The social mindfulness !

The trees which needed trimming and pruning in our garden received that seasonal attention last week. The three trees above in the phots were in the flight pathways of some birds. I find the birds flying around  the trees and not finding the usual flight stations, they skip the garden and fly to new locations. 

What we miss are the bird calls and the flight movements between trees. The birds in the morning flight paths look for their feed. Some directly come to the feeding station and some others skip that. 

Any change in the garden seems to be an unsettling experience for the birds. As much as possible we do not trim all the trees in the garden at the same time to  avoid any dislocation to the bird flights. 

This experience brought back a message about the immediate and remote effects of human behaviour in the environment around us. 

I came across a news item of a group of volunteers who set up a coffee and snack bar which functions from 5 to 8 pm in a busy area, inviting people to come to the coffee bar instead of the beer bar. The volunteers do this for two reasons. To raise some money to support those displaced in the recent landslide and to reduce the alcohol use in the community. The volunteers discovered that following the landslide, many are fighting stress and the alcohol consumption has increased. The volunteers offer the coffee bar as a space for people to come, to receive a conversation opportunity. Some volunteers are psychologists, who are available on the spot to meet with people who need conversation time to feel unburdened and guided. 

The social canvas of human environment is constantly changing. An electrician who used to attend to our needs moved on following an  illness. I happened to hear that he slipped into depression following the illness and moved on sorrowfully. His family could not help him enough as they too experienced helplessness. His depressive orientation started about six months ago since he lost his regular job. He was pushed to a state of helplessness, with limited social support. 

Our lives are lived in the theatre of happenings and events. The society is less alert to feel the ripple effects of adverse events in the personal and family life. 

The social mindfulness is commendable during calamities of great proportion. But when people silently face crisis situations, sometimes even the neighbours do not fathom the implications. Anna and I became aware of this from the happenings in the lives of our domestic workers. They face situations that are too demanding on them. 

The birds felt displaced following the loss of their flight stations. They reacted to their loss. We too as humans can feel our loss and live denied of support. 

I wish that, social mindfulness would become a protective shield for many,  who find their daily voyage woeful and draining!

 

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)