Every year, my charitable work brings me back to my native land of India, which I had left when I was a teenager. These annual visits are delightful on so many levels, but they have also led me to notice the ways in which the general thinking on certain things has not changed there, even after many years.
Behavior patterns never change
Conditioned behavior patterns that have existed for generations never seem to evolve, no matter how much progress may have been made in the material world. Using unskilled labor to perform extremely difficult, heavy tasks at construction sites and other locations instead of using machinery is still a common practice in India even today.
Although some labor laws may exist, there appears to be no enforcement anywhere. It’s ironic to see how many laws get bypassed, as no one really abides by them or take them seriously.
Taking advantage is a way of life
No one appears to be concerned or bothered the least bit about the consequences of taking advantage of underprivileged, less fortunate humans to perform tasks in the midst of extreme heat without breaks, water, food or any toilet facilities. The workers dare not complain for fear of losing their jobs outright. Life goes on as usual. I wonder if common decency, compassion, love and sympathy have any meaning when it comes to these hard-working souls.
Is it all about the rich constantly looking to get richer and poor remaining poor? The poor are being taken advantage of while they constantly struggle to survive and make a living for themselves.
Will this ever change?
I wonder. One’s thinking and character can change only when something inspires it with totally new and different Ideas. Any change depends on how much transformation we bring to our character and behavior. We will see progress only when we can adjust and balance our ideals as we move forward. I suppose with a population of 1.2 billion, any progress in these matters happens very slowly and may not be immediately visible. But still I believe when we see something we should say something about what we perceive and let people know.
I do what I can through my charity work. Take a look!