Who Does Not Struggle?

We think we are the victims, we think life is being crappy to us. We hold a grudge against others, a silent, yet an always-preset grudge against others. Life has been better to them, we tell ourselves. We have had more difficult times, and we pity ourselves. We have our own set of problems; please let us deal with them, we tell others. But who does not struggle?

We treat ourselves as separate from the world. We disconnect. Trying to juggle our own lives, we forget to ask ourselves, who does not struggle?

Get up early one day, days when started early are longer, for the hours spent in a day’s light are always more enlightening than those in the dark. Step out, look around. Not with open eyes, also with an open heart. And you’ll be left asking yourselves, who does not struggle?

A balloon vendor has inflated his balloons; tying them in a dupatta to a stick he rides his bicycle. Where is he headed at this time? Will there be kids getting after their parent’s lives at this time of the day? Surely he could catch a few hours of sleep. Surely. The kids buy balloons during the evening in parks, why is roaming around at this time of the day. But then, who does not struggle?

An auto-wallah, new to the city, is in a hurry. He got his ride an hour late, an hour less of business, he sees it. He says his family members back there ask him why he can’t make that much money, despite being willing to work hard. So he tells his customers to get on in a hurry and get down in a jiffy. He thinks he’ll increase the no of passengers thus. But then, who does not struggle?

A shopkeeper talks rudely to his customers, times are tough. He cannot please everyone.

A housewife has a bad mood. At the day’s beginning she had to deal with a rude shopkeeper. Are the household tensions not enough for her?

A rickshaw puller scoffs when a girl asks him if he has change before getting on. Wouldn’t he have scoffed more had she told this at the ride’s end with no other way out?

A company’s employees think they have a lot of work load, other’s lives are easier, why bother an ounce?

The trainees think these are our first steps into the professional world; is this how life will be for the next 30 years?

A housewife thinks her counterpart got a teaching job, she is so much better off. This is why she roams about in an inflated ego balloon.

The counterpart develops a health problem because of the new busy lifestyle. What is she to do? Tell others she is planning to quit?

We think life is easier for others. We don’t realize that: everyone struggles.

We don’t remind ourselves, that everyone is in a constant struggle. Everyone is facing problems. Perhaps our polite and kind answer will reinforce someone’s faith in humanity. We forget that what goes around comes around.

Make it a point not to judge anyone by the smile on their face, neither by that saddened expression. As the cliché goes, you don’t know their full story.

Never convincingly recount to yourself statements of the sort that it won’t matter or I have my reasons. Someone up there who loves you immensely is watching, keeping a track of everything. He is gravely saddened when you do things like that, and He has to shape and mold you, so He’ll have no other option than to bring it back to you so that you can realize the gravity.

By the way, who am I to tell you what to do and how to do in such a directive manner? After all, life is one exam where you cannot cheat and get by. There’s no other way but to learn your lessons…

P.S. Published in the monthly newsletter of Larsen & Toubro