A social grief we often fail to understand
| Date :19-Jan-2020 |
By Vijay Phanshikar :
THEY were sincere, intense college boys and girls -- students of a professional course. They wanted to know how they should prepare to take up jobs after their course was over. Their desire to do things well and right, was obvious in their body-language and on their sober faces. But all of them felt a sense of shock when I suggested that they would do well to ensure that they keep themselves in good physical and mental health. Since they formed a group of intense, sincere young people, none of them said anything negative as I insisted upon sound health as one of their primary goals even as they prepared to take up jobs in their chosen career-line. Yet, surprise -- and even doubts -- clouded their faces. Health?
Did you say, ‘Health’, seemed to the question in their eyes and on their lips -- which they did not ask. “Yes, health”, I said as if I understood the unspoken question. “I mean health. Good health -- physical and mental -- should be your first and foremost and permanent goal. You should not smoke tobacco, drink alcohol, and consume drugs at any cost. I would also insist upon regular physical exercise, reading of books, keeping use of mobile phones to the minimum, no late nights etc etc etc ...”. The kids were really good and did not object, and almost seemed to accept my suggestion. Yet, a large question-mark covered their young faces. Why in this world should some one suggest such a prescription? -- was what they wondered about.
There was a reason why I made the strong suggestion about health. Most of those youngsters -- about ten of them -- were not used to physical exercise, and looked rather too skinny rather than muscular -- which should be the basic attribute of a young body around twenty years in age. couple of them looked okay, but most others had thin bones. Their faces did shine in pleasure of being young, but did need better levels of fitness. Nevertheless, all of them were truly good people, deeply interested in doing something worthwhile in life. But then, this is mainly the story of all young people.
They have a will to excel, to rise to the top of their chosen fields, and lead a happy life. Unfortunately, a very large number among them does not have the basic wherewithal to achieve their targets, attain their goals, reach their desired destinations. Generally, there should be no problem about absence of professional wherewithal, but what matters most is the absence of the basic awareness of the need to be healthy physically and mentally, hygienic in habits and lifestyle, and ready to uphold right values with readiness to pitch in, stand up and get counted if they happen to run into some kind of injustice or social wrong. It is in this area that a lot of work needs to be done at school and college levels.
It is this area in which the families, too, need to do a lot to empower their youngsters in right kind of culture. And it is in this area that not much is being done. As a society, we are worryingly silent on this count, as if we are least bothered, as if there is nothing amiss in the system that puts out youngsters with frail bodies and flailing minds and failing spirits that do not long to see truly big dreams -- beyond jobs, beyond just careers, and into the zone of helping the needy in the larger society. Was it not Swami Vivekananda who said, “I wish to serve that God whom the ignorant call Man!”? And, that is the grief -- for all of us!