The fine line between being a threat and a reassurance

Recently I read an anecdote of a renowned person in a book called ‘This I believe‘.

This is such an inspirational book; there are so many thoughts shared, and every thought is uniquely beautiful and introspective.

It is probably the most contemplative essay I’ve ever read. Usually, I read something, and over the course of time, it slips to the deepest recesses of my brain that it becomes awfully difficult to extract it back to the surface. However, this piece has always stayed with me. I think about it often.

Warren Christopher has a simple philosophy.

Here’s what the author says – he states that everyone in this world is dependant on one another. It’s such an inclusive thought, if you think about it on a deeper level. I often wish very passionately to be the only person alive in this world. It seems like an incredibly appealing thought – no one to contradict you, no one to argue, to fight back – you can just be in peace with nature, doing your thing. Yet, when I’m saner, I know that this is not particularly possible. Can I really survive without anyone else?

If I’ve to analyze this without giving it any serious thought, why it isn’t possible is because I just cannot get my work done all by myself. I’m lazy, and that’s that. But what if you actually give it a think-over? It’s a nice thought.

It was just a few days ago that Warren Christopher’s article came back to me, and since then, I’ve been waiting to share it with you. I was crestfallen because I had been warned not to feed the cats in my apartment – and the poor things followed me around mewing and that made me so heavy-hearted. The thing is, I was sad because they didn’t have their food; because they were hungry. Obviously, they’re clever and they can find food elsewhere, but the guilt of having fed them for so many days, and suddenly denying it to them made me feel despondent.

These cats made me so downcast. I thought at that instant – if they can move me at such levels, then I am affected by them. Isn’t it true? Have you ever read a newspaper article, or even seen some video of someone you don’t even know and felt desperate or happy? A floofy dog or a bombing incident – whatever it may be, it still has an effect on you.

Heal the world?

I’ve felt the need many times to do something instantly to save the world. According to me, the world is tremendously monstrous, on an unmonstrous level. I am constantly bothered by what others do because I want to right wrongs. You’ve felt it, too? Why?

This is because we are touched by other beings – they have the ability to hurt us or move us emotionally. Not only that, but even in comparatively more worldly, more materialistic aspects, people have a huge impact on us.

Let me share the most beautiful, simple example that Warren Christopher has given to us. It’s something I’ll always commemorate. ‘One night recently, I was driving down a two-lane highway at about sixty miles an hour. A car approached from the opposite direction at about the same speed…I wondered whether he might be thinking, as I was, how dependant we were on each other at that moment…Multiplied a million times over, I believe that this is the way the world works. At some level, we all depend on one another.’ This was his simple philosophy.

So, while it may not be immediately apparent, we DO rely on humans across the globe for so many things. It’s a web, you see. And it’s amusing that we scorn other people without whom we can’t get so much done – on that multiplied level, we’re all part of a chain. That is so much bigger than any of us.

So, if you ever have that drive-across-the-highway moment, then I hope you’ll be reminded of this thought. Your plea to the fellow-creature may simply be for him to stay on his lane. It can also be a bigger thought. Remember that however great you may be, you still depend. Whatever be the case, it’s the thought that counts.