we were on our way to a fun fair when nearing cantt, we saw a pedestrian drop down flat on the road. for a second there, we were too shocked to respond. it was something so movie-like and unreal for us that we couldnt comprehend or perhaps admit to ourselves that the man had actually fainted! i half expected him to get up and start walking again. anyway, all thinking and shock took only a split second and we pulled our car to a halt steps ahead of him. luckily i had brought a water bottle with me and my husband hurried to the still figure lying helplessly on the ground. he sprinkled some water on the man's face who ad apparently fainted but from what i could see through the rear view mirror, there was no movement. i feared what if!!? isnt that how we treat people who come to us telling that they havent eaten for days and we shove them off, calling them liars and dramay baaz, could he be one of them. discarded off by eevyrone he went to for help and now he doesnt need help from any human anymore! could this happen to those who come to us seeking some aid and we refuse to even look their way! the thought sent shivers down my spine!
anyway, with a bit more effort, the man regained his consciousness and drank some water. a bike or two stopped too, to inquire what had happened. we had a pack of nimko which my husband gave to the man, who on a closer look i realized was a boy not more than 20 years of age, alongwith some money. it appeared that a biker had agreed to give the boy a ride.
when my husband came back in the car, he told that the boy said he had come from gujranwala to lahore to look for work, had tried his luck at several places but was rejected. he was out of all cash except for the rs.10 in his pocket. he had had nothing to eat since the day before and was on his way to the railway station when he collapsed from heat, fatigue and hunger.
the story was so disturbing that i kept coming up with my own reasons for it to be untrue. it was my guilt that wasnt letting me accept that in my very own city, a boy was dying from hunger while i had just frozen a dozen things in my freezer, just in case a guest came by!
Later at the event, food was in such abundance that people were throwing away half eaten cans of custards and noodles and i couldnt help comparing the great divide in the two events i had witnessed in the span of a few hours.
i still think if i should feel guilty about that event. if i have any part to play in the uneven and unfair distribution of wealth in our society. Fortunately today we have innumerable justifications for our mercilessness, so we very conveniently hush our conscience and say, o these people, they are all robbers, liars and thieves. they make one story after another to win over our sympathies and then are back again to beg for mercy the very next day.these are not the deserving ones. and thats where our philosophy ends. to work beyond it, finding the people truly worthy of our aid and alms, is not something anyone has the time for. so the truly deserving suffer the consequences of the actions of the fakes, and we walk away from all this with our head held high, our conscience, crystal clear!
it was a wakeup call
anyway, with a bit more effort, the man regained his consciousness and drank some water. a bike or two stopped too, to inquire what had happened. we had a pack of nimko which my husband gave to the man, who on a closer look i realized was a boy not more than 20 years of age, alongwith some money. it appeared that a biker had agreed to give the boy a ride.
when my husband came back in the car, he told that the boy said he had come from gujranwala to lahore to look for work, had tried his luck at several places but was rejected. he was out of all cash except for the rs.10 in his pocket. he had had nothing to eat since the day before and was on his way to the railway station when he collapsed from heat, fatigue and hunger.
the story was so disturbing that i kept coming up with my own reasons for it to be untrue. it was my guilt that wasnt letting me accept that in my very own city, a boy was dying from hunger while i had just frozen a dozen things in my freezer, just in case a guest came by!
Later at the event, food was in such abundance that people were throwing away half eaten cans of custards and noodles and i couldnt help comparing the great divide in the two events i had witnessed in the span of a few hours.
i still think if i should feel guilty about that event. if i have any part to play in the uneven and unfair distribution of wealth in our society. Fortunately today we have innumerable justifications for our mercilessness, so we very conveniently hush our conscience and say, o these people, they are all robbers, liars and thieves. they make one story after another to win over our sympathies and then are back again to beg for mercy the very next day.these are not the deserving ones. and thats where our philosophy ends. to work beyond it, finding the people truly worthy of our aid and alms, is not something anyone has the time for. so the truly deserving suffer the consequences of the actions of the fakes, and we walk away from all this with our head held high, our conscience, crystal clear!
it was a wakeup call
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