Random Thoughts
Tsunami: And Life Goes On ...
I slip out of a nice warm bed and stumble into the bathroom. I turn on a tap... and there's water. I flick a switch... and there's light. I then wander into my kitchen where I flick another switch, which brings alive a fancy coffee maker ' just the thing I need to jumpstart my day.
Coffee mug in hand, I settle into a recliner and turn on my TV.
I see a kaleidoscope of images showing the devastation left behind by the Tsunamis. (Till last week, this word was not part of the vocabulary of the man on the street). I see people looking dazed, lost and orphaned. People without shoes, without clothes... without families. Leave alone plumbing that works, they don't even have a roof over their heads.
Many of these images are so graphic and poignant, that I soon find myself switching off the set...by pressing a little remote button from the comfort of my recliner. The people I've seen on TV don't have a remote in their hands to rewind the last few days, or turn off the desolation they have suddenly been flooded into.
I feel guilty and helpless. I should be thinking of doing something. Maybe I can donate some money. I'm no millionaire, so how much could I donate ? Would the money actually reach them ? Maybe I can drop off some clothes at the collection point nearby...but will the clothes actually reach them ?
Maybe I should volunteer and visit some of the flood ravaged areas, to lend a helping hand. But my doctor mentioned last week that my fitness levels were at a rock bottom low. (I walk up two flights of stairs and I'm running out of breath.)
I'm saddened. I'm devastated. I'm moved. What can I really do that will touch the lives of these people ? My "reach out for the victims" muse is suddenly interrupted by the telephone ring. It's an important client who needs a job done, in a hurry. "Wanted yesterday", as we say in advertising.
If I don't do the job, I don't get paid. If I don't get paid, there's no food on the table. My bills won't get paid. My taps will run dry. And there won't be light, when I flick a switch.
Where do I go from here ?
Sometimes, the will to do good, doesn't go beyond good intentions.
And life goes on...
02-Jan-2005
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Sharath Bhat
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