There are two kinds of people in this world:
those who get things done
those who don’t
The third kind doesn’t exist.
If we look around us, we’ll notice too much of banality and a moribund attachment to the ways of the world. Nobody wants to question, nobody likes to rattle the snake. Unless personal gain is at risk. It’s more and more about—what the so-called experts like to call — growth. And to that effect, it begins with you and ends with you. The keyword missing is selfish. Gordon Gecko wanted us believe that greed is good whereas the modern shamans have already sold us out on the immeasurable benefits of egocentrism. You are not a planet rotating or revolving around the sun. You are the universe itself.
Unfortunate as it is, quite a lot of us don’t disagree with such a ludicrous notion. The reason is pretty simple: There are way too many of us now. Thus, we’ve come to see competition everywhere from standing in a queue outside the movie theatre to dodging the traffic signal. We don’t really know where we are going but we are in a hurry. As a result, the sense of community is getting weaker by the day but the sense of fulfillment grows through the night. This strange paradox is what makes us feel as if we’ve done something awesome by earning money and spending it on — hold your breath —ourselves. Which could be the reason why “I deserve to be…” or “I’ve worked my ass off to…” to “Why should I give…” are casually thrown around in circuits, with the intention to validate themselves for their blind pursuit of success. Sharing? Caring? What’s that?
Which brings us to those individuals who rise above this muck and make an attempt to change the order. Although such people are far and few in between, they are actually everywhere in every single country out there. They see the wrongs surrounding them and try to do the needful. They don’t wince at those writhing in pain; they step up and comfort. For example, the planet is suffering and each one of us knows that. However, some people take it upon themselves to make a difference. They leave behind the travails of societal obligations and end up in places devoid of superficiality. We wish to keep things real. They are real. Such folks do what they do not because they want to impress others — that could be perhaps be the last thing on their minds — but because they can’t live otherwise. They feel too much. All the information, all the data, all the statistics, all the injustices, affect them. Somewhere, a cruel government is locking people up and nobody has the courage to raise their voice against it. Always expect some bravehearts who care about what’s going on. They have families and friends and yet, they make the necessary move towards those cudgels. They are the white blood cells of our species, fighting till the very end. Also, it’s not just about environment and politics. These unsung heroes are in various fields spread across the spectrum of human knowledge. Some are trying to save rice seeds from extinction while others are helping villagers understand the importance of toilets; some quit their plush existence to teach kids in downtrodden neighbourhoods while others are rescuing animals from circuses (read: humans).
One can ask, what is their problem? Why can’t they keep their head down and go on with their lives like the rest of us? Turns out the answers are not simple.
As a case study, if you were to notice people littering public places, what is your instant reaction? Do you approach them with the intention of educating them about their misdeed? Would you quietly clean up their mess instead of creating a public scene? Or would you shrug and ignore everything? Whatever you choose to do, that would clearly define which of the two categories you fall in.