A few days back, as I was returning home in my car, I
saw a poor old lady lying on a road like a dump of rag. I thought, she had
probably fainted and fallen on the road. This was just a few yards away from my
house. The public seemed indifferent to
the situation, so I was a little puzzled. However, my heart did not allow me to
ignore the situation. It was about 5.30pm. I was unaware of how I could help
her, so I dialed ‘100’ and informed the police that there was a person lying
fainted on the road and to arrange for some help. The answering policeman said
OK and kept the receiver down. I was thinking that they may arrange for some
help, but till 8.30pm no action has been taken. I called the police station
again and told them. The policeman said, that they cannot attend to every case
and that I should take some self initiative rather than calling the police. His
answer was disappointing. It was disheartening to know that, in spite of my
good intentions and initiative to inform the police, there was no remedy coming
from their end. It is only on them, a common man can rely on for his social
security needs, but when they decide to be indifferent, we are really clueless
of how to go about.
I then called my good friend, Sugumar, briefed him about the situation and asked him how I should go about. He suggested that I call “108” which is the statewide emergency number. I called “108” and the call reached the Chennai Control room. The person, who answered the call, took all the details and said she will arrange an ambulance. In a few minutes, I got a call from the Ambulance person, who had by then identified the old lady lying on the road. He said that the woman lying on the road is a beggar and unless someone accompanies her to the hospital and signs the relevant papers she cannot be admitted in GH. As I did not know who that person was, I was afraid to take personal responsibility and therefore said it will not be possible for me to come. He said in that case, nothing can be done, as this was the procedure. I told him that as it was late hours of the night, the lady may get hit accidentally, by some by passing vehicles and therefore asked him, even if he cannot admit her in the GH, at least to leave her in some other safe place. He said, he will just lift and place the lady off the road. This was a little comfort to me, though it did not solve the problem. I saw the lady in the same situation for the next two consecutive days. I understood that she was insane. She could not understand her own plight. Every time, I saw her I felt guilty, for not being able to help her. Then somehow, with the help of the local ward councilor we managed to get her admitted in GH. I am not aware of what happened to her after that. But what comforted me is, I did not have to continue seeing this soar sight of a poor woman lying on the road like a stray dog, totally neglected and uncared for.
What I have shared here, is just one of the thousands of cases that we spot every day. We all wish that some help will come to them, but we are afraid to take action.
There are essentially three types of people in the
world – the FEELERS, the THINKERS and
the DOERS. While all of us are a combination of all the three types, there is
one type that dominates us.
For example, in a typical road accident a ‘Feeler’, will either faint on seeing the blood stains or cry out or get emotionally upset on seeing the scene. A ‘Thinker’, would be thinking, how did it happen? Whose fault was it? How could this be avoided? How to tackle the crisis. A ‘Doer’ on the other hand would have by then pulled up his sleeves and got into the job of rescuing the person. He would lift the person, put him on a vehicle and carry him to the hospital. He will not be afraid of the consequences, but be only concerned with the emergency.
At most times, we are good feelers and good thinkers, but not good doers. In this specific incident, I have narrated, I ‘felt’ for the old lady. My feelings made me ‘think’ of a way to save her, but there was a lot of initial self resistance in the ‘doing’. Even after I found a way of how I can help her, it took a long time for me to get into the doing.
I think of great people like Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa, who came across similar incidents. The young advocate, Gandhi was ill-treated by the British. He felt the pain of humiliation and he thought of ways to gain freedom for his countrymen. The little sister, Teresa, saw so much diseased people suffering in the streets of Kolkata. Her feelings for them made her to think in the directions of setting up a home for them to live. Today, they are recognized as a Mahatma or Mother, for exhibiting great courage in transforming their feelings into thinking and the thinking into doing. All major changes in this world has followed the same transformation pattern of “Feeling - Thinking – Doing” by someone, whom we today recognize as a Leader or a Scientist.
There is poverty all around. There is misery all around. Not everyone can be a Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi, but when there is a call, we need to be responsive to it, in order to prove we are human beings.
In the evolving self centered modern culture, no one seems to care about what is happening around them. Everyone is so glued to their own priorities that they just keep running behind to achieve them. It is OK to run the rat race, but let us not get so engrossed in our rat race that we forget that in reality we are not rats but human beings.
Let us be humane to human beings.
Happy Reading,
D.Senthil Kannan
Article dated Feb'10