IT IS KIND TO BE UNKIND

“What seems good turns bad, what seems bad turns good. It is an endless cycle.”  - Brenda Shoshanna

That evening I was returning from my classes when I had stopped by the shops in my neighborhood to buy some stuff. While I was waiting for my turn at the counter I noticed a thin old man wandering to and fro the colony gate as if in search of something or probably someone. He grew more and more perplexed with each stride. My next instance with him was at the gate where I could barely comprehend the words ‘Masjid’, ‘Namaz’, amid his mumbling. I figured that he had set out for the evening Namaz at the mosque and lost track of the path that made him land there. His eyes sought help. I could not overlook his plight and asked him over to get on the backseat of my Scooty. I lowered the footrest but he had already seated himself slackly and didn’t seem to care about it. I had some idea about the location of the nearest mosque and hence rode off. On my way back home, after safely dropping baba, yes, I called him baba, all those moral science lessons kept coming back to me and pumped up my heart with contentment incurred from helping a needy.

I did not get a pat on my back, rather met two pairs of anxious and fairly terrified eyes. My father went on reassuring mom that I was completely safe. Yes, their young daughter was home completely ‘safe’ after picking up a total stranger, a ‘man’, from road and dropping him safely! What was wrong with me? How could I not look at the obvious? Their fear ridden words struck my senses hard as if newly opened to awareness. This is not a utopian world! You can’t trust anyone and everyone. Haven’t I read and seen immeasurable incidences of utterly heinous deeds already disgracing humanity? What if I had been trapped by my own idiocy? Wait,that was merely an act of helpfulness! That old man did no harm. He did not touch me even mistakenly. I was not only safe but rather glad on helping him. What if he was a con masquerading as an old man beseeching help? What if he was a part of some malicious racket? What if I hadn’t returned home? Maybe I am over thinking. What I did was something that I as a human am hardwired for in the first place-a mere humanitarian act.

I am torn between the kind and the unkind. The good in goodness. The ‘if’ and ‘but’ in my thoughts. My doubts are pretty reasonable. “What seems good turns bad, what seems bad turns good. It is an endless cycle.” These sentences carry a deep meaning. Who knows if it would have been good for myself to be less sensitive than to be sorry some day, some other time! If a seemingly good deed were to cost me my life or even worse the sanctity of my soul, would it not further diminish the belief in good deeds? Would it have been wrong to say – it is kind to be unkind?

‘A man gets robbed by an accident victim.’ The detailed description to this news headline reads that a benevolent man had stopped at an accident scene at a highway to help out the victims when many other passers-by had not even cared to slow down. To the kind man’s horror, the supposed victims were thieves in reality. He paid heavily for his kindness. This incident is a permanent blot on humanity. Reports of crimes by impostors asking for lift at highways are not new to our eyes and ears. Even murders have been accounted.

Why does the kind bear the repercussions of kindness this way? Doesn’t it bring the whole concept of helping others in the circle of suspicion? Why does it seem that the paramount inhumane forces are laughing in the face of compassion?

Battling through varied notions, one picture that emerged clearer of all is that I made the good side weigh a little heavier that day. Maybe, that little human instinct is all that is needed. “One small step for man, a giant leap for mankind.” The Herculean task is to restore faith in humanity and gain control. I don’t intend to induce negativity in this already downbeat scenario but will merely quoting those great words get my questions answered? Would words like ‘faith’,’ trust’, ‘compassion’ learn their true meanings?

Somewhere someone wishes the answer be affirmative.

Resy Verma

MOTHER OF GOD

                               
       I hail from India, a land rich in spices and vegetables, full of plantations and most varied flora. Given the rich varied heritage, it is possible to lead a diet that would be strictly vegetarian. Meat would be an addition only. In a country like India, meat is not primary because of our diet requirements. Furthermore, eating meat wasn't as prevalent through the centuries. The three main religions of the land, namely Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism have boycotted meat for the same because hurting a fellow being was not essential. Someone or the other should have put up a story of how meat-eaters shall be put down on the scale of humanity.
     
       While I shifted to Arab, I have noticed that meat is not on their religion's no list. Reason obvious. Arab is a desert and barren land. Lack of dietary vegetation. The rules needed to be based on the lifestyle. Thus, Halal came into existence. Like every other, Islam had been trying to kill the wildness in a human being by defying him the pleasure of killing. Pork was put off the list for similar reasons. Chicken meat was inevitable and hence, godly.

       Move to the Northern Europe, the colder Europe. You'll see that there are civilisations where alcohol is essential in diet. Yes, reason is obvious and you are guessing it right. It is essential in their diet given the temperatures and climate. Entirely dependent on what would be an ideal modest lifestyle, a religion adapts and issues its rules and regulations.

       Another example I would like to quote would be the tradition of marriage. All the religions, at the end of the day, are doing the same thing. The couple take an oath. The scriptures may be different, and so may be the procedures, but the conception
persists. One male and one female trying to recapture the marvel and create a better generation, and a better world to live.

       As a physics teacher, I have a great experience teaching that nothing is absolute. So is religion. What would be right for one would be wrong to the other. In total, every civilisation tries to domesticate, read civilise the man more. I'm not saying that everything is relative. The concept is absolute, a better place to live. The approach is relative.

       Peshawar attacks, where Taliban kills 150 children ruthlessly is an example. Killings weren't new here. We have heard of Taliban for a lot of times now. Every time, I heard of two views. Especially having a great company of Muslims throughout my life, I could get a proper logical Quran based justification for the actions of Taliban. Except this one. It was one voice. A very grief toned one. It is dead obvious that no religion, none in human race, would ever encourage the killing of the generations to come. I could hear it in the words of taxi driver who drove me two days later, he hailed from Peshawar. I heard it in what Hillary Clinton said an
year ago. Everyone had realised the dire need to be against Taliban. Reason
obvious, it is against the concept of God and humanity. It is against the better world.

       In total, all the religions are behind the concept. If you think one religion is better than the other, I would like to call you ignorant and I'm not mistaken at it.

       Look at festivals. We all learnt about Diwali and how it's effective in keeping the insects and mosquitoes away, right between the rains and winter. Read it the other way, we all wanted to improve the hygiene of life and started using lights and fire to welcome winter, called it Diwali, wrote inspiring stories about it and celebrated it.

       The month of Ramadan is another good example. The Islam wanted to teach humility and simplicity to human beings. Fasting through the day had been drafted effectively into Roza. Celebrate the end of Ramadan, perhaps the hottest month of an Islamic year in grandeur. Celebrate being alive.

       Christmas puts all the conception into a nutshell. It's winter. Freezing temperatures and chilling winds. Gloomy days without work. In most of the Europe where winters are the worst, people are lazily crouched under blankets for days. Amidst all the laziness, there is an essential need to heat up the homes. There is a need to be not gloomy. For gloomy is sick. So what shall we do? Light up our houses, gift each other and smile. Yes, Merry Christmas. Snow shall no more be a burden, and we will make a cheerful story of a Santa who rides reindeers, his sleighs on the snow. You see it? We wanted to learn from nature, and be with it. Thus, we made festivals,
to celebrate being alive.

       The word good has been put down terribly these days, but in basic, good is the root of religion. Follow your religion in a good way. If what you're doing is right for you and the generations to come, then you are right. Being right and being good, that should be the essence. Being happy, and being a part of the nature, that should be your concept. If you understand that and put it to practice, whichever religion you follow, you're being a better human being. Or, let me say, you're being a human, for we are the unique species that have civilised over centuries to be a better sustainable part of the nature.


       God is nowhere else, but in you. It is when you wish to help the fellow human into leading a better life, creating a better place to live, that's when he personifies in you.


YRK SRIVATSA.