“It’s just not fair! Education is everyone’s basic right.” This was Amrita, a colleague who was expressing her anguish over her maid’s decision to stop education for her children. What was further fuelling my good colleague’s anger was the decision of her maid to get her daughters into the same trade of housekeeping. Indians have always had that quintessential maid in homes. Largely from lower middleclass to poor families, these poor ladies have been in most cases victims of domestic violence and lead a life of dread and fear of drunken husbands. For my part, I appreciated Amrita’s anger. At least she was bothered and concerned. In the vast sea of humanity that Mumbai is, it is appreciable if someone feels emotions for others. For my part, I suggested her to donate some money to her maid or at least to fund basic education of her daughters. The response however stumped me completely.
“Why should I be bothered? They are her children and she has to bear their burden.” Coming from someone who can afford to eat out every week end and go shopping almost every alternate weekend, this statement was amazing. However it was also an eye opener. I realized why greed figured in the top 7 list of sins. It also made me realize how ignorant we were. A child’s basic education costs about Rs.2000 ($40) a year and the well to do are even averse to that small amount. The world indeed is a selfish place.
People usually give in to peer pressure and conditioning. It’s what we have been taught from our childhood. Keep away from beggars, poverty is a bane, giving money to one will not solve the world’s problems and so on. A staple diet of rebuke has seen the growth of the current generation. What, however, this generation needs to realize is that giving can be extremely satisfying. And you don’t need to be Warren Buffet to be able to shell out some of that cash. When I started funding education of a child, I suddenly felt elevated. I felt myself stand an inch higher than the ordinary selfish folk who are jostling and pushing for space. I felt I was out of the rat race. I saw giving towards the first step to salvation.
When we do finally rest in peace, what we take with us is not the wealth we have accumulated over the years. The pennies and the dimes, the cents and the paise will not help us get a chance towards peace of mind. A luxury car could well ensure we stay ahead of our peers on the success meter but does the same hold true for the peace meter? When we realize that peace of mind is more important than the piece of mint, when we place eternal happiness over material happiness will we really be able to rest in peace. A troubled mind can only be soothed by meditation and yoga, it can never be healed. What we need is a cure and not a band-aid. What we need is to understand the benefits of giving. What we need is to understand that giving need not always be material. Love can be donated just as money. Time can be donated just as medicines. Happiness can be distributed just as food. And a shoulder can be lent just as books. When we as humans realize that we were not meant to run like rats but to stop and walk with others can we build Utopia on our planet. What we need to realize is it’s never too late to start.
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