Wednesday, January 9, 2008

WHERE HAS THE COMPASSION GONE!

I had the misfortune of having to visit a police station to file an FIR (First Information Report) and was deeply disappointed by the response i received. Have these officials become, over the years, cold and indifferent? Has the sheer volume of cases handled by these people contributed to their sense of disservice? Who is to blame? I still believe that a few bad apples could ruin the basket. We still have a lot of compassionate, hard-working respected officials who will go the mile to serve the people but at the same time these few are hard to come across.
So what can WE do to improve this sorry state of affairs? Most important of all we need to treat our officials with respect ,and by that i dont mean saluting an officer when he walks by but, by talking to them with the respect they deserve (NOT MORE!) and admit our faults if we are in the wrong. All said and done our police have a tough job, a BILLION people breaking laws almost everyday is a hard bunch to regulate. So give them their due.
Secondly the very sensitive affair of bribery. Can we avoid it ? YES! And we should. It sure is tough staying away from bribing an official in reality but all it takes is a little convicttion and a LOT of patience. Dont be afraid to fight your way up the official echelons to get justice. Its our right. Bribery is never the way out. Avoid breaking the law instead of avoiding a conviction with a bribe.
Finally compassion and comradeship in society. A simple thank you can brighten up anyone's day. From the rickshaw driver to the grocery store owner. A loud and clear "THANK YOU" can bring meaning to their profession. It's importrant to remember that no body or noone's problems are less insignificant than yours.
So lets strive to inculcate a measure of humaness in our lives and live knowing that all it takes is a single humane gesture to change the world!