"This is my life, Its upto me to decide what's good or bad for me. You mind your own business!"
Perplexed? Wondering, why I chose to begin this piece with such a line? Simple, the emotions in the line above are something that are a part of each one of us. We all want to live our lives the way we want to, without bonding, without being responsible to anyone, without being accountable and with freedom.
Very often we hear the following argument- "It is upto me how I lead my life, whether I become a millionaire or a pauper, whether I spend my time buried in books or lost in dope or whether I put my gifts to use or let them whittle away, it is my choice! No one has the right to decide what I should do. No one!" - and surrender to it because we find it natural, irrefutiable, infact we accept as if it were pearls of wisdom bestowed on us. Afterall, it is true that our life belongs to us, we are responsible for our decisions as well as their consequences. Right? Wrong.
Why? Because we live in a society, not in solitude, because the actions of an individual have the power to affect the lives of several and because every action has an equal and opposite reaction, that's why. Don't believe me? You will, just read on.
To prove my point, let me narrate an incident from a book by management Guru and motivator, Shiv Khera. Mr. Khera was on an assignment in an American prison to motivate prisoners towards a better way of life. During his interaction, a prisoner who was nearing release, walked up to him and said " Hey, Shiv, why the hell do you always keep preaching, don't do this, don't do that, this is right, that is wrong? Damn it! its my life! Why the hell are you concerned whether I drink, smoke, steal, kill, it's none of your business!" To this retort Mr. Khera replied-" Yes, you are right my friend, it is none of my concern whether you drink, kill, do whatever, but, first make me a simple promise?" The prisoner asked-" What promise?" He replied "Promise me that the child you run over the next time you drink and drive will not be mine or somebody else's. Can you do that? If you can, you have every right to do as you wish." The prisoner was dumbstruck, but he had got his answer.
The fact of the matter is - all of us must be sensitive and responsible to those around us, to those we share this world with, because what we do impacts them in some way or the other. Sometimes, a foolish mistake can destroy lives, a wrong step can cause tragedy, and a move made in selfishness could result in serious ramifications.
Look around, and you will see a family on the brink because one man couldn't control his temper, you will see several destroyed because one spoilt brat didn't know that drinking and driving do not go well together, you will see thousands suffering the aftermath of a tragedy 60 years old, just because a ruler wanted to prove his point. These are only a few examples of the influence that actions of an individual can have on others, but enough to justify the gravity of the situation.
Unfortunately, in our personal pursuits we forget that we are not alone, that they are people who depend on us, whose fate swings with ours, our parents, our families, friends and even those who have never known us. So, let us be responsible, let us measure our actions and make sure that we don't become the cause of suffering and pain for innocents. We share the world with others, let us also share their concerns. Let us live our lives as we wish, making our decisions, but let us also ensure that our freedom is not somebody else's curse, because as George Daniel said-
O Freedom, what liberties are taken in thy name!
Very often we hear the following argument- "It is upto me how I lead my life, whether I become a millionaire or a pauper, whether I spend my time buried in books or lost in dope or whether I put my gifts to use or let them whittle away, it is my choice! No one has the right to decide what I should do. No one!" - and surrender to it because we find it natural, irrefutiable, infact we accept as if it were pearls of wisdom bestowed on us. Afterall, it is true that our life belongs to us, we are responsible for our decisions as well as their consequences. Right? Wrong.
Why? Because we live in a society, not in solitude, because the actions of an individual have the power to affect the lives of several and because every action has an equal and opposite reaction, that's why. Don't believe me? You will, just read on.
To prove my point, let me narrate an incident from a book by management Guru and motivator, Shiv Khera. Mr. Khera was on an assignment in an American prison to motivate prisoners towards a better way of life. During his interaction, a prisoner who was nearing release, walked up to him and said " Hey, Shiv, why the hell do you always keep preaching, don't do this, don't do that, this is right, that is wrong? Damn it! its my life! Why the hell are you concerned whether I drink, smoke, steal, kill, it's none of your business!" To this retort Mr. Khera replied-" Yes, you are right my friend, it is none of my concern whether you drink, kill, do whatever, but, first make me a simple promise?" The prisoner asked-" What promise?" He replied "Promise me that the child you run over the next time you drink and drive will not be mine or somebody else's. Can you do that? If you can, you have every right to do as you wish." The prisoner was dumbstruck, but he had got his answer.
The fact of the matter is - all of us must be sensitive and responsible to those around us, to those we share this world with, because what we do impacts them in some way or the other. Sometimes, a foolish mistake can destroy lives, a wrong step can cause tragedy, and a move made in selfishness could result in serious ramifications.
Look around, and you will see a family on the brink because one man couldn't control his temper, you will see several destroyed because one spoilt brat didn't know that drinking and driving do not go well together, you will see thousands suffering the aftermath of a tragedy 60 years old, just because a ruler wanted to prove his point. These are only a few examples of the influence that actions of an individual can have on others, but enough to justify the gravity of the situation.
Unfortunately, in our personal pursuits we forget that we are not alone, that they are people who depend on us, whose fate swings with ours, our parents, our families, friends and even those who have never known us. So, let us be responsible, let us measure our actions and make sure that we don't become the cause of suffering and pain for innocents. We share the world with others, let us also share their concerns. Let us live our lives as we wish, making our decisions, but let us also ensure that our freedom is not somebody else's curse, because as George Daniel said-
O Freedom, what liberties are taken in thy name!
Society is indeed a contract....it becomes a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born.
- Burke, Edmund
