Duty Beckons

Choosing from a long list of topics to write on, it becomes difficult at times, owing to our state of affairs. I am a doctor by profession, a female by gender, a daughter, a sister, a wife and most of all a mother. At the same time my interest in life is more than just living from day to day and running a successful rat race to completion. I say this because I feel like, at this age when I am almost over with all the milestones of growth whether professional, or educational or biological, I owe to pay back the society what it has given me, come so far.
From amongst all of my designations, the one that brings me the closest to life is my title of “Mama”. Being a mother, is what places in one’s hands the sacred trust of rearing up a generation, the best possible way. It is a duty more dynamic than that of being a father. When your first child is placed in your arms, you invariably become a part of this cycle of life spanning over eons. You invariably are linked to the the universe and all the wars, and peace processes, famines, droughts, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, meteor showers, weather and regions and all of these become important to you all of a sudden. You are concerned about the legacy you would be leaving behind to those you have borne today, to those you will be rearing so fondly for decades hopefully, and to those who by birth acquire the right to question you regarding every single thing you have done or have failed to do.
Being a parent of any gender is a very sobering notion in itself. Being a mother, in this part of the world, is a tremendous responsibility. Talking of myself, to make it simplest, I am a mother and the problems that I face while raising two boys and one girl vary from as small as kissing away a hurt knee, to as formidable as giving a satisfactory answer to this question of an eight years old, “WHY do Taliban kill people?” And “Which school is safer and more secure for kids- An APS or any other school?”
The first step to be climbed over, here is, “Where to begin from?” There are facts quite different from wishful thinking, and we need to acknowledge those, as such. We are a developing nation, a third world country and this situation cannot be improved upon, unless we accept the reasons and our personal shortcomings that have contributed to our present state. Apparently, a poor country, with low literacy rate, and almost negligible law and order and justice situation, we are confined by the limitations of our own judgement and apathy.
Being a mother, my duty beckons me to vigilance of not just my kids and their immediate environment , but an active intervention into the society, they are going to step into, on the morrow. Being a mother to three kids, makes me feel the same for all the kids on the street. If I cannot explain this thing to my boy, that why can’t I take the begging child on the street to my home and feed and clothe him the way, I do for my kids, then I MUST ensure, they don’t come across this sight all the time. This calls for steps that all of us in our individual capacities can take to improve the overall structure of our society.
We can all make small changes in our lives, for better, and soon, we will be more fortunate. We will , if we will, be able to shape our society into a pattern that is more useful and rewarding. It is actually incumbent on each one of us to define ‘my duty’ and fulfil it. It is morally binding, and the society’s and our next generation’s right upon us, that we leave a legacy worth following. How can we do this? One step at a time, and small things will take us over the ladder and will make biggest possible differences.
Let’s understand, it’s education that is more important, than just literacy. Moral illiteracy renders any gains of schooling null and void. To reboot the currently running system we cannot just ctrl+alt+del. We have to keep it running and at the same time install the original anti-virus, not the pirated one. It’s not very difficult, let me assure you. It just demands ‘the will’ to respond to your duty that’s beckoning you. More on how to, next time, iA. Till then you can chart out your own strengths and weaknesses and likes and dislikes and do a small pilot study on your immediate environment. You will be astounded to see how much you can actually contribute to your environment and that is a duty as well.