This song came to my mind today while reading news reports of two women rescued from self-imposed solitary confinement. While that story took a sordid turn with one of them succumbing, I had to admit the irony of our modern lives. Inspite of each of us being virtually connected to a huge bunch of people, how many of them do we really 'know' as friends? In a land where just a few days ago, social media was instrumental in getting people together for a cause, some people are withering away unnoticed in a little nook. With ways and means to communicate better, are we forgetting the basics of showing that we care without using those words explicitly? The amount of "space" given to another person has to be judged constantly if you really care. I don't mean that you stalk a person, but if your acquaintance/friend hasn't been seen or been in touch, and this is unnatural behaviour, please lay your ego aside and reach out. You might just be the straw that they were grasping at.
I have seen how my parents connect with people they come across in their lives - house-helps, the laundry guy, neighbours. Even without formal studies, most people are aware about how loneliness can affect people, how the thought that "no one would be interested" can mushroom into complicated psychological behaviour and depression, which then can have repercussions on not only the individual, but also on the society. Yet, I confess, that I barely make the effort. However, I am going to try and remedy this aspect about me. How about you? Go on and say hello to your neighbour.
Translation of the amazing song by Akhlaq Mohammed Khan 'Shahryar':
Fire in the chest, storm in the eyes; why is it like that?
In this city, every person is distressed; why is it like that?
If there's a heart, one will have to search for an excuse for it to beat
Otherwise, it is left lifeless like a stone; why is it like that?
What abode of loneliness is this, friends?
Why is there only desert as far as the eye can see?
Is there something new noticeable within me?
Why is the mirror shocked upon seeing me?
