Be a part of the change

So much has changed in our lives. 

There were days when whole colony or street came together to watch a Ramayana or Small Wonder serial. Kids would endlessly play in the hot sun in their summer vacations. They would climb trees,steal guavas or mangoes, play pranks on each other. Relations were given so much importance. Simplicity was considered beautiful. People would be generous, social and less self absorbed. Their homes would be open to anyone at any point of time. People from out station would prefer to come and halt at their relative’s place than in a hotel. The hosts would go to railway station or bus stand to pick up and drop the guests. Friendships were to die for, no second thoughts given. Loyalties and caring nature was the main attitude of the hour. People would look forward for festivals to cook sweets and savories for the family and everyone would be involved in putting up a good festivity. Though incomes were less or seemed less, for time like now, people were peaceful in their heart and mind. Fathers, however tired they would be, would take out their kids on cycles or scooters to nearby parks or any entertainment places.

With change of the decade and then the century, priorities changed for people. Money and status took over their minds. Every new and shiny thing started occupying the empty corners of the house. With increased incomes, humbleness and caring nature were replaced by ego and greed. People became more addicted to materialistic pleasures than actual people around them. Life got busy and now there is no time for socializing. Half of the time, people think of reasons to turn down any invites made to any functions. Hectic schedules, demanding careers stress people to the extent that they just fall into daily pattern of eating, sleeping, and working. Fun, pleasures of family time is limited to the weekends. More money has added to more tensions of life even if the couple earns handsome money for the family, they don’t have time to enjoy it. Kids no longer play outside. They are glued to television or Xbox or laptops, made available to them on demand. Five or six  years old kids  teach  parents how to operate a new smart phone. Kids and parents have become tech savvy, wanting to interact socially on virtual world than the actual world. God bless, Mark Zuckerberg for creating Facebook, else we would not have been in touch, are some of the comments from actual people. Whatever happened to thanking Alexander Bell for patenting of telephone? Simple invention but huge impact. No Iphone or tabs make you feel precious the way, we would wait for the calls or long distance trunk calls. So much money is being invested in making world a better communicative place, but on virtual basis, not on actual one.

Simplicity, humbleness, love, sharing has vanished into thin air.  Jealousy, greed, pride, overtly craziness to succeed, has taken over human simple emotions. Money now buys everything except peace and presence of mind. In my parent’s time, one person’s income would feed two-three families, but now two people’s income barely manages to self sustain. A great thinker said, “ you must earn money enough to take care of you, not much so as to take care of it.” For want of more money and stability, families have become dysfunctional. Everyone have their own shifts and time of eat, sleep and pray. No one has time for other person’s schedule, interest, or genuineness at heart to listen other person’s woes, unless it turns out to be a wonderful topic of gossip. There are lots of hidden faces in today’s world than the actuality.

Sometimes, I admire how quickly humans learn to adopt to any changes. No wonder, every one grows day by day , year after year. But I thought, with that comes the openness of heart and maturity seeps in. But every single day, someone or other proves me wrong by some act of theirs. People now have grown impatient with their own closer ones. Tolerance level has gone down the drain. Continuous comparisons, rudeness, mockery seems to be the new “COOL” attitude. See the thing is, we were raised to have a respect for all and tolerance to the highest peak.

Something to think about

If you are reading this article, please stop. Take five minutes time, to see what has happened to you and your near surroundings. People now take actual vacations in search of simplicity and peace of mind. Travel arrangers actually sell packages in name of  soul searching, peace of mind and what not. Why can’t you do it for yourself, from wherever you are right now? Do a good deed, once in a week. Help an old man/woman cross the road, give a cold water bottle to someone who is thirsty on the street, give food to an old beggar instead of money, try to go easy on your maids when they don’t turn up. Just take time to make your loved ones feel special, spend time with each other actually in a coffee bar, or cozy corner of the house.  Think about others feeling before putting yours on top. 

What happens is when you do that good deed, all your tensions vanish just like that. You feel good about yourself and also end up helping someone.  We can only change others or our situation, when we are ready to change within ourselves.

Be part of change, for better future.

See if you can do that anytime, and how you feel afterwards.

                                 
Share your experiences about good deeds and being part of the change, in the comment column below.

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