The tolerance level of a Mynah to let a Bulbul co-feed in the feeding station in our garden lasted only for a short while. The Mynah arrived when the Bulbul was quietly feeding. In a few minutes, the Mynah forced the Bulbul to leave the feeding station although the Bulbul tired negotiating!
The desire to control was strong with the Mynah and the Bulbul was weak to resist!
This is the dynamic movements in relationships. The desire to stay relationally can get subsumed by the desire to subdue others.
This human instinct takes away the cordial culture required to relate and accommodate others!
During a visit to Nagaland recently, I heard a public health professional talks about the strategy the families practice to get over the substance among the adolescent population in the last ten years. Each family took an interest in supporting one another family in the neighbourhood to support a teenager who needed de-addiction support. This neighbourhood watchfulness worked well for the substance abuse to get under control in some communities. What a remarkable way of neighbourly living with a mission! In some communities, the young people who did not have regular employment, participated in developing community farming of fruits and vegetables!
I wish harmony between people will become the usual feature ! In the place where Anna and I live, the 'barrier' of caste which divided people, is now fading and there is a communal coherence and cordiality. The religious divide which is strong in some parts of India is not strong in our part of India.
Our humanity outshines all these divisive thoughts. A group of young people who are social activists practice prayer of silence when they meet to affirm the freedom to practice their faith and work together for the common good!
I wish all neighbourhoods become friendly and fraternal!
M.C.Mathew (text and photo)
