What do awards and rewards mean to us as a society? Jesus was crucified by society. There were many attempts to defame Buddha. Krishna was called Ranchod and Chaliya. There was an allegation about the character of even Sita. Mira was forced to drink poison, and Socrates was killed by being forced to drink poison.
When society recognises "good work", I feel what is quite important to understand is whether that "good work" is playing to the gallery or actually doing something that will benefit society in the long run. For example, a child suffering from pus in his leg is unable to walk and is taken to the doctor by his parents. The child cries in anticipation of the pain due to the surgery by the doctor. He wants to run away from the place. The first doctor holds him tight and carries out the surgery, and the child cries and curses the doctor. The second doctor is very emotional. He cries with the child and sympathises with him. He does not operate on the leg and allows the child to go with that sympathy and some medicines. The child praises him like anything, and he gets a medal for "being good" from the child. The child suffers in due course and loses his leg forever.
We have so many Astrologers and babas in society who provide similar solutions, and that's why we see a lot of poverty and mediocrity around. There are many parents who make their children comfortable, at the cost of their growth. A lazy child will always praise a parent who supports his laziness. But any "good parent" will know that the desire for "comforts" is killing the growth of the child, and human life is not to be wasted in laziness. For the parents who are concerned about the growth of the child, the appreciation or criticism of the child does not matter much. What matters is his growth. In fact, when the parent is convinced, he can have to meaningful dialogue with the child. Concern for the child, coupled with the understanding of life, does something amazing.
A parent may be quite concerned about the child, but if his own understanding of life is not clear, he will pass on that confusion to the child. Which is quite dangerous. Similarly, if a parent has a clear understanding of life but is not concerned about the child, that understanding will not be communicated to the child. There will be a breakdown of communication because of that "lack of concern". Concern for the growth of the whole of society and the development of harmony is not easy. Think of a parent who is taking care of an autistic child. It's not easy because the "normal" of the child is quite different as compared to the "average" of society, and therefore, there is a lot of struggle in such parenting.
Therefore, when the patient applauds the action of the doctor or conveys thanks to the doctor, the doctor, as well as the patient, needs to rethink. The doctor needs to think whether he has actually done "good" to the patient in the long term. The patient also needs to be mindful of the consequences of the actions of doctor. A Mature patient will not approach the doctor who makes him "feel good" and does not cure the disease. A mature doctor will not treat the patient who just wants to feel good and does not want to be treated. Of course, not everybody would like such doctors, and not every doctor will have the capacity to deal with such patients. The doctor requires command over surgery to treat such patients. Thus, every applause and thanks is a warning to recheck what's going on inside.
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