Today's post is dedicated to all those people in our lives that help us accomplish something. When I use the word 'accomplish', I don't necessarily mean something big; it could be something as simple as getting from point A to point B.
Today, instead of complaining about the 50 rickshaw-wallahs that don't agree to take me, I will thank the one that does.
None of us are entirely self-sufficient in the truest sense. We all need our fellow human beings to help us get through life. Some of them have a continuing larger role to play in our life (such as teachers and doctors) while some of them come and go (like carpenters, painters, etc). Some of these roles are quite irreplaceable. For instance, with some amount of training, I might be able to do my own carpentry but I can't treat myself if I fall ill (beyond the capabilities of Crocin or Volini!).
So today, I'm going to take a moment to think about all those significant groups of people, some of whom, we may never actually meet, because of whom my life is somewhat easier - knowing I can turn to them.
1. Teachers - I can't emphasize the importance of this group more. We really should be doing a lot more for them! I'd like to thank them for playing a big role in shaping my personality and making me who I am today. I also thank them for tirelessly working towards preparing future generations of scientists, doctors, architects, dancers or even just responsible citizens (which, quite honestly, dwarfs everything else in importance).
2. Doctors - Quite understandably, we can't do without this group of people in our life. This is the one group to whom we always go only when we have a problem! And yet, they welcome us with open arms, guide us and help us live a healthier life (I wrote about the importance of health in my post yesterday. If you haven't read it yet, you can read it here!). It's not for nothing that medicine is called a noble profession - it's because these people consciously and repeatedly put us before themselves and stop at nothing to save lives. I thank them for that. (Edit: My aunt Jyothi very kindly reminded me that while doctors are definitely important in our lives, the nurses, paramedics, maushis and ward boys in hospitals that do all the dirty work are equally to be thanked for looking after and caring for us at our most vulnerable. I couldn't agree more!)
3. Soldiers (Army, navy, air force, policemen and every other warrior out there) - It takes superhuman courage and strength to enter a profession where you know that injury or death can come any time. Putting yourself through that so that your fellow citizens can sleep peacefully, giving up your family time and spending months away from them at a stretch is really a sacrifice of the highest order. I thank them for giving us a part of their life that they will never get back.
4. Farmers - This group does all they can to feed the world, despite their own innumerable struggles and unpredictable climate-dependent lives. I thank them for the food on my plate.
5. Scientists - It is because of this group that every generation has a life that's easier (if not only better, because 'better' is always arguable) than the ones that preceded it. Their research is invaluable and I thank them for giving me hope for the future!
6. Hard laborers - We live in plush homes because this group toiled to construct them; People who probably can never afford to live in such homes themselves. I thank them for the roof over my head.
7. Community workers - your local security guards, sweepers and housekeeping staff , landscapers - These are people who make our lives secure by their vigil, keep the area around our living space clean and improve the greenery and landscape, respectively. I thank them for looking after my home.
8. Handymen (carpenters, painters, masons, plumbers, electrician) - This group deserves a special mention because they are usually summoned at short notice and many times for really minor issues!I thank them for being available and doing things that I should know how to do but don't!
9. Grocers, retail shopkeepers, restaurant-owners and other groups that fuel our consumerist lifestyle - Clothes, food, shoes, bags - no matter where in the world they are made, become available to me because of these people! I thank them for bringing the world to my doorstep!!
10. The point A to point B folks (cab/rickshaw/bus driver, railway motormen, pilots) - Usually taken for granted and many times never even seen (especially in the train or plane), I thank these folks because of whom I can afford to take distance for granted.
11. Government - It's not easy running a nation. Many of us struggle with our families on differences of opinion; managing such a large group (especially for a country like ours) is no joke. So today, I thank all those in positions of power that are genuinely working for the larger good.
Like I said at the start of this post, I thank every such person that I can turn to for a service that I can't do myself. Because I appreciate that I am not omniscient or all-knowing! Today, I choose to look beyond the minority in each of these groups that may be unscrupulous (just like in any profession) and appreciate the vast majority that are striving to make our lives easier in one way or another.
Let me know if I have missed any in the comments below.
And come back for a new post tomorrow! Ta-da
Today, instead of complaining about the 50 rickshaw-wallahs that don't agree to take me, I will thank the one that does.
None of us are entirely self-sufficient in the truest sense. We all need our fellow human beings to help us get through life. Some of them have a continuing larger role to play in our life (such as teachers and doctors) while some of them come and go (like carpenters, painters, etc). Some of these roles are quite irreplaceable. For instance, with some amount of training, I might be able to do my own carpentry but I can't treat myself if I fall ill (beyond the capabilities of Crocin or Volini!).
So today, I'm going to take a moment to think about all those significant groups of people, some of whom, we may never actually meet, because of whom my life is somewhat easier - knowing I can turn to them.
1. Teachers - I can't emphasize the importance of this group more. We really should be doing a lot more for them! I'd like to thank them for playing a big role in shaping my personality and making me who I am today. I also thank them for tirelessly working towards preparing future generations of scientists, doctors, architects, dancers or even just responsible citizens (which, quite honestly, dwarfs everything else in importance).
2. Doctors - Quite understandably, we can't do without this group of people in our life. This is the one group to whom we always go only when we have a problem! And yet, they welcome us with open arms, guide us and help us live a healthier life (I wrote about the importance of health in my post yesterday. If you haven't read it yet, you can read it here!). It's not for nothing that medicine is called a noble profession - it's because these people consciously and repeatedly put us before themselves and stop at nothing to save lives. I thank them for that. (Edit: My aunt Jyothi very kindly reminded me that while doctors are definitely important in our lives, the nurses, paramedics, maushis and ward boys in hospitals that do all the dirty work are equally to be thanked for looking after and caring for us at our most vulnerable. I couldn't agree more!)
3. Soldiers (Army, navy, air force, policemen and every other warrior out there) - It takes superhuman courage and strength to enter a profession where you know that injury or death can come any time. Putting yourself through that so that your fellow citizens can sleep peacefully, giving up your family time and spending months away from them at a stretch is really a sacrifice of the highest order. I thank them for giving us a part of their life that they will never get back.
4. Farmers - This group does all they can to feed the world, despite their own innumerable struggles and unpredictable climate-dependent lives. I thank them for the food on my plate.
5. Scientists - It is because of this group that every generation has a life that's easier (if not only better, because 'better' is always arguable) than the ones that preceded it. Their research is invaluable and I thank them for giving me hope for the future!
6. Hard laborers - We live in plush homes because this group toiled to construct them; People who probably can never afford to live in such homes themselves. I thank them for the roof over my head.
7. Community workers - your local security guards, sweepers and housekeeping staff , landscapers - These are people who make our lives secure by their vigil, keep the area around our living space clean and improve the greenery and landscape, respectively. I thank them for looking after my home.
8. Handymen (carpenters, painters, masons, plumbers, electrician) - This group deserves a special mention because they are usually summoned at short notice and many times for really minor issues!I thank them for being available and doing things that I should know how to do but don't!
9. Grocers, retail shopkeepers, restaurant-owners and other groups that fuel our consumerist lifestyle - Clothes, food, shoes, bags - no matter where in the world they are made, become available to me because of these people! I thank them for bringing the world to my doorstep!!
10. The point A to point B folks (cab/rickshaw/bus driver, railway motormen, pilots) - Usually taken for granted and many times never even seen (especially in the train or plane), I thank these folks because of whom I can afford to take distance for granted.
11. Government - It's not easy running a nation. Many of us struggle with our families on differences of opinion; managing such a large group (especially for a country like ours) is no joke. So today, I thank all those in positions of power that are genuinely working for the larger good.
Like I said at the start of this post, I thank every such person that I can turn to for a service that I can't do myself. Because I appreciate that I am not omniscient or all-knowing! Today, I choose to look beyond the minority in each of these groups that may be unscrupulous (just like in any profession) and appreciate the vast majority that are striving to make our lives easier in one way or another.
Let me know if I have missed any in the comments below.
And come back for a new post tomorrow! Ta-da
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