Narrowing down!

Narrowing down!

Having a meal with a friend (preferably in a restaurant!), discussing a number of issues, is something that I always look forward to. Ever since I met Mariano (just a week ago), I was surprised to see his curiosity to know new things and his insightful opinions. He critically observes things from a different perspective and tries to bring something new.  We have had difference of opinions on number of issues but this has not become a barrier in our friendship. Moreover, reflecting over certain disputed issues that I had with him, made me more ‘awaken to the realities’.

Let me share what we discussed during lunch. We were trying to get ‘connotation and etymology’ of a particular word. At one point, he went to bring his dictionary and eventually encyclopaedia to get the meaning. While he was glancing through the pages, I took my smartphone and browsed into ‘google’. He looked at me and commented smilingly, “this is the problem of our time. We want everything instant, readymade and prepared. This small device (pointed to smartphone) makes our world small. We are narrowing down our thinking patters, working ability and creative sense.” I did not agree with him. I put forward my own perspective of smartphone. He gave his own opinions and I gave my own counter opinions. Eventually, after lunch, I returned to my room to take a short nap.

While lazing on bed, I took my smartphone again. I wanted to get some points as I was to give a talk in the same evening. But before putting my password, I was reminded the words of friend, “smartphone is narrowing down our world.” I asked myself, “what am I going to do with this device?” I was looking for something instant, readymade and prepared. I stopped for a while. How true the words of my friend!

My first heart beats!

It was about 20 years ago, I was then in the Jesuit noviciate in Calcutta, India. I had just begun to learn English. I would read all sorts of magazines, books and would collect phrases or sentences that would appeal to me. One day, I happened to read an article titled ‘my first heart beats’. The title captured my attention. It was very simple but catchy. I still remember the title, though I don’t remember the content of the article. I wanted to write an article and use the same title. Finally, just two days ago, I had an experience that made me to feel ‘my first heart beats’.

After the day long sessions, I was having a leisure walk in the evening with a Jesuit friend in Berkeley, California. It is my first visit to USA. Thus, I try to observe every little thing with uttermost attention.  After crossing the campus of the university of California, we came to the Berkeley city centre. My friend wanted to take an ice-cream. Due to cold weather, I decided not to take ice-cream. But I followed my friend to the shop. Suddenly I saw a middle-aged woman entered into the shop with her daughter. Both were in shabby dress, looking very pale but with innocent smile. The woman asked for just one spoon full of ice-cream for her daughter and gave one cent to the shopkeeper. The little girl was extremely happy when she got just one spoon of ice-cream. The woman made her to say ‘thank you’ before taking ice-cream. Then they went out of the shop. Everything was happening so fast that I did not know what to do. I was just overserving them helplessly.

There was an elderly gentleman, sitting just near the door asking for alms. As the lady came out of the shop, he called her and wanted to give her ten dollars to buy an ice-cream for her daughter. The woman gently declined to take the money from him. She thanked him again and again.

I overserved everything from the shop. I immediately came out of the shop and thanked the elderly man. He looked at me and said, “it is nothing special. I wanted to give an ice-cream for the little girl. They must be having financial cries.”

I was stunned. I lost in words. It was for the first time in America that my heart beats…yes, really I felt it. The smiling face of the girl, the kind gesture of the elderly man and love of a mother will remain with me always…