Never Meant To Be Part 2.. And Then There Were Some

This was the second essay i wrote for the University of Texas... its supposed to be on a personal/political/school related/local/international issue i think is important and the relevance to my society/community/family/generation... i wrote on indifference...

I was at a train station. We were walking towards our platform when I spotted a lady dressed in rags sitting on the floor. She held both her hands in front of her and looked from one to the other. When I looked more carefully, I realized that she was holding a blade in one hand. Shocked, I silently passed.

I’m in a car on a main road in Delhi. When I take a look around, I see a countless number of fruit carts that are the livelihood of the people standing behind them. I see rickshaw drivers, toiling in the afternoon heat. Those same rickshaws serve as their beds for the night.

When I reflect on these images and countless others that have made an impact on me, I do feel moved. I read articles and I hear politicians talk inanely about the fight against poverty and the eradication of hunger, but I feel that we have strayed from the real issue. I don’t want to talk about poverty. I don’t want to talk about hunger and struggle because I know that these are issues that have almost become trivial and mundane in today’s world. I want to talk about myself. I want to reflect on my reaction to these social issues. Why did I silently walk past that lady at the train station? Why didn’t I sit down with her and talk to her? What made me react so indifferently? Here lies the real issue.

The problems with society do not root from an inactive government or an irresponsible president. The problem lies in the grass roots of the individual. Why have colleges made social commitment a requirement? Has that innate sense of humility and modesty perished to such a state that society must demand it from today’s youth? The fundamental issue is this: we have all been given the opportunity to make a decision. However, we would rather be disillusioned by a false imagery of a perfect world rather than contribute to our local community. Social service has become a burden rather than a personal choice.

I have come to the realization that nobody can be blamed for inaction. What does not affect us directly becomes immaterial to us. We see the struggle within our own local community and persist to ignore it presuming that either it will take care of itself, or the government will fix it.

The significance of such an attitude to me, my family, or my generation is in itself the crux of my point. I feel that as a potential change agent and leader, I did not move to action until I was provided some motivation by either my school, or my seniors. At that time, the idea of social service to me was to a certain extent an obligation, but it is only now that I realize the intense emotions and connections that can be experienced when I do work for social change, however small the change may be. This has made me feel much more spiritual about community service.

There was no motivation for Mother Teresa to have the same supper that she gave to the people that she sheltered - a crust of bread and a banana. Why must I be any different?