Life is Life not a race!

A dilapidated building often reminds me of a past which lost its charm. An abandoned car on the roadside with deflated tires and sand-soaked chassis depicts how things are forsaken when they become a history.

I was rushing towards a bus-stand as I was late yet again for my office. And there I saw a very old lady with a frail body which had borne the brunt of time, exhausted due to heat and unable to get hold of the surroundings around her. She was clueless about the direction she was going in. Some people who were as short of time as I was still tried to help her out, someone offered her water. Some tried to know about where she was up to but her inaudible voice was of no help. I stayed there for a few seconds unable to decide whether to leave the scene and catch my bus or go over to her and try to help. And like one clock-phobic, programmed machine I saw myself moving towards the bus-stand to catch the bus. But with each step that I took my soul cursed me and made my feet heavier. And my mind plunged into a thought.

One has often heard ‘life is a race’ and it indeed is. The ones with stronger legs running ahead and the weak are proving to be laggards. And in this clock-driven mad race we merely squint over the ones who are behind us. And those include the ones who have grayed their hair in the run-up of life. The generation which held our tiny fingers once and led our way to the other side of the road. But haven’t we missed one thing that those strong hands have now gotten feeble. We treat our older ones with huge respect, take care of all their needs and make sure they spend later years of their lives peacefully. But are all of them lucky enough to receive that care? The answer is a no for sure. Government has some plans (like the ones it has for everyone!), NGOs are there and so are the old-age homes. But like any other government scheme, or non-government support is not able to help each and every needful in this vast and populous country, the policies meant for lending help to the old are not sufficient. There are many out there, struggling with their survival, traveling miles in extreme heat or cold, receiving ill-treatment from their kin. Their best years are behind them, they are no longer sturdy enough to resist the atrocities of life. They need our help like we did when we were kids, and it’s not always a TV show, or a charity program or membership in an NGO which would act as a channel through which we could do the needful. Just look around, be it a bus-stand, railway station, roadside, market; anywhere we can easily find old people trudging through the path in want of their destination.

So I reached the bus-stand, and I saw my bus approaching. I was still thinking about that old lady. In that same moment I gazed around. And there I found a very old man, with a bent spine standing with the help of a stick. This time my mind was clear, I could get late for a few more minutes but I had to help him out. I left my bus and approached him. He was quite oblivious of the route numbers but he knew the place he wanted to go to. I held his hand stopped the bus going to his destined place and helped him go inside and find a seat. This was my bit, the small bit of help which was not meant for any charity but was a responsibility. A responsibility that I should have had shouldered a few minutes back when I saw that old lady or many such people in the past. These people are not those deserted old buildings, they are the roots over which we have grown and became whatever we are today. And no matter how many fruits a tree bears it gets nourished through its roots only. They don’t deserve to be left out to battle alone with their miseries.

Words no matter how strong or hard-hitting are still words if not translated into action. And these are not just words but also an appeal. Go out and help out, shell out a few minutes, help them catch a bus, bring them some water, guide them through the road crossing, find them their destination. We all are humans and we are wired to be social and helpful only if we let our instincts make us help someone and suspend our reservations for a few moments. Because we as a society are one, be it young or old we all need to support each other. And it is what they deserve, a calm, peaceful, secure life and it is our duty to let them have one.

This post is a guest post by entropyatmax  Thankyou! :)