Ours is not a dead society. Only that our life is not taking effect. In a fit of self flagellation, we sometimes declare ourselves not just dead, but decayed. And this is not entirely untrue.
We, many a time, really behave in moribund ways. But there are people that hold the hope for us as a society. And there are many of them. There are occasions and situations, when we throw surprises as a collective. Just an appeal on social media that someone is facing a life threatening disease, and money flows in millions.
There have been occasions when a reverse-appeal was made that more money is credited to the account than needed, so please stop donating. Our heart is still in the right place, and we all should thank our Lord for this. So ours is not a dead society.
But why our life is not taking effect, remains a question. Among many reasons, this person’s appeal for help points towards one. Emotions move us more than reason. We open our hearts wide, but it is difficult to have our minds ajar. We are full of feelings, short on thinking.
Here is a small introduction about the present condition of the person.
The person suffers multiple organ failure, and there are dozens of families dependent on the person. Half the body is in a relatively better condition, breathing well, and showing the signs of recovery and strength. The other half is completely paralysed.
Those who are voluntarily taking care of this person, find it very hard to treat this half of the body, even after pumping in all the available resource into its treatment.
Good news is that if help comes in the right measure and at the right time, the person will not only bounce back to life, with full vigour, but will infuse life into others in a similar condition.
Those who are bestowed with a sense of charity, those who are blessed with a fellow feeling, and those who carry with them a consciousness of collective, cannot find a more deserving case for assistance. It is not just helping the person, but helping one’s own self. This person is by its very function a fountainhead of wellbeing in a society. So it is an extra ordinary case for help.
Here is the story of this person.
It was born in 1968. In the early 1970s it started taking some initial strides. In its boyhood, it established its name not just at the place of its birth, but in other towns of Kashmir, including Srinagar. It even went to Rajouri, and earned a name. It had its days of youth, but a congenital defect surfaced up menacingly, and it dealt a fatal blow to it. The heart that pumped blood in the body came under a severe attack. Since then, its organs, one by one, started atrophying.
When COVID 19 visited, this person was a case of zero immunity. So it suffered badly. It went broke.
It was around that time, an acquaintance wanted me to see the person. Later, many well meaning people joined.
All the efforts till now have saved the person from being declared dead. It has been a tough battle, and many well wishers have exceptionally come forward and lent a helping hand. May God give them the reward that is due to them. We have nothing to give them in return, except a feeling of deep gratitude, and prayers.
The appeal goes like this.
If this person couldn’t make it, dozens of families will lose their livelihood. And if it survives, and grows, it will ensure a decent livelihood for hundreds in the coming years. So by helping this one person, you will be making a difference to the lives of hundreds, if not thousands. Just allow your mind to take this story in, your heart will open all by itself.
Here is a thought to share.
Sylvia Cremer, an evolutionary biologist, in the study of the social life of ants, demonstrated that if one ant in a colony is contaminated with smallpox, the other ants do not exclude it. Instead all ants organise to lick her clean until she is healthy. The amazing finding for Cremer is that not only does the one ant survive in more than 90 percent of the cases, but the collective immunity of the colony rises.
Is there a lesson to be learnt from ants!
Who is the person?
It has a name, and an address, but it is not a human being. It is an educational institution, with its campuses at Sopore and Baghat, Srinagar. It deserves our attention, it deserves our emotion, it deserves our resources. It belongs to us all, and it is a test case for us as a society. If we allow this wasting disease to consume it conclusively, we will be committing a crime against our children.
Author is Opinion Editor, Greater Kashmir
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK