So called educated people
I think about different issues, I write about different issues. These days I am thinking about nature, about how we can save it from dying. I write about it, and people like what I have to say, they agree with it and I tell them that it is in our hands to save it all.
However, I cannot help but wonder that when we write comments or articles on social networking sites, then what are we thinking? Are we thinking that we can change the world; that we can save the world? Those who are commenting on such topics or are writing about these topics, are they this mature when they are offline?
What is maturity defined by; by the education of the individual, by their life experiences, by their age or by the person’s lifestyle?
There is a family, who has been living next door to my house from the last three years; the head of the family is a government teacher and his son is a news reporter. Water is overflowing most of the time from the water tank (here we have water tanks build in the ground, where we store the water given by the municipality) in their house.
On the right side of my house, lives a couple whom I call bhaiya and bhabhi. Bhaiya is in the business of electronics but he mostly handles AC and Cooler. Most of the time, he is complaining about how hot the weather is. It has only been a year since they shifted in this house, and their house is the first from which water starts overflowing each time the municipality gives out water. Moreover, the water keeps overflowing for hours.
There is house a right in front of mine, the elder son from that family is a bank manager and the younger son is a doctor (a dentist). Water is overflowing most of the time from their water tank too.
There is another house a few steps away from mine. The head of the family is a lecturer in a government college, and both his sons are engineers. The water tanks they have on the roof of their two-story house, overflows daily for hours.
I have told them about it, tried to make them understand how wrong it is. I have been trying this repeatedly with no positive result.
People say that the world walks on the path of success if the society is well educated.
Look at the posts these people are on, they are well educated. Everyday at least two different newspapers are read by their family members, they read about the dry lands of Maharashtra in Jaisalmer. I point out how what they are doing can cause the same situation here too, a town that is counted as a Hard area, a town where 42° is a normal temperature (today as I am writing this article, the temperature is 52°), a town where there is shortage of water for even week many times. They feel no guilt.
Should I go to each such house with a plumber, to add a tap in their pipeline, so that the water does not overflow and get wasted? Even if I do so, will they really turn it off when the tank is full? I do not think so. I would definitely have to go there every time to turn it off too.
Whenever I watch the clear sweet water going down the drain, being wasted because these people think that since the water bill arrives only once in two months, and that too it is a fixed bill of rs60/- for each month, so it will not matter even if the water is wasted. As the bill will not increase like electricity bill does (a fixed bill because there are no water meters here like the ones for electricity); a part of me sees it as a crime.
For me these people as habitual criminals, repeating their crime without any guilt.
To put it clearly, I see them as someone who murders an innocent life and then walks it off with a shrug.
How do you see these people? What do you think? Am I thinking it too exaggeratingly?
If you tell an uneducated person about what he is doing wrong, he will understand. Because he will think that if such a well-educated person is saying something is wrong then it must be, after all, the person has read so many thick books. However, what to say to the educated ones who cannot see what they are doing wrong, more importantly, do not care about what they are doing wrong?
P.s. I wrote this article four days ago, and since then I had been waiting for the municipality to supply the water here, so that I could post pictures of how these people waste the water. Four days, no sign of water.
Look at the posts these people are on, they are well educated. Everyday at least two different newspapers are read by their family members, they read about the dry lands of Maharashtra in Jaisalmer. I point out how what they are doing can cause the same situation here too, a town that is counted as a Hard area, a town where 42° is a normal temperature (today as I am writing this article, the temperature is 52°), a town where there is shortage of water for even week many times. They feel no guilt.
Those who have money, power or influence get all benefits. At the cost of others.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right, Tomichan. Maharashtra is suffering from lack of water but there is enough water for the ministers, for their dogs to take a bath, for their cars to get washed daily and 100s of liter water to get wasted on their temporary helipads.
DeleteWasting resource just because you have the money to buy things is one of the biggest crimes. Wish people wold become more aware and responsible.
ReplyDeleteYou are right Kalpanaa, that is what I was trying to say. It truly is one of the biggest crimes. Water was given two days after I posted this article, so basically we were not given water by the municipality for 6days, and yet these people did not care. They are ready to buy water from a water tanker for 400rs but they are not ready to buy a tap of 250rs because they feel too lazy to turn it on and off.
DeleteWell, the biggest change will come if we start following the practice ourselves.I understand your pain Manisha. When you try to tell someone to act cautious because it is the matter of our natural resource, they do not pay any heed. Its frustrating. However, let's just try do what best we can. There is no harm in trying :) even if you are able to change one person, it is worth it :)
ReplyDeleteYou are right Jiggyasa, this is the matter of our natural resources. People need to understand these resources are for all (even for the next generation) and not just for themselves. There is no harm in trying.
DeleteWe face similar problems too, when people forget to turn off the flush, and water gets wasted for hours. Sad state of affairs, since educated people don't like to be told what to do. But are we really putting our education to use?
ReplyDeleteMost are only using their education to earn money, Priyanka. If we tell someone that they are wasting water, or electricity, they get offended saying "This is my house, I'm the one who will pay the bill so I can use it all whichever way I want". And we step back thinking it would be better not to get into an argument.
Deleteमनीषा जी,सही कहा आपने। पढ़े लिखे लोगो से ही सही व्यवहार की अपेक्षा की जाती है। लेकिन जब वे ही गैरजिम्मेदाराना हरकते करते है तब हम किसे दोष दे सकते है?
ReplyDeleteज्योति जी ऐसे पढ़े-लिखे लोगों के पास सिर्फ उंची डिग्री होती है संस्कार नहीं।
Deleteमनीषा जी,सही कहा आपने। पढ़े लिखे लोगो से ही सही व्यवहार की अपेक्षा की जाती है। लेकिन जब वे ही गैरजिम्मेदाराना हरकते करते है तब हम किसे दोष दे सकते है?
ReplyDeleteTrue. If most of us take care of simple problems most of the world problems will get resolved. Society is made of government and governed. Yes government is responsible for many things, so are those who are being governed.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Abhijit. We cannot blame everything on the government. It is us who are using the water and electricity in our house 24/7. Just like parents keep telling their children how they are wasting their hard earned money, they should also teach them not to waste electricity and water which is for all. But parents needs to do the same too.
DeleteWasting precious water and electricity is a heinous crime even if one is paying for it.
ReplyDeleteThey are not only ignorant they are fools of the highest rank..they need to be socially boycotted!
Bilkul sahi kaha Amit aapnai, aur kaash mai aisa kar paati..
DeleteWhen I stayed in Davanagere, I'd seen this similar pattern. The owner said, it was municipality water. So? It's water flowing through the roads waste. Is there any good with it? Are pigs drinking it ? No. Stray dogs? No. And yet they choose to say Municipality water. These people had four water tanks. Two underneath and two on top, where two tanks were from municipality! We were given the dirty underground water mixed with chlorine. When asked around about it, Nobody knows about the dirty water supply! How's that possible right? World never changes.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Jensy. People always have the same thing to say, either when they are stealing electricity or wasting water, "It belongs to the municipality". But if they buy water campors and a thirsty man knocks on their door, they refuse to give him water, "We have paid for this water", they say. All we can do is to make sure that we do not so the same thing. Bur yes, we should keep trying to make people understand what they are doing is wrong, hopefully some might understand.
DeleteWhen I stayed in Davanagere, I'd seen this similar pattern. The owner said, it was municipality water. So? It's water flowing through the roads waste. Is there any good with it? Are pigs drinking it ? No. Stray dogs? No. And yet they choose to say Municipality water. These people had four water tanks. Two underneath and two on top, where two tanks were from municipality! We were given the dirty underground water mixed with chlorine. When asked around about it, Nobody knows about the dirty water supply! How's that possible right? World never changes.
ReplyDelete