Fiery Orator, Satish Sonak has a habit of reminding his audience that in our increasingly violent world torn by riots, bloodshed and indifference it has become necessary to repeatedly remind ourselves that we are human beings. How better the world would be if we could forget everything else and just remember that we and others are human beings.
Surely the essence of human being is to have reminiscence. It is recollection of the emotions and experiences that connects the past with the present and the concept of self emerges from this glue called memory. If memory is lost the very stuff which makes us human being will be lost.
Yesterday was World Alzheimer’s Day. Today 25 million suffer from memory loss due to Alzheimer’s disease that is invading the young and the old in our world. Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating disease of the nervous system that leads to progressive degeneration of brain cells. Seemingly innocuous lapses of memory, progress gradually into stark decline of mental abilities. Victims show marked changes in behaviour, mood, thinking and intellectual tasks. Memory, judgment and systematic thought processing takes a beating and normal life is badly affected. The progression of the disease differs with patients, though detecting the disease early can be crucial to effective management of the condition. As the disease takes a toll on the mental abilities of the patients, they are completely dependent on their care givers to carry out daily tasks.
When a patient starts showing its symptoms, we become impatient and label him insane, lunatic or mad. Consigning them to a bleak cell or a dangerous street, we forget all about them. Why do we forget to remember? Can we spare a thought for unattended Alzheimer's patients? Can our society remember its responsibilities to the ones who forget?
If to be responsive and responsible, we can remember…
The situation of the Alzheimer’s patients will surely be better
- Pravin-da
Monday, September 22, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
REPRISAL
One of our school teachers was real weird. He had a peculiar method of enforcing discipline in his classroom. Every time, a back-bencher would say or do something that would infuriate him, he would shout at the one who committed the mischief and… and strike (with his knuckles) the head of the boy sitting nearest to him.
A similar attitude is reflected in the communal carnages that occur in our country. It has happened in Delhi, Gujarat and so many other brutalities. Now it is happening in Orissa… A Swami and his four followers are killed on 23 August 2008. Immediately, communal goons unleashed horrendous violence against innocents.
The culprits are yet to be identified, but an entire community has borne the brunt of murderous slaughter and inhuman bloodshed. The death count is rising. Over 4000 homes have been razed to the ground and nearly hundred places of worship have been torched. Nuns have been raped, innocent and disabled persons have been lynched, pregnant women, toddlers, orphans and the elderly are being forced to leave their homes and languish in the safety of the jungles!
In the case of our weird teacher’s unfair reprisal, all would find it funny except the one who was unfairly penalised for somebody else’s mistakes and the others sitting in the front row who would be on the edge fearing that the odd predicament would come their way, too. The rest of us were detached because it did not affect us.
It is this detached indifference that provides bizarre logic for the indefensible. How can anyone justify the inhuman killings and brutalisation of innocents? We must ask ourselves whether we have learnt any lessons from the numerous killings, brutal attacks and rapist rioting, born of divisive religious fanaticism… if we do not speak up now against the communal fanatics, we will strengthen their hands… and we will be in their murderous reach someday.
Let’s BE BETTER at the values of empathy, justice and compassion
By ensuring that we connect to the solidarity of responsive action…
- Pravin-da
A similar attitude is reflected in the communal carnages that occur in our country. It has happened in Delhi, Gujarat and so many other brutalities. Now it is happening in Orissa… A Swami and his four followers are killed on 23 August 2008. Immediately, communal goons unleashed horrendous violence against innocents.
The culprits are yet to be identified, but an entire community has borne the brunt of murderous slaughter and inhuman bloodshed. The death count is rising. Over 4000 homes have been razed to the ground and nearly hundred places of worship have been torched. Nuns have been raped, innocent and disabled persons have been lynched, pregnant women, toddlers, orphans and the elderly are being forced to leave their homes and languish in the safety of the jungles!
In the case of our weird teacher’s unfair reprisal, all would find it funny except the one who was unfairly penalised for somebody else’s mistakes and the others sitting in the front row who would be on the edge fearing that the odd predicament would come their way, too. The rest of us were detached because it did not affect us.
It is this detached indifference that provides bizarre logic for the indefensible. How can anyone justify the inhuman killings and brutalisation of innocents? We must ask ourselves whether we have learnt any lessons from the numerous killings, brutal attacks and rapist rioting, born of divisive religious fanaticism… if we do not speak up now against the communal fanatics, we will strengthen their hands… and we will be in their murderous reach someday.
Let’s BE BETTER at the values of empathy, justice and compassion
By ensuring that we connect to the solidarity of responsive action…
- Pravin-da
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