Shibani.net-Personal website of a web & graphics designer

This one is a very special post for my friend from across the border. She – a sweet and multi-talented Paki girl, who attends classes at the University and Me – yeah, same old me, sigh!, met a few years back through some internet chat application. I don’t exactly remember when I met her but we have been good friends since. Recently, I helped her with her English assignment (yeah, she also thinks I do everyone’s assignment for them) and that fetched her an A grade. Infact, she told me that she’s the only one in her class who got an A! I’m so proud of her. The best thing about her is that she is simple, sweet and respectful. She calls me ‘Baji’ (elder sister) and weirdly, she does look like me!

Anyway, her assignment was an essay on ‘Humanity is decaying with the progress of Science and Technology‘ and this is what I wrote for her.

As I was growing, I believed in acts of kindness towards humanity. Humanity according to me, means being ‘humane’. It is the capacity for feeling for another’s happiness or joy. Likewise, it is the capacity for feeling for another’s unhappiness or misfortune.

Humanity refers to the human race or mankind as a whole, to that which is characteristically human, or to that which distinguishes human beings from other animals or from other animal species primal nature.

Like most primates, humans are by nature social. However, humans are particularly adept at utilizing systems of communication for self-expression and the exchange of ideas. Humans create complex social structures composed of co-operating and competing groups, ranging in scale from nations to individual families, and social interaction between humans has established a variety of social norms, rituals, traditions, values, laws, and ethics which form the basis of human society.

Humanity brings us together. It unites us. It keeps the human society alive. I follow humanity as a motto but I see it dying today with the progress of technology. When God made man, he wanted men to take care of each other. But in this fast moving world, even God has been forgotten. Man is a social animal and hence needs to be in the company of others – neighbours, relatives, etc. Man cannot survive alone. During this process of survival, he needs to fulfill his needs and try to live in peace and harmony with others, nature and oneself. But as times are changing, and with the advent of technology, man has succumbed to greed, anger, hatred and jealousy.

Going back to the World War history, we still feel saddened by the fact that the Americans had to drop two nuclear bombs on Japan to win the war. Result? About 62 million people, or 2.5% of the world population, died in the war, though estimates vary greatly. Large swathes of Europe and Asia were devastated and took years to recover. The war had political, sociological, economic and technological consequences that last to this day. Everytime history has been proof of devastation of humanity and lives of innocent people at the cost of technology. Inhuman, isn’t it?

Even today, there is terrorism and unrest in some parts of the world. People are thirsty for one and another’s blood. A small skirmish over trivial issues can lead to horrifying tragedies. People point guns, kill helpless women and children. It is a good thing to be strong and powerful. As they say ‘Power Corrupts – Absolute power corrupts absolutely’.

We are envious of others achievements. We cannot bear to see others succeed. Hence, we find ways to bring them down with our fancy means.

Basic values have been forgotten. Our computers, games and cell phones have made our lives easier. But we fail to look beyond all these. We are so self-centered now that we don’t care if about how troubled people around us are. Instead of helping them, we shut ourselves in our selfish world. A sublte example to prove my point is that people who normally, visit each other on special occasions, now prefer to make use of technology and send mails and forwards. Convenient though, this may be, but the spirit of brotherhood and love, along with the personal touch, is lost.

Woh jeena bhi kya jeena jo kisike kaam na aaye and as the poet W.H. Davies said in his poem Leisure

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

The world is dying. People around us are dying and they need us. Financially yes, but a simple smile or a helping hand would go a long way. Doing acts of charity or even paying a visit do a n old age home or a sick relative could make a day in their lives better. Let us leave this selfish existence and rise from this slavery of technology and live for the betterment of humanity. Let us start being humans again.

Remember, my veg lunch is still pending, jiger. By the way, she’s a superb cook too! Good Luck, kid!