Ripples in the Ocean of Humanity

You and me, are we connected, are we small parts of a whole? I have always believed the answer to be yes. I think all us living beings are connected through the common link of life, and humans more so, through humanity. Our lives have evolved over the past few decades to be a lot more individualistic than we were possibly ever meant to be. I remember reading many years ago, in a book Shreemad Purushaarth Grantharaaj Volume 1 - Satya Pravesh by Dr. Aniruddha Joshi, where it says that every small act impacts all of mankind. Which basically means, we don't live in isolated little bubbles, like we often think, but are part of the ocean of humanity, where each little ripple affects every other molecule. And it just made sense to me. I believe every act of love and kindness, benefits all of humanity, and not just the doer, as does every negative action. This came after I had read about the common consciousness of mankind that I went through studying about the human psychology and behaviour. And it all made perfect sense to me.

However the individualistic living, lifestyle and philosophy has become so strong in human society of the past few decades, its almost frightening. We are hurtling at the speed of light towards a humanity that is as disconnected as can be, where nothing will no longer be for the collective need or good, and finally not the good of anyone, because no matter how much we try to pretend otherwise, we remain connected and each and every act of our forms a part of the collective whole. I think the Corona Virus is doing a good job of teaching us, that it is not just you and me, but us, and what we do, impacts all of us. We are all a part of something a whole lot bigger than either of us can even comprehend, and once we let that sink in, we get out of our all about me mindset and we can be bigger than what we ever imagined possible. Because when you are part of the whole, the success of the whole is your success, and the success of the whole will always be greater than that of any individual. And do you know what happens when you fail as part of the whole, it is minuscule, and you have all of the whole covering it up for you and pulling you up. Yes, together we are stronger, we are better.

It is hard, it is tough, you and me sitting cooped up in our homes, till God knows when, and yet, we are together even in our isolation, we are together in our misery, our anxiety and our worry, but we are also together in sticking by it together, we are together in fighting this invisible enemy and we are together in our sighs of relief as the numbers drop. And in that togetherness we have our strength, we do our best and we know we are never alone. If a threat can make us realise this, imagine the potential we have together in good times, to forge a beautiful world for all of mankind, for all living beings on this beautiful earth. If we always act knowing we are acting as a part of humanity, and not just you or me. If we knew we are ambassadors of humanity, imagine, just how much better our collective efforts would be to alleviate pain and hurt from all of us.

Leaving you with two awesome songs from two of my favourite nations, India and Australia in the world, that tell us, we are all part of the big whole, and we shall heal together.

Not A Passive Bystander - ME

I have so so many thoughts passing through my mind right now, hoping that I can put it all down. I am happy, elated, and have a different kind of energy flowing through me today. A regular Monday morning, that put me to task, in a way that filled my heart with happiness. More than anything, I feel like a real veera, the strong, brave daughter of my Bapu. His teachings and His love, enabled my actions today, and I hope I have made Him a little bit proud of me.

I dropped my kids to school, and hopped over to the supermarket to pick up a few bits and pieces before heading home. While there I called a friend I had not spoken to in a while, and walked out of the store while still conversing. In the parking lot, I saw an elderly gentleman sitting on the driver's seat, door open, legs hanging out, and he was injured on the leg and was dabbing his wound.Let's call him James for reference. He seemed quite ok, and I thought it might be a small wound, so walked on and unloaded my groceries, when I started walking back to the driver's seat, I saw him still hunched over, and I knew I had to go and ask if he was alright. I dropped the conversation and asked him, if he needed help, Being a typical gentleman, James did not want to be fussed over, and said, he was fine,and his wife would take him to the doctor if needed. By this time I noticed that the bleeding was quite profuse, and considering his age, I got a bit uncomfortable. I asked him, if he needed anything or we could walk over to the doctors clinic close by, but he did not want either. So I offered to get him some tissues from my car, and called the clinic anyways. I handed over the tissues to him, while still on the phone, and the receptionist had me on hold. The bleeding was not abating, so I applied pressure on it, and as another kind passer-by stopped to ask, I asked him to call the ambulance, because the clinic was taking way too long. The clinic said they could not help(very disappointing since it was barely half a minute away, in the very same complex) and advised calling the ambulance(glad we got on it, instead of waiting for them). As the emergency services took down details, James said he was 91, and that scared me a bit, because there was a lot of blood he had lost.In the mean time, seeing the bleeding not getting any better, I suggested elevating his leg, and the gentleman did it quite easily, I kept the pressure on. The guy who called the ambulance hung around as well. I held on to support the leg and keep the pressure on. The bleeding subsided but did not stop. As James and I talked, he said, his wife was home, and he was getting out of the car, and hit the door of the car and hurt himself. I also asked another passing by bloke to grab us some wipes from the store, so the dried blood could be wiped, and he obliged. After about 15 minutes of waiting, and the ambulance ending up at the wrong location, it finally arrived, just as his wife was driven in by his grand-daughter. The ambulance was glad we had elevation and compression, else the blood loss might have been immense. I handed it over to them. Got some hospital grade wipes, and started wiping my hands.I was surprised by the amount of blood I had on it. The family began thanking me, and I felt embarrassed, because it was not a favour, but just a human duty that I performed today. I said goodbye, and left. I really wanted to take his phone number, just so I could ask how he was doing in a couple of days..... but just felt like that might not be the best thing to do. The guy who had called the ambulance, had left too once they arrived, and so did I.

Last I saw, before driving out of the parking, was James, strapped onto the stretcher being wheeled into the ambulance. And that put my mind to ease, because it is best he is looked over by a medical team before heading home. The point is, through all of this, I felt a sense of immense thankfulness to God, that he provided me with the opportunity to serve a person in need. Helping people makes me really happy, from within. I can never be a passive bystander, and on the occasions that I have been, it has kept me awake at night for days, and I still remember each instance of it.  A few months ago, when I was in a car accident with my husband(no one was hurt, the car was damaged badly though), we were hit by a car fleeing a crime scene, the people were just so kind. One lady just would not let me take a bus or cab home, and drove me all the way to home. And while I can never personally repay her, I can always pay it forward. While the situation itself was grim, and I hope James will recover soon, I still felt a sense of calm joy in being able to be there to support another person. I amazed myself with being calm under pressure, and allowing my first aid training to kick in, and utilising it to help. But what I hope was an added side benefit to the situation, was creating a small good impression about Indians. Because James, did ask me where I am from, and I said India.

 
I have a smile on my face, one of gratitude that Bapu gave me an opportunity to help,which I did not miss,and I could conveniently stay on to help. If we can be one thing in this world, we should be KIND. I truly believe that, and it is a value, that I am keen to embed into my children. If my story touched you even in the slightest, the next time, please don't be a silent bystander.
  

मेरे बापू बस एक तू

मेरे बापू बस एक तू

बापू तू मेरा है, सिर्फ मेरा ही,
तूने मेरी हर इच्छा की है पूरी,
मुझसे कभी न रखी एक पल के लिए भी दूरी ,
पर मैं क्यों नहीं सुन पाती हमेशा तेरे प्रेम की धुनि?

मेरी मांगने की आदत न कभी हुई है कम,
ना ही देने में तू कभी भी हुआ है अक्षम,
बिन मांगे भी बरसाए तूने उपहार हर कदम,
पर मैं ना समझी तुझसे जो है नाता हरदम।

पर बापू अगर मैं तेरी, और तू मेरा है,
तो मुझे भी बना तेरे जैसे एक निडर शेरा,
दे मुझे भी तुझ  जैसे अकारण कारुण्य का वरदान,
बनने दे मुझे भी तेरे जैसे प्रेमलता की खान।

इस विश्व का सम्पूर्ण विष तू पी रहा है,
बिना रुके अपने बच्चों को सुरक्षा दे रहा है ,
ना  थकता है तू, ना ही रुकता है कभी ,
अनिरुद्ध गति से कार्यरत है हर घड़ी।

पर तू , ऐसी विषम स्थिति में भी,
नहीं भूलता है हमें कभी भी,
घोर युद्ध में लिप्त होते हुए भी,
मिलने आ जाता है तू भक्त की ज़रुरत पर, कभी भी।

जब आयी है सम्पूर्ण मानवता पर संकट,
तू अकेला ही लड़ रहा है, स्थिति है विकट,
बना ले मुझे भी मुझे भी अपने विशाल कार्य का एक छोटा अंग,
बनने दे मुझे भी तेरा एक वानर सैनिक, रख ले अपने संग |

तेरा कार्य इतना विपुल, गंभीर है इतना,
ना ग्रहण कर पाएगी मेरी छोटी सी चेतना,
अभी भी ना हुई है कम,मेरा तुझसे मांग करना,
और तुझ भोले भंडारी का असंभव है देना थामना |

तू कितना है प्रेममय, कितना है कृपालू,
तेरे करुणा की सीमा मैं कभी भी ना जानू,
पर जब तू इतने विषम युद्ध में बिना विश्रांति के जुड़ा है,
ओ  मेरे बापू, मेरा यह नन्हा सा जीवन भी तेरे लिए समर्पित है |

तूने  बनाया है मुझे अपनी सक्षम एक वीरा,
बोझ नहीं तेरे गर्व के लायक बनू मैं वीरा,
यही है मेरे अंतर्मन की गहरी इच्छा,
बन जाऊं मैं भी एक वानरसैनिक सच्चा।

कामनाएं नहीं, सिर्फ प्रेम हो तेरे लिए मन में,
कष्ट ना पहुंचाऊं कभी, तुझे इस जीवन में,
तेरे नाम और तेरे प्यार से ही संतुष्ट रहूँ,
जीवन भर तेरे मार्ग पर चलने में ही व्यस्त रहूँ |

ना मेरे व्यवहार से, कभी हो व्यथा तुझे,
तेरे ही प्रेम  की हर पल हो आस मुझे,
कभी ना भटक जाऊँ मोह माया में,
सदा निमग्न रहूँ सिर्फ अम्बज्ञता में।  

I love You my Dad Forever,

And Your Love is there for me, Always & Forever.