We live in a time of indifference, apathy and self-indulgence. The ethos of our times has been driven home, quite strikingly, every now & then through thoughtful art, artists, thinkers and other eminent people of the world. It has only been in such point-making instances the increasing indifference of our times glare into my face. As the time passes, its radiance slowly diminishes and settles into an unremarkable doctrine we all quite sporadically grapple with.
There was a human moment this morning, which put me to shame for my shard of indifference and self-indulgence. I went to the cafe after the morning workout. I order my regular, medium-khadak chai (see, obsessed with details of what I did; you're welcome) and opened a QoA based social networking site on the phone.
Charging myself guilty of nasty, pre-defecation reading material, I was reading about a man's sexual encounters he's had through a dating app. Slurping my tea and sucking pleasure from reading a stranger's sexual escapades. That's when a destitute widow walked into the cafe with her under-provided children. Them entering the cafe was registered in my head, only semi-consciously though. Because, consciously I was busy devouring some early morning erotic literature.
There, within a distance of mere 1.5 meters, were two existences - one, falling short of means to provide for her children, counting the coins she has and comparing the prices of stale snacks put up on display; and another, me, feeding on something that's a supply for my free time and thought.
And the misery is, all this didn't strike me for as long as 20 minutes. Only a rerun of happenings in the head and adding a pinch of perspective here and there, revealed to me my abominable indulgence.
I could have bought her something to feed her children - but the pessimist inside me questions about the inadequacy of my service, wondering about their lunch, dinner and rest of the meals until they find some means to be self-sufficient or until they cease to exist. But I can't forgive myself showing this as an excuse to not by them the breakfast I should have bought.
Sure, there are people who are trying within their own rights to defeat and keep the three demonic nouns (ones I mentioned in the beginning) confined to dictionary. Salute to them for trying to do something for which I am plainly not human enough to try doing. But the times we live in are pernicious and sorry but are we doomed.
There was a human moment this morning, which put me to shame for my shard of indifference and self-indulgence. I went to the cafe after the morning workout. I order my regular, medium-khadak chai (see, obsessed with details of what I did; you're welcome) and opened a QoA based social networking site on the phone.
Charging myself guilty of nasty, pre-defecation reading material, I was reading about a man's sexual encounters he's had through a dating app. Slurping my tea and sucking pleasure from reading a stranger's sexual escapades. That's when a destitute widow walked into the cafe with her under-provided children. Them entering the cafe was registered in my head, only semi-consciously though. Because, consciously I was busy devouring some early morning erotic literature.
There, within a distance of mere 1.5 meters, were two existences - one, falling short of means to provide for her children, counting the coins she has and comparing the prices of stale snacks put up on display; and another, me, feeding on something that's a supply for my free time and thought.
And the misery is, all this didn't strike me for as long as 20 minutes. Only a rerun of happenings in the head and adding a pinch of perspective here and there, revealed to me my abominable indulgence.
I could have bought her something to feed her children - but the pessimist inside me questions about the inadequacy of my service, wondering about their lunch, dinner and rest of the meals until they find some means to be self-sufficient or until they cease to exist. But I can't forgive myself showing this as an excuse to not by them the breakfast I should have bought.
Sure, there are people who are trying within their own rights to defeat and keep the three demonic nouns (ones I mentioned in the beginning) confined to dictionary. Salute to them for trying to do something for which I am plainly not human enough to try doing. But the times we live in are pernicious and sorry but are we doomed.
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