I had long discussions with a few friends around the word "concern". The word "concern" was echoing in my ears throughout the time while on my way back home. We are concerned about family and friends. We want to be available to them at the time when they need us the most. Is our "concern" limited to family and friends? What about relatives, our colleagues, other members of the society, the country, and even animals? Is our concern "graded," that makes us more concerned about a few and less concerned about others?
I feel that we need to ask more explicit questions about the genesis of this "concern". Why are we concerned about anybody? Is it because we have got used to the presence of somebody in our lives, and when that person goes missing, we will not be able to tolerate that vacuum, and that thought makes us uncomfortable? Or is that concern due to our dependence on that person? Or is that concern due to fear of being alone? Can we see that the "concern" is originating from the same source in all these cases? It is the concern for "self". The "self" should not feel lonely or insecure, and that's why it is concerned about the well-being of the "other". Can there be concern without that fear and insecurity?
What happens when we see a person in a problem, and we are concerned about that person? We do not even know the name of that person, and yet we get ready to help him out? What happens when we see a baby fighting the last stage of cancer and want to help him out? We do not have any connection with that baby, and still, his pain touches us quite deeply. What happens to us when we visit an old age home and feel like sharing with the grandfather and grandmothers who have been left homeless to fight their battle in their last days? What happens when we go to the hospital and look at the patients and their attendants crying helplessly? What happens when we watch a movie on Nazi concentration camps where millions were killed. What happens when we see a young boy working hard to earn a livelihood for his sick mother? What happens to us when we read the news of attacks on a small country by a mighty superpower? What happens when we listen to the news of thousands dying in a Tsunami or Earthquake?
The pain of others touches us quite deeply. We all can feel the pain of others. Somehow, this society takes away that capacity from us. It makes us "competitive". We compete with our friends and colleagues. There are limited resources. Somebody's pain is somebody's gain. So, we slowly become insensitive to the pain of others. That's the first qualification of the winners. The winner can't afford to think about others. We slowly become unconcerned and insensitive towards others in the mad race to "win" the race of life. In the process, we don't notice that we lose "life" itself. We develop the firewall of insensitivity and get disconnected from the internet. Yes, this world is ruled by the "survival of the fittest". But, is survival the sole purpose of life?
I feel that we are all vulnerable, and yet people have sacrificed their lives and endured all sorts of torture for love and freedom. We continue to be inspired by stories of individuals who gave their lives for love, rather than by those who harmed others for their survival. This is because something within us, whether consciously or unconsciously, appreciates love and compassion. This element within us remains dormant, covered by layers of fears, insecurities, and mental narratives surrounding it. However, in moments of crisis in someone's life, this inner essence awakens, prompting us to feel concern. In such instances, it breaks free from the layers of insecurity and gathers the courage to support others. Likely, it all hinges on the relative strength of our awareness of this inner essence versus the layers of insecurity. The more we are aware of that something inside, the more courage we muster to stand by those we care about, leading to diminished feelings of insecurity. Conversely, the more we become self-obsessed, the less awareness we have of this something inside, the more we are afraid of standing for any cause.
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