Lessons Unlearnt

Mehak Varun
The revolutionary changes that were fought by our ancestors are still lurking from behind closed minds. Every time, we wear a blindfold when we see humanity being shattered. Isn’t it a sad plight, we see and forget each time how pathetically tied we are! Are we still human? Is there humanity alive? I am sure, nobody has answers because nobody wishes to risk his/her own life for others. How does it even matter to us? Our life is safe!
Sadly, the world has changed. Society has changed. People have changed. And with everything, the whole perspective has changed.
Is the war over? Isn’t it still on, amongst ourselves? The slight problem that we don’t understand is that the enemies are not from the outer world, they are right here, within us!
We have the right education, the finest homes, and good jobs. We are the ones born with the silver spoon who let things happen. We are the ones who are privileged with access to everything and who don’t raise their voices.
It’s the people who have kept such different sets of values for themselves that the kindness or tenderness has vanished away. They have become so ego-centric that the difference between ‘humane and inhuman’ has been forgotten.
There is a nicely put quote- ‘I see humans, but no humanity.’
We, maybe, are in the end times. Iran is burning, Ukraine has burnt, Somalia is starving and the whole world is dying. People are still killing each other in the name of religion. And we are sitting at our places, enjoying Netflix!
Didn’t we think that people will change after two years of covid? The mindsets, perspectives, and whole outlook changed during covid. People became concerned. They felt the need for one another. What happened afterwards? Again, things became the same. Did we learn anything? Do we learn from our mistakes?
We say times have changed. People are growing with knowledge. But is it the reality? Have the times changed? How much more do we have to wait for the right time? The time is now.
Sadly, sincerity is always subject to proof. This is what our society has become. We need to trust but also verify. But, we do need to preserve peace by securing the weak and letting the strong be.
The empathy, love and all the values that form a part of humanness needs to be restored. During covid, we felt pity for people who were dying alone in a ward because of the deadly disease. Now, we are leaving people alone to die. Shouldn’t we feel pity for ourselves?
Mistakes are a part of our lives and play a vital role in making us understand things more deeply. No one is born perfect. Mistakes give us failure for a certain period, but it doesn’t mean that we quit and stop trying new things.
Our ancestors didn’t have much money. They didn’t enjoy the fiber to use the internet. They didn’t have the facility of machines to help them. Yet, they were happier, contended and cared for one another. They were transparent and had their inner harmony and human ideologies. We, in today’s world, have become machines. We are emotionless and valueless. We are running after materialistic happiness, but is it long-lasting? Is this the inner happiness we all need?
There is a Sanskrit shloka –
^^fpRrs izlUus Hkqoua izlUua fpRrs fo”k..ke~ A
vrks fHkyk”kks ;fn rs lq[ks L;kr~ fpRrizlkns izFkesa ;rLo !!**
It means that if the mind is happy, the entire world (seems) happy. If the mind is despondent, the entire world (seems) despondent. And, sadly, we do let our ego overpower our minds and heart.
Overnight, nobody can change the world yet we need to start somewhere. But, if each one of us does our part wisely, we can surely work towards making the world sane. We have to find a way to huddle together and push through this period of aberrance. Change starts with us. It is not someone else’s responsibility to permit us to be kind, compassionate, and loving. Whether we believe it or not, we are a part of this whole system. There is always hope for a better tomorrow. Who we are as human beings if we ignore the suffering of others. Let’s not forget what covid taught us. It taught us the power of unity and concern. It taught us the privilege of being with the ones we love.
The torch is being passed on. Now, we must keep the light of humanity bright. We must remember, as told by John F. Kennedy- ‘Civility is not a sign of weakness.’
Our life is a collection of years, months and days. Let’s make each year, each month and each day worth living.