Small Steps, Big Impact!
Somewhere in the clouds, en-route Mumbai to Lucknow: I was
staring at that guy- snugly sitting without his face shield on, while the lady
next to him was eyeing him nervously. A similar scenario was playing out four
rows ahead of us; a middle-aged lady was comfortably sleeping in the middle
chair, without her mask on, with no regard to the people besides her.
On the other side were me and wifey- one bottle of sanitizer
already over, hands washed about thrice since entering the airport and face
shield on throughout. I know, we can be a bit paranoid about things, but in my
defense, it is my life and I am not bothered by the infamous “chaar log” of our
society. So with our defense mechanism in place, we continued our trip, culminating
in reaching home, taking a bath, sanitizing entire baggage, and staying away
from the family for the next two-three days.
The scene in Lucknow was another story in itself- people
sitting and happily chatting away, without the masks, the usual chai shops
lined with people sipping away, and teenagers racing away on their bikes
without any precaution (helmet and masks both missing). I spoke to an
acquaintance regarding this- to get a barrage of explanation that it cannot
happen to him, as he makes sure he does not interact with anyone with symptoms
of COVID.
Go back to the pre COVID times: riders not wearing
helmets/seat belts, writing on the walls of monuments, throwing garbage around.
Let’s be honest, we all have done it as well. A question thus comes to my mind-
why do we tend to break rules? Why do we tend to ignore the basics, which are
aimed at keeping us safe?
In a survey, readers voted this as the best answer: We are
careless or inattentive, we like to defy authority (who is he to tell me?), we
feel we are young and therefore indestructible and so on. A psychological study
identifies the need to be free as the biggest reason for not following a
code/rule. The situation is a weird paradox- most of us think we are not
flouting any rules. “I just threw a small packet”, “I was on the wrong side
only for 2 minutes” or “you did not catch that other guy, he was also not
wearing the mask!” are some of the common defense or are considered inside the
“rules”.
The solution-start seeing yourself in the positive light.
Put yourself on the pedestal- make yourself that guy who people look up to.
Start keeping wrappers in your pocket, start following the traffic signal even
if you are the only one on the road, start wearing that mask even if you are
jogging all alone. Trust me, people will see, some will laugh, but, some will
follow. For all you know, you might end up saving a precious life, because
someone saw you doing the right thing and followed. The psychological need to
be appreciated, to be praised, is much more deep-rooted than anything else-
start small and maybe, make a big impact.
You can always be a trend setter-just
be doing the right thing, however small.
Reference: The Hindu, https://www.thehindu.com/education/why-do-we-break-rules/article22917000.ece
I totally agree. We gotta be the change.
ReplyDeleteAs rightly said, change starts from your home. ��
ReplyDeleteYes absolutely right. Ensure your safety first and then others will follow
ReplyDeleteI believe it is also to do with how you are dealt with if you break the rules. The chalta hai attitude is deeply ingrained in our minds and we don't take action against rule breakers. Check some other countries which may be poorer than us but obey the rules almost always because the price of breaking them is very costly. I mean I will never spit on the road if the fine is approx Rs.15000 (500 Singapore Dollars)
ReplyDeleteMakes sense. Stricter rules with enforcement will definitely curb these kind of actions
ReplyDelete