Two separate incidents,
seemingly trivial ones—
yet the kind of small moments that happen in everyone's life, every single day.
Today, I'm trying to tie these two moments together with a single thread.
Scenario 1:
Leaving the office, at Ballygunge platform, the train was delayed. A mother stood there with a small child asleep in her arms. She was begging—asking for money to buy blood for her child. Out of habit, I folded my hands in greeting and moved on.
Scenario 2:
After getting down from the train and reaching my neighborhood, I took off my mask to drink some water. A mother dog and her two puppies ran up to me and looked at me pleadingly. I understood—they were hungry. I couldn't turn them away. I bought a packet of biscuits from a nearby shop, opened it, and scattered it on the road. They finished it in no time.
It's worth mentioning—the mother dog left most of it for her puppies.
Now, I try to reflect a little on these two separate incidents…
In the first case, I could easily walk away with a simple gesture. But in the second, I couldn't.
Does that mean the mother in the second case was more emotionally compelling than the first?
Was the woman on the platform unable to express her suffering?
Or have I, like many others, become someone who displays love for animals more visibly?
The woman on the platform was a stranger to me, but the second case was the opposite. Perhaps that's why, the moment I removed my mask, they recognized me and came running.
So, if that woman had received help before, or if she were someone I knew—would I have still been able to walk away?
Am I avoiding responsibility in the first case, while trying to appear noble in the second?
Am I escaping responsibility there, and becoming a show-off animal lover here?
So what am I really—irresponsible, or an animal lover?
I don't know what you think, but I feel—
I am neither of these, or perhaps I am entirely both.
But do you know the truth?
This behavior of mine—society has taught me this.
People around me, since childhood, have taught me that humans are often more selfish than animals.
Society has also taught me that people tend to take advantage again and again.
And I've been made to believe that many people beg out of habit.
Perhaps this last belief is the most dangerous of all.
And maybe, because of this, I've become irresponsible.
If someone tries to take advantage of my kindness,
and if that "advantage" is actually their need—
then I am willing to let them take it.
Not once, not twice—but a thousand times, or even more.
Let these people take that chance.
Even if it is not born out of necessity but habit—still, let them take it.
Sometimes, logic needs to be set aside, and emotion must be allowed to act.
If you have enough money in your pocket
to buy biscuits for the stray mother dog,
then with a little more effort,
you can probably find enough for the human mother too.
But in both cases,
you have to look for the biscuits yourself
End - SOUMADIP