Sheer Inertia

We get so engrossed and obsessive about the realities of our own life that we have no time nor inclination to perceive the million times harsher realities of others. So many people need desperate help to medicate their dear ones, to give basic education to their child but we turn a blind eye and are somehow convinced that our responsibilities start and end with our own family’s “extravagant” well-being. A friend (bless her soul) keeps aside a fixed amount every month for helping people with their medical bills. Recently I suggested to one other friend if it was a good idea to raise a small corpus by requesting our friends to contribute an annual amount for this purpose, the amount being so small that it would not pinch at all the donor’s budget. My friend liked the idea and agreed to share this thought with his large group of friends all of whom were extremely blessed financially. The figure of Rs.10,000 p.a. that he suggested was like petty cash to all of them. They were very ok with the idea. The figure really meant nothing to them. However, 2 months have passed, and nobody contributed anything except my friend himself. When I enquired about this, he exclaimed, “It is sheer inertia, nothing else.” He was very right since all his friends were noble souls, well-meaning, but just too busy with their own lives, their own priorities and work. Perhaps, we don’t acknowledge enough what we are blessed with and thereby do lip-service to gratitude. Perhaps, we have never peeped first-hand into the lives of the ones who are not as blessed and thereby we are unable to feel their pain and agony first-hand which if we did, it would shatter our inertia and make us more aware, more compassionate. Then alone we would realise fully how Rs.10,000 p.a. is nothing to us, but everything to someone else.

P.S.:

1. If anyone of you, my friends, are inclined to be a part of this cause, feel free to call me up on 23674824 soon.

2. This is Dhwani and this is my new no. Please save it.