LOST IN OUR OWN WORLDS
This morning, I was standing out side my class and talking to a friend of mine, who is a doctor. While we were talking, a gentleman, whom we both knew very well, was passing by, dragging a nice trolley bag. As he neared our spot, the doctor said, "Hello" and offered his hand to the gentleman. The gentleman said a half-hearted 'hello', and went his way, without responding to the doctor's hand. My smile and hello went completely, unacknowledged.
"Strange," I reacted, immediately to the doctor.
"He seems to be lost in his own world," the doctor empathised with me.
We continued our discussion. Just after two minutes, the gentleman's wife appeared. When she approached us, we both received a broad smile along with a warm 'hello' from this gracious lady. We both said "Hello, how are you ma'am?", together.
"I am fine, thank you," the lady stopped for a while.
"Are you heading for outstation?" the doctor enquired with the lady.
"No, I am heading to a hospital; I will be be operated today," the lady told us, with a graceful smile.
"Why? What operation?" the doctor was quick to ask.
"Uterus. They are planning to remove it," the answer had a great deal of honesty and dignity about it.
The doctor asked her a few things, and she replied to him with remarkable self-composure.
"Don't worry; everything will go fine," the doctor assured her.
"Wish you all the best, ma'am," I joined doctor.
"Thank you so much," the lady said with lots of warmth, as she paced ahead to join her husband, who was a little restlessly waiting in his car.
We both saw into each other's eyes, and remained silent for a while. Both of us were thinking the same thing: "How silly, how prejudiced we can be, sometimes!"
Just two minutes before this graceful lady appeared on the scene, we had already judged and labelled her husband. Yes, just because, our hello and handshake were not responded to well enough. We had already concluded, "He seems to be lost ... Lost in his own world!"
But, lost he was.
And, weren't we, as well?
It took a graceful lady's 'Hello', to bring us back to a 'sane world', and make us accept this humble truth!
GERALD D'CUNHA
"Strange," I reacted, immediately to the doctor.
"He seems to be lost in his own world," the doctor empathised with me.
We continued our discussion. Just after two minutes, the gentleman's wife appeared. When she approached us, we both received a broad smile along with a warm 'hello' from this gracious lady. We both said "Hello, how are you ma'am?", together.
"I am fine, thank you," the lady stopped for a while.
"Are you heading for outstation?" the doctor enquired with the lady.
"No, I am heading to a hospital; I will be be operated today," the lady told us, with a graceful smile.
"Why? What operation?" the doctor was quick to ask.
"Uterus. They are planning to remove it," the answer had a great deal of honesty and dignity about it.
The doctor asked her a few things, and she replied to him with remarkable self-composure.
"Don't worry; everything will go fine," the doctor assured her.
"Wish you all the best, ma'am," I joined doctor.
"Thank you so much," the lady said with lots of warmth, as she paced ahead to join her husband, who was a little restlessly waiting in his car.
We both saw into each other's eyes, and remained silent for a while. Both of us were thinking the same thing: "How silly, how prejudiced we can be, sometimes!"
Just two minutes before this graceful lady appeared on the scene, we had already judged and labelled her husband. Yes, just because, our hello and handshake were not responded to well enough. We had already concluded, "He seems to be lost ... Lost in his own world!"
But, lost he was.
And, weren't we, as well?
It took a graceful lady's 'Hello', to bring us back to a 'sane world', and make us accept this humble truth!
GERALD D'CUNHA
Comments