A Moral Tale

Christmas is a few days away and Jonu has dreams of making it special. He has his eyes set on the newly released CNC Video Game. With each passing day, his desire of owning this device increases as he sees the numerous adverts of it everywhere. But in the back of his mind, he knows that this dream of his may be a distant reality as he is aware of the family’s current financial situation. His father makes ends meet by working in a cloth mill whereas his mother stitches clothes for the neighbouring folks.

Jonu finds his happiness in the local school where he plays football and mingles with his friends discussing the intricacies of the brand new CNC video game. Suddenly, the students gaze towards Lobu, the mill owner’s son, who is carrying the much vaunted CNC video game. Now the once lonely Lobu has become the center of attention of the whole school.

On his way home, Jonu develops an envious streak for Lobu; thinking why he is deprived of the luxuries of life while Lobu has it all. He ponders upon his cousin Lesot, who has made a name for himself by indulging in illegal activities though he is now banned from the family. He thinks of taking help from Lesot in obtaining the CNC but drops the idea afterwards.

On the dinner table, Jonu is uneasy as he is engulfed by the image of Lobu holding the CNC video game. It is Christmas eve and Jonu has made up his mind. He sneaks out of the assembly, enters the empty class, approaches Lobu’s bag and grabs the video game. Jonu’s face is beaming with pride as he plays with his newly acquired possession. He is so dearly engrossed that he does not notice the bike coming his way. It brushes past him and there is a thud. He looks at the ground and sees his prized scalp broken into two pieces. Jonu is distraught and does not know how to react.

He reaches home in an abject state. He feels his heart has been broken into pieces and not the CNC. His parents cannot understand his disappointment and they let things be. It is Christmas morning, the sun’s rays beam on Jonu’s face. He wakes up and finds his parents standing in front of him. His father is holding a gift in his hand. Jonu sulks and reflects on his past gifts which haven’t come close to what he wants. Still frowning with anger, he opens the box slowly and does not believe what he sees. It is his dream, his wish, the thing that he had desired the most from the start. Tears flow from his eyes uncontrollably. He quickly grabs his gift and rushes from the house. He reaches the mansion and meets Lobu. He hands him the gift & apologizes for his wrongdoing. Lobu is stunned in silence.

Jonu returns home, hugs his father and declares, “This is the best Christmas ever.”    

POSITIONS, DESIGNATIONS AND WHAT NOT…..

For the life of me, I don’t understand the reason for people being obsessed with positions. Every individual wants to have a certain designation in their lives so that they can boast it to their fellow human beings. Is a title or a designation so important under their name that they cannot do their normal work without it? Whenever a person is asked about their career; they proudly brag their position and to actually confirm this they quickly give out their business card.

 

The world has come to this state that more than the name; a man’s designation is of more value. It seems that one can attain anything in life just by using their position. This obsession doesn’t stop with individuals but goes beyond countries. If a person is living in a particular developed country, he is considered above the rest and in this case a man’s designation doesn’t matter as the country compensates for the lack of it.

In the olden days, people use to work without any concern of position but now we see designations coming up on a daily basis, some of which are unheard of; just so that they can fleet up their ego.

In the real sense, the men and women who really matter and contribute are those who have no specific designation. When we enter a plush mall or a five star hotel, we feel a sense of goodness from inside; but have we ever realized how much toil, sweat and hard work have gone from the workers who have built these luxury places. These are the people who work continuously day in and day out in harsh conditions just so that people like us feel pleased. Even the home that you live in has been built by the labour of these people but do we ever consider or think of them.

Man, by nature loves to be around clean surroundings and if a person comes across even an iota of filth, he becomes jittery. But how many of us really think about those people who actually wake up in the wee hours of morning just to keep out streets clean. If it weren’t for the sincere duties that these men perform; the whole world would end up like a garbage bin.

These are the invisible men and women who neither thanked nor looked after. When we ever come in contact with these people; we quickly run forward for the fear that their stench will cling on to us. These are the people who don’t care about any position or designation but perform their duties with full sincerity, so that we can walk the streets and go to places with ease.

The point being made here is even though, every individual in this universe has job to perform for this world to evolve; let’s not be too concerned about our positions and consider our work as just work and not something to flaunt. Also, let’s start applauding these unsung heroes who toil hard without ever complaining so that we can live our life in comfort.