My father was a very good farmer and my mother a good housewife. When my mother gave birth to me, our own house was the clinic and a local midwife was the attending specialist. Years passed by; my children were born in the nearest general hospital. They got married and their children were cared at super specialty hospitals, far away. The culture has changed and health/safety measures also have improved. Still, I doubt if it could help improving our life span.
My parents died in peace at home and their coffins were taken on shoulders to the Church three kms. away, accompanied by dear and near, all walking all the way. Hardly two decades passed before I saw coffins being ported on ambulances and people on luxury SUVs following. In my childhood, if parents, sick or healthy, spent their last days together with their children and grand children in the same house. The situation is different now. Parents have begun to occupy old age houses with no visitors. Family ties have become lose and shallow.
In my childhood, our playtime was mostly from morning to dusk and the field was restricted by only horizons at all directions. That was the rule of the village. Those days we never have thought of throwing something away; we believed in repairing and recycling. Where does humanity move now? In spite of all that we have invented, procured and own if what we have is a feeling of loss, it is time to reverse our journey back to our individuality where we served our purpose. Michelangelo once said, “Many believe - and I believe - that I have been designated for this work by God. In spite of my old age, I do not want to give it up; I work out of love for God and I put all my hope in Him.” Until mankind begins doing everything out of love of God, God’s love is not going to save humanity. Sorry to say that the paradigm shift was from God’s purpose to man’s purpose. The faces of cultures have changed into bright colours but our hearts remain clad in morbid textures.
Joseph Mattappally
No comments:
Post a Comment