Meetu was around my age and was my best friend in school. Her father was the owner of a local restaurant in town.
We studied in same class and lived in same locality. We used to go to school together. And in school most of the times we sat and played together. We also used to visit each other house. Meetu used to keep her share of Misti Dahi for me; she also shared all those story books her father brought for her.
Our parents did not mind our meetings since we lived in same locality. After school, we used to meet in the evening.
En route to Meetu’s house, there was an area where a bunch of Bamboo tree had come. Opposite to that was a small mount where we used to sit and play till sunset. Meetu disliked the bamboo tree. I, too, did not like that much but I remained curious as that was surely a different type of tree.
To see Meetu happy, one evening, I took an axe and, hesitatingly though, chopped off the Bamboo tree. I waited for Meetu to come but she was getting late that evening.
I looked at the stems and leaves desiccating. I started feeling a little uncomfortable. I eventually felt guilty. I was no more, happy.
Meetu came. She saw me and what I had done. She did not speak anything and sat with me. I felt the void in that area and repented cutting the bamboo tree. Though Meetu did not like that tree but the absence brought even more uneasiness to her.
A week passed by. One day Meetu came running to my house and told that Bamboo tree has sprouted again. Both of us ran towards the tree; we saw the new leaves coming. We watered it. We felt happy doing that; that evening we sat on the mount till late.
I and Meetu knew that day that a wrong deed makes you uncomfortable and a good deed is what that makes you happy.
Friends, I have seen greed, aggression, indolence and indulgence in people around me. I guess we all have these basic problems (or weaknesses) in varying proportions. But what I notice is, a visible lack of confidence or ease when we get into such act (exclude psychopaths).
The issue is, these basic problems give birth to consequential problems in us and in ‘others’ as well. Perhaps this is why a thief says his poverty a reason for his act; and reason of poverty either be his own indolence or others greed and indulgence. Perhaps this is why a killer mentions his act as revenge; and the revenge because of others greed or aggression.
The worry is, people having consequential problems assign a reason to their wrong deed. And perhaps therefore they ‘do not’ lack confidence or feel uncomfortable like I felt when I cut the bamboo tree. They think what they are doing is justified. Perhaps therefore some terrorists appear so confident.
Thankfully, the laws of society and state have evolved to control and monitor such consequential problems. An honest execution and administration of law can curb them and this remains the primary responsibility of our leaders and public administrators.
After two decades, the bamboo tree is flowering these days. Meetu says the tree will die. She tells it’s an alarm bell. I too see an alarm bell ringing around all of us. We too, need to be alert. Alert of any misguidance coming from others and also of our own weaknesses.
