I moved into a new apartment recently with a guy...well, man...who sent his wife and kid back to India, just before i moved in, so that his kid can join a school there, because education was costly in the United States. The kid is four years old. I did not quite know how to react when, a couple of nights ago, he started talking about all the hardships he was facing in life, about the tough decision of whether to stay here or go back, etc.. All i could think of was about the millions below the poverty line, struggling for their next day's meal. He earns in dollars and i guess that's saying enough for a corporate Indian in USA, more often than not.
I just hope that I won't live to see a day when i'd acknowledge the seriousness of what he was talking about...
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21 comments:
I dunno if ur tryin to say that his troubles are nothing when compared to people living below the poverty line?
Dude if thats what you're implying then there's no purpose in living life as we do, if we keep thinking of people living below the poverty line. Then there's no purpose in earning money, buyin a car etc.
I'm sorry if that was not what your post intended, but thats the message I got.
Prash- you got the right message.
maybe i just wish we could start appreciating how much we have rather than being worried about what we don't have. I believe that there'd still be a purpose in doing everything we do now.
Does your roomie read your blog?[:P]
gadhadharan...very valid point...:)
Gads- he doesn't, obviously...i wouldn't have mentioned it here had i been able to talk my mind to him about it...
Prash- my point need not necessarily apply only to my roommate...
PS: Gadhadharan must be very happy to see you type his name correctly ;)
I believe that there is more chance of poverty reducing by being selfish materially than by being selfless.
More the spending for yourself, the more money you put back into the economy and the more number of people who get benefitted by it.
Something like as a result of me starting to work, there are people who are indirectly positively affected by it, like my servant maid, the local shop guy, the istri guy, etc.
Being selfish isn't such a bad thing as you are making out to be.
vetty has a point. Economies grow when people spend rather than when they scrimp .
Its similar to people ooposing industries and factories saying the rich will benefit, but neglecting comfortably that the industries will need 1000's of workers who'll be able to earn their living thru that.
Kesavan - Valid point. Ada dan suya nalathula podu nalam nu solluvaanga.. :-)
Prash - Thanks man!
Ram - Miracles do happen! ;-) Orkut la enoda name parthaya? Naraya paer ku kannu theriaada nala "Gads" nu matha vendiada poiduthu :-( :P
K7- i am not as much against being selfish as you are making it out to be! :P - what makes you think that my post is about selflessness?
Prash- am not denying.
Gads- yeah, paathen :P
Ram, its not about selflessness, but surely about selfishness. Your roommate was being selfish by thinking only about himself. And you found this strange, and according to me this is not so.
illa da. it's got more to do with him talking like he has nothing now. this post wouldn't be here had he said that he was going to save more or earn more or invest more or spend more or even if he had said that he was not going to donate a paisa of what he earns to anybody.
it's just that people have so much when compared to the ones below the poverty line and yet find ways to be worried about money(or the lack of it, according to them).
Is it just about monery and poverty Ram? Those guys below the poverty line still live with their family, most get to see their kids and spend time with them.
We mostly look at haves and have not in just the economical angle. But therez more to it than just money.
Agreed they face lots of hardships but they still live a life.
Having money is all very fine but family also matters beyond a point and missing his kid's formative years is missing a lot.
I don't know what you wanted to convey Ram... but in this case, I agree a little with you.
"Whenever you have a problem, think of other people facing bigger problems, then your problem would seem too trivial"
- I follow this because it reduces unnecessary tension!
And on his problem of whether to stay back or leave, I would say he should have decided it either before his marriage or before deciding to have a child!
Serendipity- welcome here. i agree in total with what you've said. why do u say all this though?
Naren- you've exactly put my thoughts in words. that's what i wanted to convey..whatever u have put in quotes.
I think you mean to say that your roomie could have gone back to India with his family instead of staying here for more wealth...The absence of contendedness for the current generation is on the rise.
Ashok- i won't blame his decision(rather, i dont even wanna judge his decision) as much as him cribbing about it the way he did...
saidthose coz"hardships he was facing in life, about the tough decision of whether to stay here or go back, etc."
coz it is a trade off for him n i feel that he has as good a reason to crib as those below poverty line N itz a necesssary n sad trade off.
Serendipity- it was(is) his choice. you can't crib about the choices you make, especially when you have the luxury to go back and pick another choice. please don't compare this with the sufferings people below the poverty line have to go through. they do what they do because they are left without a choice.
nice post.I'm not completely aware of your friends situation, but I as a whole the one thing I have noticed is that the more one has the more one wants!
YA- thanks! :) -i kina agree with what you say.
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