Yesterday I along with my friends were involved in a heated conversation. It was rather an alarming topic that we were discussing about. It all started with a small incident. We were to go to office yesterday and it was a new building with took a lot of time to travel than the previous location. And since we were new there we didn’t had any access into the building/floor. The concerned party has to swipe their ID Card to allow us to make an entry. Some of the people were already inside and later some other came, but since they too were just like us without the access were standing outside. My friend(lets call him GH) being generous tried asking the other people who could open the door for the people to come in. But some other person had already initiated the process before him. He come back to us and says, We should give back to the society. I burst out laughing for a short while and reply Is this what you think giving back to the society is ?
The meeting/training concluded in a couple of hours. But the training session was much less than the time it took us to get there. Yeah! That Far! It was almost lunch time, but not the exact time. In the meanwhile we took a cup of coffee each. We were three of us. After a little while, they were hungry and ordered something to eat. While they were at it, the topic of Giving back to the Society came back. I have no idea where that came from. Actually I mentioned this phrase to my friend a long back. Let me recap that.
I was home for almost near to a month for Christmas and New Year with out applying any leave at office. And I had to return back because of the sudden meeting taking place at office. So the next day I came, there was a meeting – A meeting the progress we had been doing or what we have been doing so far. The truth – We were doing Nothing. We are famously called as the Bench-Guys (those who aren’t given any project so far, due to less number of projects available). Some of us go to office daily to report, some once in a week, some once a month. But at the end of the month, everyone gets the salary. That’s pretty cool actually. So, at the meeting, the Person in-charge inquires us about what we have been doing? And there is a company initiative which is mainly for the fitness of the employees – FIt4Life. That is a great initiative and the company would contribute Rs.10/- for each kilometer we run. And that too not from out salary. I have been a regular participant to that initiation. So, when he asked about that, he was not happy when there were only a few people taking part in it. And he inquired further as of what we have been doing sitting in room and in what way we were contributing back to the society? That day, my friend was absent to that meeting as he was still at home.
Now, we were discussing about it. We three people sitting for lunch, discussing about the Society-Changing techniques. He came to the topic of Trusts where we donate the money to them and they take care of the people/children like their education and other basic needs. And there was a long discussion among us where one supports and the other denies. There was a question Would you donate to the trusts? Another friend (Lets’ call him PL) of mine objected that idea and said that they make profit in the name of the trusts. Though, they use a little part of the money for the welfare or whatever but still a large amount of money still goes into their pockets. He further extended his point by saying that mostly rich people donate huge amounts of money to the trusts and most of it is Black Money.
The main intention of my friend(GH) was to be helpful and contribute a little back to the society. But the truth, the society isn’t good to us that same way we are to it. There is a specific element called ‘Human’ who controls almost everything here around. And there is another element called Greed. Human is a greedy social animal. Even though he may be earning a lot of money, the greed never ceases to decrease. May be after everything has happened or one becomes old, and banks filled with millions of 100 dollar bills, may be then, he will try to be generous. I am not saying that everybody is the same that way. There are a lot of people who are not greedy without having anything for themselves. But the usual tendency of human is to be more rich, ow every single thing. Though he may be very good or loyal at the first, as time proceeds there is still a possibility of he becoming the victim of greed.
It doesn’t take just one person. Every other person has to contribute. If you try to be good, and you happen to be the only good person and the rest the same, old, selfish, greedy people, you would probably be devastated as they would exploit the very goodness of the nice people. “This has to Change!” GH said. The Society has to change. If a person doesn’t care to help the people in need, it is an alarming question as to where we are heading, to where the Humanity is headed to and what might be the future. My friend, GH was with the notion that when he could be good and contribute a little to the society, so can the million other people around the world. But what he missed was that People are not the same everywhere. I may be good, you may be good, not all are good. Else why in the god’s name would the largest democracy has so many problems – financially, politically, religiously, etc etc ways. Because the root of it all is the human, who in-spite of having sufficient for himself still wants more (this is intended to the people who fall in that category). We are not satisfied with what we have. Now, this happens….
We were walking back to the bus stop discussing about how deep is the Society and how much has to be changed. There is a Coconut Shop where people usually drink Coconut water under the hot Sun. We have been there for three times, including this time as well. The first time, when we all drank the coconut water, the kind vendor offered my friend PL, another coconut to drink its water since the earlier one didn’t had sufficient water in it. And he did’t charge anything more to that. Day before yesterday, he offered me another one for the same reason. And again didn’t charge anything. So, my friend GH says that you two people got an extra one. Next time, may be I will get another one. So, what happened yesterday was that, we did exactly what we usually do. But my friend GH after having his share says to the vendor that it didn’t had enough water hoping to get another one. But he wasn’t given one. And this very friend was the brains behind the thought The Society has to Change. I was laughing uncontrollably and pointing finger at him saying that “This is Human Tendency”. Though he may have sufficient, we still want more. Though my friend refused to take another one immediately. But the thought is important here. And he was speaking about changing the society. Since, Human is such whose wishes never fulfill and even they are fulfilled, there is always new on the list.
So, I wonder if ever we could see a world free from any of that S#it. I know its a distant dream and Yeah! I also know that it is not possible for a single person to be good and expect others to be nice as well, which is simply not possible even in dreams.
The Society has to change. The People have to change and that has to be done from the Scratch. Well, Bring on the Apocalypse. Or Armageddon, may be.
“Be Nice. But Don’t expect others to be the same.”
– Ajay Kontham [ 2013 ]
0 responses to “The Change.”
I think there are people all over the world who are willing to give, but maybe just dont know where to. Like your friend said, sometimes these trusts and charities are more interested in making money than they are in giving. But conversely, there are reliable charities who actually are helping people.
So I still think that there are good people who care for each other 🙂 I'm sure there are people who want to make a difference, but just don't know how, one of them is me 😛
Well I've done things in the past to raise funds for various causes.. BUT I stilll myseld that one day I need to make the big difference.
You are absolutely right. There are charities that actually help people. But we usually don't know which one are those.
Yeah, Count me in and I too don't know how. 😛
I too have done. But even after raising the funds we have to make sure that those are rightly used for the people in need rather than just for the sake of donating, it won't make sense or it's just the waste of time.
*I still tell myself
And yep, it can be hard to tell. BUT nothing is impossible right? If we were motivated, we could go as far as opening our own charity.
You definitely have a workplace with a sense of humour…and philanthropy too.
Sounds like a dream job to have!
But that you guys are trying to help is great.:)
Absolutely Right.
We can open our own charity.
If that's not possible, we can personally help the people in need directly.
Sense of Humor. (Check)
Dream Job. (Uncheck) : Don't even think of this job. I have been dying of boredom. They just keep us moving here and there like the government clerks. 🙁 But we tend to make up the time with some jokes and making fun and sometimes – the discussions like these.
Thanks. 🙂
I would come into that category too, of willing to make some difference, but just dont know how. Well, as Kiara said there are some good people, though quite few in number. The problem, there is a lot of population if those who are in-between, get beaten by lif's challenges and go into other category, knowingly and unknwingly. I am not blaming, coz I guess its quite natural. As you said, all are not same..
The world perhaps will not change. It will remain like this. Not being pessimistic, just a reality, which I feel. You either swim your way through, be it good or bad, or just remain stuck at the shore. And sometimes, you remain stuck despite being in the sea , just like you being in job, yet not (no offence. I know, and have heard innumerable tales about that, so can relate to it).
Humans tend to have bounded rationality, that is why we need sm threshold disciplines imposed on us, whether that by 2.5% zakat, church charities or other sources. Each n every person has these elements of greed and goodness at heart going mostly parallel…
As far as charitable trusts are concerned, its true that many are profit oriented and ppl donate for tax aversion. Still there are many who are doing the good work with all sincerity and need help.
Yeah, you are right. Sometimes we are stuck and there is nothing much we could really do about it.
And yeah, the reality is such – The World will not change. That saddens me. That's why, Its' better for an apocalypse to sweep the bad, and just the bad. But then again there is no guarantee that the rest would be Good all the way. Because again, People are such, Bad seems Good and it starts all over again.
None Taken. 🙂
I agree that there are some which really make a difference, but which one are those is difficult to pin point.