Nurture yourself to be sensitized - not sensitive

Nurture yourself to be sensitized  - not sensitive

The Pandemic Co-Vid 19 has positioned people of my age in a quandary, for we are sandwiched between those who carried us on their shoulders; and those whom we carried on our shoulders.  We don’t know if we have to deal with the depression of the qualified yet unemployable young at home, or venerated unemployable at home, keeping aside our own depressions, anxieties, concerns, apprehensions and worries.

In a situation like this, when frustrations of a successful actor - befitting the position of a role model, ending in his suicide, is definitely a misguiding signal to the youth, making our state of affairs more complex.  At the same time, the elderly at home, especially those with terminal illnesses, would then any day endorse euthanasia.  The thought of loss of either of them, is a big blow to deal with for the rest of the family. 

All this would be valid, if death were the established source of end of existence.  Maybe, it is, but, unfortunately, it is not so for the family, because every death leaves behind a trail of agony, anguish and rancor for those who have to live through it.

Any amount of research done on the cause for such a drastic step seems to have been in vain, especially keeping mind the case of Sushant Singh Rajput, who had his fair share of name, fame, money, position, and all that we think complete our circle of life expectations.  What therefore could be the reason for such a ghastly act? 

My take on this is - our high expectation of wanting more than what is doled out to us and the reality thereof falling short of these expectations.  For all practical purposes, he was a successful actor with a fair share of fan following; and he was just in the entry mode; hence, in all probability, his high expectations betrayed him.

Permit me to say that a person considering suicide as the best solution is being very selfish because he is so blinded by his own feelings that he becomes un-empathetic and inconsiderate towards the feelings of the rest of the family, the pain and sorrow that they have to go through.  A poignant scene in the epic movie 3Idiots sensitizes the audience to this reality.

Situations, posers, hardships, are all a part of the grind that all of us have to go through, how we deal with them is in our hands.  Speaking to friends, relatives, mentors, counselors, professionals, can any day augur well for the individual.  Above all, being compassionate and considerate about the rest of the family, will definitely allow the individual to think of alternate options to deal with the situation differently.  We cannot control the nature and behavior of the other people in our life, however, we can change the way we react to it.  If we stop being over sensitive in reacting to people around us, then I feel that battle is won.  

Prakash F Madhwani

17^th June 2020