A fluttering movement on the apex of a nutmeg tree caught my attention yesterday. A Drongo was grooming its body by shaking its body and flapping its wings. It was an unsafe place to stay when it was thundering and threatening to rain. During the next few minutes while it was still there, it looked in all directions to find a secure place to fly to.
A bird is normally homeless, except during the nesting season. The avian home is the trees that they can find for its nocturnal lap. Most birds have fixed transit flight stations, but not a home, that we as humans are used to.
The avian life is therefore, lived in flight and movements. That is their way of living. They find food, shelter and another bird to become a pair. There is temporariness to their daily rhythm. Most of their days are spent in transit between places.
In human terms, a homelessness makes a person vulnerable to be a refugee. That is what has happened to a few millions, who were displaced from Gaza following the Israeli-Palestine war. This is a crisis that was man made. The terrorists on one side on a mission to kill and take people hostage for a ransom and Israel on self-defence wanting to invade and ‘annihilate’ the terrorists. I do not remember any instance in the recent past when the terrorists were subdued permanently. They reappear in another format after having been overpowered.
The voice of reason is rare in distressing times. The tendency at such times is reaction and counter reactions. The civilians live miserably and suffer beyond the ability to endure.
What a world we create for ourselves and for others!
I was looking to find humanitarian responses to this crisis. There are truckloads of provisions sent from different parts of word at Egyptian border awaiting decision by Israel and Egypt. The Egyptian government is hesitant to open the border, for fear of thousands waiting at the border to cross over to Egypt as refugees.
However advanced the governments of different countries are militarily, technologically, and in intelligence services, if they are low in their sensitivity to the needs of helpless people, it is a poor reflection of the compassion quotient.
It is the compassion quotient of the political leadership, even in the midst of threat and opposition, which offers protection to displaced people.
I heard a politician criticising the Prime Minister of India for not visiting the state of Manipur where ethnic conflict has divided the people into a confrontational mood. A politician in the USA talked about his intent to be a presidential candidate for 2024 election, and was provocative about leadership who is ambivalent about the Israel-Palestine war.
This is not the time to take pot shots at others. We need to feel moved to go beyond all differences to find a way forward for those whose lives are at the brink of a disaster, imposed upon them by people with their vested interests.
The Drongo is used to live in the shelters, which the trees provide.
The humans are used to living in houses in an environment of neighbours. Families are used to live in the comfort of their homes. Children are used to live close to their friends, sharing the joyful experiences. They look forward to be at school each day. The family is used to sharing happy mealtimes and family times. Now in Gaza, they go hungry and wait for each meal. To have no bed to sleep at night but sleep in the open or in the congested vehicles for days together is unthinkable. Some families are stranded as they do not have fuel in the vehicle as it is in short supply.
Let humans be treated humanely!
This responsibility rests on the shoulders of the political leadership!
I wonder whether the United Nations is humanitarian enough!
It is a wake-up call! We live dangerously and precariously!
It is 12 hours since our electricity is shut off at home, following the wind and rain! I write this in candle light as the inverter, which is a stand-by power supply is also drained.
I have the hope that it would be attended to in the coming hours.
That hope cannot be in the horizon for those who are caught in the crossfire of a conflict which has a recurrent nature! The Palestinians wait for full nationhood. The state of Israel lives under threat from the neighbouring countries.
The Drongo might not have a permanent shelter, but it has wings to fly, which ensures freedom to find food and shelter!
I have suspicion that humans in 21 st century are not free! They are prisoners of a clumsy international political order !
When will we become a neighbour to each other!
The latest in the cynicism of human sensitivity or compassionate quotient is the news of an Artificial Intelligent Robot being appointed as the Head teacher of the Cotesmore School in West Sussex in England (Malayala Manorama, Oct 18, 2023, page 13, Kochi edition). It looks like, that we are losing our trust in human neighbours! No wonder most people spend their leisure time, surfing internet, gaming in the net, engaging the social media or watching movies…!
I hope humans will recover their, feeling and caring instinct in their primary orientation to life and relationship!
M.C.Mathew (text and photo)
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