Life in the jungle would be exciting, adventurous, dangerous, relaxing - but mostly fair. Survival of the fittest it may be, but the laws of the jungle prevail. A wild cat wouldn't hunt just for fun, neither would an animal attack unless provoked. One may imagine that it is a dangerous, scary world out there, but experience, caution and respect goes a long way in nature.
On the other hand, life in the city is chaotic and unfair. The rude and oppressive thrive, while the gentle, fair and respectful are trodden upon. A decent upbringing has no value any more, it has become "in" to be abusive, violent and disrespectful.
A recent addition to my home, Sultan a 6 month old rough collie, was left in the custody of my parents for a couple of weeks since I was on a visit to Germany. Being a young and energetic puppy, he needs his share of exercise and my father religiously took him out for a walk twice a day. One evening he walked past a group of young boys playing cricket, and they showed some interest in the dog, asking what he was called. My father spoke jovially, and announced his name as that of a king's - "SULTAN". As my father walked away, the cricket ball hit him on his back, an incident which my father preferred to believe was an accident. The next day, as he was walking by, the same group of children decided to further their game by throwing stones at my father and dog! On confrontation, there were lies, denial, and laughter, not a sign of remorse at having thrown stones at an elderly man, a fellow human being, and a young puppy.
Here's another story - a close friend of mine was visiting my family while I was holidaying in Pune. At the end of her stay, I was dropping her off to her parents house, take a route through a quiet residential layout (Model colony). My days of racing and speed are past me, and I prefer a steady pace while navigating through the city. I was at an intersection, and making my way around a circle, when a two wheeler overtook me at top speed. It was a young woman, all covered up in her bandit-like mask, with her mother sitting behind her, seated sideways with both her legs on the same side of the seat. She was abreast with the car on the right, when she realized that I was going around the circle and she wanted to turn off to the left. I stopped immediately, giving her space to cross over, but she lost her balance and tumbled onto the ground with her mother.
I stopped the car immediately, pulled the window down as I was unbuckling my seat belt to step out and help them. However, they both were up on their feet within a couple of seconds, and the young lady strode up to the car, screaming at me at the top of her voice, implying that it was my fault. Her mask remained on her face, and the only thing we could make out from her was the string of abuses she kept hurling at us.
Even though I didn't think I was at fault, I realized she must be in shock and wasn't interested in a confrontation. I remained calm, and even apologized when she insisted that I was in the wrong. As soon as she sensed that I wasn't being aggressive in the situation, she flung her arm into the car window and whacked my head, right across my forehead, eye and cheekbone. I blanked out for 10-15 seconds, I couldn't see a thing except darkness in every direction, and could only hear loud and oppressive voices all around my head. My friend was now defending me, but her concern for me prevented her from stepping out of the vehicle and continuing the fight.
When I could finally open my eyes, I was aware of the mother looking at me with concern and embarrassment, pulling her daughter away so they could flee the scene. My instant reaction was to leave the unpleasant situation as soon as possible, and I didn't gather my wits quick enough to hold her responsible for her behaviour. I should have taken her to the police for physical assault.
I drove about a hundred metres and was overcome with rage, anger at doing nothing and allowing this to happen to me. That moment, I am not sure I would have the sanity to control my actions, had she still been present in front of me. This is the kind of irresponsible behaviour that triggers violence and road rage.
My only take-away from these incidents is to stop being decent on the streets, or you'll only get punished for it. Don't make conversation, don't smile at people, even children, and worst of all, never stop to help somebody who has had a fall. My next purchase is a pepper spray, and the next time I am in an accident, even if it is my fault, I am going to drive away and never bother to help. I apologize now, to the few decent people out there, who may suffer my inconsideration in the future, I've learnt the hard way and maybe they need to do the same too.
Sometimes it feels like a better life to risk being hunted down by a pack of wild dogs, than try and put up with this farce of civilization and society.
On the other hand, life in the city is chaotic and unfair. The rude and oppressive thrive, while the gentle, fair and respectful are trodden upon. A decent upbringing has no value any more, it has become "in" to be abusive, violent and disrespectful.
A recent addition to my home, Sultan a 6 month old rough collie, was left in the custody of my parents for a couple of weeks since I was on a visit to Germany. Being a young and energetic puppy, he needs his share of exercise and my father religiously took him out for a walk twice a day. One evening he walked past a group of young boys playing cricket, and they showed some interest in the dog, asking what he was called. My father spoke jovially, and announced his name as that of a king's - "SULTAN". As my father walked away, the cricket ball hit him on his back, an incident which my father preferred to believe was an accident. The next day, as he was walking by, the same group of children decided to further their game by throwing stones at my father and dog! On confrontation, there were lies, denial, and laughter, not a sign of remorse at having thrown stones at an elderly man, a fellow human being, and a young puppy.
Here's another story - a close friend of mine was visiting my family while I was holidaying in Pune. At the end of her stay, I was dropping her off to her parents house, take a route through a quiet residential layout (Model colony). My days of racing and speed are past me, and I prefer a steady pace while navigating through the city. I was at an intersection, and making my way around a circle, when a two wheeler overtook me at top speed. It was a young woman, all covered up in her bandit-like mask, with her mother sitting behind her, seated sideways with both her legs on the same side of the seat. She was abreast with the car on the right, when she realized that I was going around the circle and she wanted to turn off to the left. I stopped immediately, giving her space to cross over, but she lost her balance and tumbled onto the ground with her mother.
I stopped the car immediately, pulled the window down as I was unbuckling my seat belt to step out and help them. However, they both were up on their feet within a couple of seconds, and the young lady strode up to the car, screaming at me at the top of her voice, implying that it was my fault. Her mask remained on her face, and the only thing we could make out from her was the string of abuses she kept hurling at us.
Even though I didn't think I was at fault, I realized she must be in shock and wasn't interested in a confrontation. I remained calm, and even apologized when she insisted that I was in the wrong. As soon as she sensed that I wasn't being aggressive in the situation, she flung her arm into the car window and whacked my head, right across my forehead, eye and cheekbone. I blanked out for 10-15 seconds, I couldn't see a thing except darkness in every direction, and could only hear loud and oppressive voices all around my head. My friend was now defending me, but her concern for me prevented her from stepping out of the vehicle and continuing the fight.
When I could finally open my eyes, I was aware of the mother looking at me with concern and embarrassment, pulling her daughter away so they could flee the scene. My instant reaction was to leave the unpleasant situation as soon as possible, and I didn't gather my wits quick enough to hold her responsible for her behaviour. I should have taken her to the police for physical assault.
I drove about a hundred metres and was overcome with rage, anger at doing nothing and allowing this to happen to me. That moment, I am not sure I would have the sanity to control my actions, had she still been present in front of me. This is the kind of irresponsible behaviour that triggers violence and road rage.
My only take-away from these incidents is to stop being decent on the streets, or you'll only get punished for it. Don't make conversation, don't smile at people, even children, and worst of all, never stop to help somebody who has had a fall. My next purchase is a pepper spray, and the next time I am in an accident, even if it is my fault, I am going to drive away and never bother to help. I apologize now, to the few decent people out there, who may suffer my inconsideration in the future, I've learnt the hard way and maybe they need to do the same too.
Sometimes it feels like a better life to risk being hunted down by a pack of wild dogs, than try and put up with this farce of civilization and society.
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