Sharing and Caring - A Way of Life With Instant Rewards!
K P Mohandas Rao
Sharing makes one
believe that it is akin to
giving away, and hence not
an appealing idea. Giving
itself is not a thought
many entertain as it makes
one think in material terms
only. In my lifetime, which
is a span of 80 plus years,
I have not perhaps bequeathed any
money or property to anyone, barring
minor donations for some charities. The
other day, a Vedanta Scholar mentioned
that it is the thought of giving, and
not necessarily actually giving, that
matters. The opposite of giving is
taking and that we are all adept at. We
feel good when someone speaks nicely
to us, or enquires of our health, our
family, the progress of our children,
etc. But even here, we are not sure of
that person’s motive. Such distrustful
thoughts agitate one’s mind.
Caring is an emotive action that
springs naturally to many. Helping a
down trodden to come out of misery
is a noble effort. It reflects humanity
in each of us who have risen above by
virtue of birth, education, occupation,
profession and social life. Helping out
the poor children from their poverty is
only a recognition that we have been
blessed to be able to do so, much like
a burning candle removes darkness all
around without discrimination. Many
poor farmers who raise cattle for milk
choose to sell the milk to raise funds
for their crops, often depriving their
own children too of the nourishment.
When we see the ground realities, we
will recognize how we are responsible
for such situations willy-nilly. If we are
truly caring for such
people, we will find ways
to help them take care
of their children so that
they to grow up to be
better humans. This does
not emanate from a sense
of pity, but more from
understanding. This can
be extended to all other vital spheres
like health, education and welfare, just
as we care for our near and dear ones.
Do we care to even ask our servants
how their family is? Do we know if
they have any health issues, or how
many children they have, or how they
are doing in schools and ask if we can
be of any help? We invariably believe
that it is not our responsibility and that
this is what the government authorities
are expected to do. Unfortunately, all
of us come from the same crop and so
we fail to perform our obligatory duties,
but expect all others to perform theirs!
If we are blessed with riches, let
us resolve to share it beyond our
immediate families. If we are educated
and experienced, let us see how we
can counsel those who can benefit. If
only we keep our eyes and ears open,
we will get clear messages to act upon.
Most of us have perhaps done much of
these within our family circles, but if
we extend this thought to engulf a few
more that may be unrelated, we would
have served the society.
Sharing and caring is a great tool.
It is a most satisfying experience that
one can feel proud of. It is good for our
health too!
