We love a few 'relations'

(18 Oct 2006)

As a kid I had learnt “charity begins at home”. And I, like any other kid, was taught to love my parents, my siblings, my neighbors, my relatives. May be because my parents wanted me to realize that charity had to begin at home. May be that was the first step towards developing love for humanity as a whole.

Recently I had a different thought though. In the process of teaching the lesson of charity beginning at home, we fail to help our children love humans as humans. We teach them to love humans as fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts. Naturally, the kids grow up with love and affection for a few ‘relations’, and not for human beings.

On my way to office, if I find a man, lying by the side of the road, with an injury on his naked shoulder, I don’t stop my vehicle, to enquire what happened to him; nor do I take him to the hospital. The consoling reason I give to myself is: “He is a stranger, why should I accept this headache?” It’s ridiculous. Even after recognizing a man as a human, I call him a stranger. Could there be a bigger recognition than that he is a human?

We love a few ‘relations’, because we can expect some favors in return. That gives a reason to love. And love dies.

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