t insult or trouble them. All I can think of is, I hope there comes a day when the tribe of such people, now in a miniscule minority, increases exponentially… remember, those less fortunate are also humans; children of the same God you worship… in closing, I wish these lines from the iconic Hindi song – Insaan Kaa Insaan Se Ho Bhaichaaraa, Yehi Paighaam Humaaraa!