Let me start by telling you all about what happened yesterday. I was coming back home, from college, in an auto. I was seated in front, near the driver's seat. Not a big deal. It was a little uncomfortable when a third person was going to be adjusted there, but then the man sitting behind, offered me his seat and sat in front himself. For many of you it would be just normal. It wasn't a problem for me either, but these small little gestures by someone whom I don't know and who do not know me, matter a lot. I felt happy. It was so good to see that there are men who care for and respect women.
This was about how one just relates to other people in a society, without even knowing them. These relations are often ignored and taken for granted. The problem is that we fail to be close to people. We hesitate in helping them, and there is no particular reason to why we do this apart from the clichéd idea, "Why should I care?". Of course one should care. That is a part of being human.
Now there are relations which matter so much to us that we attribute days in the calender to celebrate them! One such day is today, Rakshabandhan, it celebrates the beautiful relation between a brother and a sister. The sister ties a 'rakhi ' on to her brother's wrist, who promises to protect and care for her throughout his life. This tie strengthens their relation every year, for life.
In contrast to the societal relations, personal relations, like the one we share with our sibling(s), are extremely special! We're the closest to them. They love us, care for us, tease us, irritate us, they know all about us. Yet if time tarnishes those relations, we should put an effort into renewing our relationship with them. After all, we never know what life has in store for us.
It is our relationships with people, ranging from strangers to loved ones, which add value to our lives and make us happy. So always bring a smile on some face. :)
Finally here is what rings a bell whenever the word 'relationship' comes to my mind.
Because every relation doesn't need a name! :D
Just a month back something similar happened to me. As I boarded the metro, sweating and panting from all the running, an elderly lady (above 60) offered me her seat. She had reached her destination but before getting up from her seat, she called me and asked me to sit there. I was surprised. That was a simple gesture of kindness. unfortunately my experience of such gestures are almost nil so her behavior initially confused me a lot. Though I was grateful and I had let her know that, I could not stop my cynical mind from questioning her real motives... Which is actually very sad because it shows where we stand when it comes to helping others
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely there. But like Shradha mentioned, we shouldn't question these good gestures. Because, you know, the world is not full of filth. i mean, filth is just one part. There are Shiny happy people (REM Song, although they are sarcastic in the track) who love to help. We should let them, and, you know, also extend our hand to create something beautiful out of these relations. :)
DeleteExactly! We contempt such gestures because we feel that the world around us is deceptive all the time, like there is an ulterior motive behind everything!
ReplyDeleteAnd I think until we really do something similar, we wouldn't be able to change our mind. So I would urge you to do something that makes others feel happy! :)
Thank you for sharing your experience! :D
A very sweet post Shradha. however there are certain things that I want to talk to you about, say for instance the part where you expect a brother to be protective. That mightn't always be the case. Yet those brothers may love you dearly. But that's just a perspective.
ReplyDeleteAnd it feels good to know that you think this way. Nowadays most people tend to disconnect from society. Tends to be selfish. Most people, note. Because they fear that others might not accept their willingness to help and frown at them. We should do away with that. Hope to see a better world soon.
And this is a really nice piece of writing. :)
Thank you. The part where I have mentioned that brothers are expected to be protective relates to the whole idea of the festival, 'Rakshabandhan', you see. Apart from that, there is no compulsion, they should just love their sisters who in turn can protect them, if the need be. :D
Delete:)
Me too.
Thank again! :D
Shradha, yes, I did. After that incident I did help few of my fellow travelers. I felt like I should help too. Be a little less selfish. But I could not stop myself from doubting my own intentions. I questioned myself that why am I doing it? Do I really want to help? Is it out of genuine kindness? Or am I acting like this out of shame and guilt? Do I feel indebted to that lady and is it my way of repaying her?
ReplyDeleteAbhishek: WE still help each other and that is the reason we are still alive. Sometimes our previous experiences make us cynical. Somehow we find it easier to accept rude and unkind behavior from total strangers but a simple act of kindness fills us with all sorts of questions. In metro people fighting for seat is a common sign but leaving your seat for someone else is not and when such a rare incident happens it fills us with question. I feel like we are living in a world where hatred is far more easily accepted than love for example hating a person on the basis of gender is not a punishable offense but loving a person of your same gender is.
That is great! You tried to help! Understand one thing, we all keep learning all the time, from others or from our own mistakes, so there is nothing to feel guilty about or doubt yourself. Of course you wanted to help, hence you did. You have this amazing, rare, quality of imbibing whatever good is done to you and then reflecting it back. It is not shame or guilt, it is a positive feedback. You will feel indebted to her, just like many feel indebted to you, that will happen.
DeleteAnd trust me you have done good to people even before meeting that lady! :)
A beautiful thought indeed Shradha. I agree to every bit of it. Relations are not restricted to the ones in family. It's seamless.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! :D
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