Fr. Joe Mariadhas
St. Joseph’s College, Jakhama
Rain, rain go away … this is a nursery rhyme that we are all familiar with. This reminds me of many things of life as I muse on the present scenario in Nagaland. The incessant rains and the impact of this rain on the state is heavy. Landslides, power failures, roads washed away, communication systems interrupted and all the possible normal life situations are halted to some extent and the state administration is put on high alert to face any eventuality while many are employed in the repair works. On the one side the realities of rain and the impact of rain on the general public and the other side is how were we prepared to meet the challenges of the monsoon as it is not the first time to occur as rains are part and parcel of our life in this area. We read in the newspapers about the inconveniences caused and the measures taken by the respective departments to make life normal for all of us. It is encouraging to see the work being undertaken in a war-footing measure at the same time it is not expected of us and does not show goodness when we do not co-operate with the recovery measures.
During the season of monsoon the behaviour exhibited by some of us make me think, what have we learnt from the natures’ wrath or are we mute spectators to the human sufferings and inconveniences caused. When I travel sometimes here and there I had come across days where there was heavy traffic jams, landslides, people waiting in queue with their vehicles for the roads to be cleared. Most of the time, most of us behave well and abide by the common behaviour expected in the society. But I come across some smart or over smart people who want to show that they are smarter than the others or I don’t know whether it is lack of common sense or ignorance. They overtake the vehicles that are standing in queue and block the vehicles coming from the opposite direction thus causing confusion and more traffic along the road. In fact I have grumbled many a times against these smart people. Do we really need to behave like this? Are we not sensitive or sensible to tolerate and wait for a while in the line so that everyone can travel smooth without any hitch?
Human behavior is mysterious. In the wonder of creation human beings as the highest order is also expected to behave in the best way possible. Our behaviour is the response we exhibit for internal or external stimuli in physical action in a given situation that are observable and no one can hide it for it is spontaneous. We judge people depending on the behaviour exhibited and form opinions about them. While these may be subjective at the same it is an observed behaviour. This is my thought for our community and society. We have the capacity to change our attitudes depending on the insights we receive from different sources. Some of our behavior is common while some unusual, acceptable or unacceptable and also beyond acceptable limits. In fact most of our behaviour is subjective and it reflects the social norms existing in a society. Behaviour is what we humans act and interact. It is based on and influenced by several factors such us genetic make-up, culture and individual values and attitudes. Our behavior is experienced throughout our lifetime and people’s opinion about is formed through our interaction with them and our social behaviour in common places. Our behaviour is the outcome of our learning, knowledge, social upbringing and mindset.
At this juncture my earnest desire is that can we not display a behavior that is pleasant, patient, and tolerant and to some extent disciplined? Are we so insensitive to the feelings of the other? Is our educational system failing to education the students beyond lessons on subject matter? As the roads are being repaired and preventions are being planned to face the challenges of natural calamities. We also need to prepare our minds by instilling, educating out thought processes and attitudes to be patient, tolerant and mutual respect for one another. The nature has taught us lessons to be learnt for life that if we don’t treat the mother earth with respect and love it will retaliate when least expected. Let us exhibit behaviors that exhilarate our lives and make everyone feel that we are civilized and our behaviors are acceptable in the journey of life. Let us develop new attitudes and exhibit them in personal and social life situations.
