Editor,
We often expect others to become generous and stick to rules, but when it comes to us doing the right thing, we blatantly turn our backs. We search for those qualities in others which we never developed in us. We view the world through a frame where we see others faults and deficiencies, but not the mistakes we have committed. According to us the burden of doing right should remain on others, we should be exempted from all the moral and social responsibilities. We lecture others all day about cleanliness , but never saw how much litter we spread outside our homes. We wake up in the morning not necessarily always for walking and jogging , but to throw our household garbage in the streets secretly sometimes . And this is where our hypocrisy gets exposed. We demand parks , over bridges and bus stops, and when they are built we spit tobacco and gutka everywhere, forgetting the fact that cleanliness and discipline are not something to be maintained only at homes, but also in public spaces. Following correct civic behavior is an individual responsibility. We expect others to become good citizens, but we forget that the rules they should follow are applicable to us too. We cannot think of ourselves as alien to others while living in the same society as them. What we are is not defined by how nicely we represent ourselves in front of others, but how we act when nobody is around us. We throw empty packets of chips and water bottles from our cars on highways, thinking that nobody is watching us. But we never had the time to ask ourselves, whose duty is it to keep the roads clean. Does the government have to send a cleaner behind every car to pick up all the garbage we throw during our rides? If not then we should start correcting ourselves. We chastise others for taking bribes, but never question where our childrens are getting money to buy expensive houses and properties despite earning a small salary. Because honesty is something others should follow, not our children. Morality, values and social duties are something which starts from home . What we do will be copied by our childrens too . This is what we need to understand today.
Equally discouraging is the meanness we sometimes display in bestowing kindness to others. We often see our neighbours going to the same place where we are heading, but never offer them a lift in our car. Because they are not of our standard. We continue to sit in the buses shamelessly without leaving our seats to the elderly person standing near us. No matter how exhausted that person may be, we don’t have the time to look towards him. For us every penny counts. Why should we leave our paid seats to someone whom we don’t know. But doing so we often forget that we will not remain young forever . One day we too will become weak and fatigued, as time never excuses anyone. How would we feel encountering the same situation in our old days? This is what we need to ask ourselves when we are capable of helping others yet we never did. Kindness does not charge anything, but can motivate others to become wise when they see us helping the destitutes selflessly. Sometimes even a smile or offering a glass of water may relieve others from tons of mental pain. Happiness comes from sharing others’ suffering ,not from a self-centric life.
Discipline, generosity or following the social rules cannot be demanded from others when we ourselves have never shown or followed them. It is useless to shout at others for littering the streets, when we ourselves have been doing the same for years . Nor does it make any sense to get disappointed for not getting help from others , when we never stood beside anyone in their needs. The values, ethics and the lesson of goodness learnt from our teachers should not die after leaving the college gate. They should be implemented in practical life too . The world is in a dire crisis of goodness and unless we change ourselves we cannot expect good things to happen in our life or in society.
Kabir Ahmed Saikia
Rajabari, Jorhat
Assam
