How shallow are we?
Yup, asking you ?
Probably you're not, could be that I am just assuming you are: thinking if I am so would you be. but thats not fair. We should give you a fair chance before we make any judgements. So please allow me to back up a few paces and take you to the start.
Today is 22nd March 2020, Its a Sunday for the world but for India its just a tad more special. Today our Govt. has requested us to stay home and practise social distancing as a nation.So No Going out with friends, No shopping, No movies, No dates, No nothing; basically sit your ass down and chill at home.
It is exactly as boring as it sounds but there is one interesting twist to this day. As the clock would tick 5, everyone should come out in their balconies and either clap or clang their utensil in support of all the Medical staff, Municipal labour forces, 24*7 Retailers who are still working amidst the pandemic situation to thank them for their service and show a united front against an [as Trump likes to put it ]”Invisible Enemy”.
Pretty neat aint it!
Honestly, it was. It was such an amazing vibe to see one and all come together and show their support unanimously by diligently staying home and then showing up at 5:00 PM and clapping their hearts out.It was the #1 trending event.
I know at this point you would be wondering that when would he talk about being shallow, hold on its coming!
So as I was scrolling my various social media feeds filled with all the celebrities, Bollywood A-listers and my friends happily clapping or clanging their aluminium/silver-ware. I happened to come across a couple of videos showing a rag-picker standing on the road and clapping with great vigour before resuming his daily chore collecting plastics from the road. In another one a lady who was sitting outside her slum hut built on a concrete floor, banging the only plate she might have.
I might have seen quite a few 5 PM videos but these 2 stood out. They had a very deep impact on me in the sense that these people who were innocently clapping didn't know they were being recorded. for both of them, source of daily wage is more people on the road so that they can beg or collect their litter. They were practically unemployed because of Janta curfew. But they still joined hands with us and clapped before going about their business of facing their invisible enemies ; poverty, hunger, contagious diseases.
It made me think that how shallow a person I am, I get worried about trivial things like work problems or ego issues with friends & family members Being completely oblivious to the fact that there is a whole strata of society that is surviving at a much lower level of comfort or livelihood. Despite that they are still so grateful about life that they took time to thank the workers who are not even working for them. They clapped because they wanted us to be happy, they could have easily ignored it and gone about their business knowing very well that nobody would care even-if they catch the virus but I think that is what separates them from us.
I was reading a book which had the following quote and aptly applies to this situation “It doesn't really matter what we expected from life but rather what life expects from us!”
This experience made me feel extremely shallow about myself, On how soft we have gone with abundance of everything we want/need. But I felt elated with the fact that there is so much room for improvement and thanked humanity for being so pure.
I am extremely grateful to all the people who are working tirelessly to protect us. Times like this actually shows us a mirror and gives a reality check to inform us that only love, empathy and compassion are the forces that can sustain this world.
You want to Live, you have to Love :)
On that note; I’ll ask you once again
How shallow are we?