Goodwill is Inborn but Soon Clouded by Myopic Vision

We are born to love and coexist but soon overcome by negativity. We have to fight and be competitive to survive in an unforgiving world. We feel lost and fear losing out in the race that mostly leads to nowhere for many. But run we must, or be termed a loser; a fact of life!

Opportunities abound but we lose track of our passion in our pursuit to earn a living. Few can adjust to what is given and mostly live a life that is devoid of meaning. Survival becomes an all consuming goal. Gone are the days where one could find meaning within family. Luxuries have become necessities; one needs to have the gadgets to connect with the outside world or for entertainment. We are led by them like in the Pied Piper of Hamelin of yore!

It is tough to maintain goodwill when we are in a hurry all the time. Our attention span is getting limited by the day, especially in cities where most move to live. We hardly have time to think out the possibilities of better lifestyles that suit us individually. From cradle to grave, it is one goal after another; a never ending rush to nowhere but mostly to put out daily fires, both personally and for nations. It is likely to get worse as we get addicted to newer gadgets that become the rage tomorrow.

We can never say no to progress or we regress. We keep running to stay where we are! But can we not still smell the roses, even in cities, and take a pause? Collectively, it might be a tough call, but individually it is still possible. We need to re-discover the pure joys of life lived through sharing and caring that is increasingly becoming a rarity even in traditional societies as they play catch- up to modern lifestyles. The price that society pays is evident – family breakdowns and children lacking in love and affection. Quality time with them hardly compensates for the lack of time spent. In Asian societies, it has become a trend for the children to be looked after by domestic helpers working full time. Most are imported from other countries and have different cultural and family backgrounds. It is the children who suffer in the end and leads to lack of love and family bonding, eating into the very vitals of societies.

Nature has been ever kind. Newborns come as they did from time immemorial, looking in wonder and accepting what the world has to offer. Now sadly, it is lack of time and love, under cover of our being busy with our lives. But they are soon compensated with toys and gadgets; they know the cost of everything but the value of nothing. True and genuine love that had bonded families for centuries is a casualty.

Let us again make some sacrifices with less of material possessions and compensate them with time with families and friends. The short attention spans are a blot on genuine friendship which has to be nurtured. Like a doctor who tended to the dying reminisced; at the end of the day, people hardly worry over what they have but who they are with. We can admire the rich certainly but let us also remember the kind people around us whose contributions to societies hardly feature in the lists compiled by magazines!

The basic good of a human being is given; let us not lose it through our thoughtless, myopic priorities; only to regret them too late. Time is running out; let us get back to the basics. Much that glitters when young hardly proves of value when it counts!


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