B. M. Kohli
It may sound strange these days, hearing a boss telling a new entrant in service ” Trust in God and Do the right”. But take it in a sense that in life do not ever forget God in doing ones part of job in every field of life, social or official. And help should be another objective without which the existence of the universe is not possible. Help is a service to God and humanity and this factor spells equally the quality of society you belong to. One of my friends, aged 65 years, felt so much proud in mentioning an ancedote. He narrated “when he just paused in street side to appreciate the beauty of a site the other day suddenly a car driven by a lady halted near him, and asked if he needed any help.” Another instance is quoted. While crossing a road, a sweet voice offered “Your First Please”. We hardly observe such incidents in India any more . My friend is proud of having sent his children to America and boasting of living in a rich culture. But at the same time forgets fact that India was very rich in such ethos once. You must have heard of ‘ATITHI DEVO BHAV’ meaning your guest is your Bhagwan, by a famous actor on screen reminding an Indian saying, observed for centuries, but forgotten due to the deteriorating system of education where children are forgetting even to respect their elders leading them to land in orphan houses not to speak of guests. Not only that they never care for asking their grand elders ailing in homes “How they spend their day”. Offering a solace or helping, even other than your family members has not made any body poor ever. “The more you help others, the more they will want to help you”. Helping is always a voluntary charity service. It can be just about any thing as long it is done in sincerity . Even a single “Hello” or compliment could lift someone’s spirit. And in most of the countries people have started Voluntary community service projects like “Help us to help others”. Agreed , some of us do not have time to even think of community service but busy schedule does not mean we should write off community involvement completely and with 30 minutes a day or less does make difference for the society. And then helping others is a great way to make friends too which is the needed ingredient to make healthy and friendly world. Our Prime Minister offering help to Quake hit Nepal, Pakistan or other countries, or United Nations providing help, are steps to make cordial relations in the Universe. Once people know they can trust you and they are more likely to help you out in return whatever way they can afford. Brian Tracy, Chairman of the world’s most popular career courses also said, “Successful people always looking for opportunities to help others and the unsuccessful asking ‘ what’s in it for me”. W. H. Auden has gone to the extent of saying “We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don’t know”. We’ve all heard that phrase: “Give someone a fish and they’ll eat for a day, teach someone to fish and they’ll eat for a lifetime.” With some extra effort and forethought, we can help someone in a far more powerful way than simply handing them food. The effectiveness of charities varies from organisation to organisation. For example, some organizations use drugs to treat a person with malaria for $ 4,000 while others distribute bed nets and protect one person over a year for $40. The latter option is at least 100 times more ethically cost-effective than the former option. In India the colony culture, not to bother or involve your neighbours in any good or bad activity due to egos is making our societies more selfish and self centred.
We have to learn to live like a family. By doing our part to contribute to the community , we add people to our circle of influence and gain opportunities to built relationships with our neighbours to improve social atmosphere. This way we also demonstrate and teach our generation what it means to be a good citizen. Organising festivals on different occasions provide opportunities to know each other in a better way. Quoting Martin Luther King Jr. who once said ” Life’s most important question is ” what are you doing for others” one should try to realise the importance of helping others and if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them .
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