“Welcome
back.” Lulu, my parrot, said as he looked at me from the window.
“Yes, it
feels nice to be back!”
“Arre! You
declared you have written 200 blog posts which reminded people of Sachin’s 200th
test. And like him you suddenly went out of action!” Lulu said with a tone of
concern in his voice. Parrots are very sensitive birds.
“Almost in
retirement! Actually in the ‘Pavilion.’ I thought it was an orthopedic problem
when I was rushed to the hospital, but the doctor said firmly ‘You have had a
heart attack. This is emergency. Don’t walk. Sit there on the wheel chair! Now
straight to emergency room.’”
“Really?”
“Yes. And
then they rushed me to Operation Theater where they did angioplasty. Before I could
grasp what was happening to me, one block in the artery was removed.”
“You mean very
short time it took?” Lulu asked.
“Twenty-seven
minutes, if you believe my daughter.”
“Wow.”
“And the
day after one more block was removed.” I added.
“Two
blocks? Oh! You were in ICU?”
“Yes, ICU.”
“Were you
not scared there?” Lulu asked.
“They put
you to sleep there often! Medication does the trick. Ha-ha.”
“Hmmm, I
have been thinking about you and this entire critical situation. Every critical
moment changes a man. What say you?” Lulu asked.
“I agree.”
“What’s the
change you see in yourself?” You can see a lawyer’s way of questioning in the
way Lulu speaks. Gradually narrowing the focus and becoming more incisive.
“I have realized
something I had not so far.”
“What’s
that?”
“You
treated your children, son in law and daughter in law as good boys and girls.
One realizes that they have the capacity to handle an emergency with cool effectiveness.”
I said with appreciation.
“That’s
true.”
“That you
have friends who rush to your help instantly, some go beyond usual
favours and even take a
personal financial risk. They express genuine affection – they have nothing to
gain except my friendship. Some just hold your hand or give a hug which says it
all.”
“All this
in a matter of a few hours right?”
“Right! I do
not know why I did not realize the strength of relationships and of people
earlier. The same people have been around me for years. But the warmth of the
relationship became visible in this ‘heart attack.’” I said reliving the recent
past.
“And you
have not spoken of your wife, but I know couples too come closer in calamity.
You said you did not realize all this earlier – that’s because you did not
understand a basic fact.” I knew a torpedo was on the way.
“What’s
that?”
“You have
to make efforts to understand the feelings of others, of your position in their
life, the values they hold, of their innate strengths… I can go on. Unless you
make effort to understand you will not be conscious of it.”
“Hmmm…. ”
“You experience
your own little world very differently if you realise what ‘empathy’ means and how to practice it. You
experience your own little world very differently if you are able to put
yourself in their shoes. Everything must
be seen from two perspectives if you wish to understand depth. That is why God
has given you two eyes.”
“Hmmm… you
have a point.”
“Remember, ‘consciousness
is acquired,’ it does not ‘happen!’ Life is experienced differently when your
consciousness is higher.” Lulu said as he looked at me to check if the meaning
had sunk in. "
Vivek
Pic courtesy: Google dailygalaxy.com