All the above stages of the blossoms exist together in the white Mussaenda plant in our garden. A plant is in readiness to blossom when the season arrives. It is not stopped by restraints from circumstances. The blossoms might be less or more depending on the soil conditions, but there will be flowers during most of the seasons of the year.
Yesterday, a friend looking at the struggles we are in, to keep up our engagement with children through on-line consultations, mentioned to me that the COVD-19 risk factors are too high for senior citizens like me and advised me to take a break for a while. He is most likely giving me the right advice. So I will take a break for two days during this week as there are no requests for consultation on those days and reconsider how it ought to be during the next week.
This is the dilemma that has bothered me for the last six months. How to take adequate precautions without inconveniencing parents who need conversation time during this difficult time!
For three days, doctors in three Medical Colleges in our state abstained from work for three hours every day protesting against the action of suspending two doctors for dereliction of duty! How terrible it is for the government to be thoughtless and the doctors to be reactive at this time when the COVID 19 pandemic is still spreading widely!
The climate of collaboration in our country is at a dismal stage. The ruling parties in the state and at the centre show an attitude of the entitlement to be partisan, rather than being inclusive in thought and behaviour. I have not seen such a climate of division and political pursuit in the democratic set up at any time in the last forty years, since I have been an observer of political and social evens!
Our practice of morality has suffered intensely. The Prime minister of India has been silent for a week since a young girl was brutally murdered and her body created by the police without giving the body back to her patents! In order to justify the authorities spin fabricated stories at which they have a masterly control!
A nation is for its citizens. The farmers, medium size industries, traditional artisans, self employed, the non-organised sectors, etc are in great loss and face a worrisome future since the pandemic started to paralyse work opportunities. And yet we do not convey a 'feeling' of pain towards those who suffer. The political leadership is on its pursuit of controlling to silence the voice of reason and dissent. The media is under threat. I have seen news papers which were known to be the voice of people becoming 'his mater's voice'!
I take an encouragement from the flowers above in our garden! It is during such difficult times, we need to overdo acts of goodness and thoughtfulness. We shall overcome evil by doing good! We shall overcome hate by being kind. We respond to violence by practicing restraint. We shall work to win human hearts by being thoughtful towards our neighbours. Our pain is a means to grow in kindness. Our suffering is a way to become familiar with the suffering of others.
Yesterday, while driving back home, I noticed a woman carrying a head load and a heavy bag on her hand. It was heavy for her. An autorikshaw stopped beside her, who was going in the same direction and offered her a lift. I followed the auto. It stopped in front of a small house a kilometre away, where the woman got down. She returned with a bunch of bananas to thank the auto driver for this kindness. I did not not notice any money being handed over to the auto driver. For me that scene was hope generating! Human goodness shall prevail!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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