11/29/2006
My double standards have been bothering me for past few days.
It’s weird how I don’t stand up for things I believe in so strongly. Objection towards child labor, stereotyping and discrimination, all seem to parch off as soon as I land here in India. They say charity starts from home and my own house employs a fifteen year old for house work. Why do I overlook things that are outright wrong? Why do I lead an ordinary life hiding from the unjust around me? Kindness is the best religion, and suddenly it’s missing from all over my world.
12/16/2006
I am still thinking about the child labor. Visited a primary school this afternoon. There were a lot of children playing around, seeing them reminded me of the fifteen year old working at my place. Why does she have to work 9 to 4, while these kids go through 8 of their lectures, learning new things every hour of their lives. God must be very unhappy that we are letting a child work everyday, when she is supposed to learn and have fun. For little comfort, we compromise on a lot of our preaching. Every child is entitled to get basic education and a chance to traverse through the barriers. And there is no excuse for not letting that happen.
I tried to talk to people who are supposed to be compassionate and considerate around me. They tried to simplify it for me, the child is better off working at our place than begging on the streets and being knocked around by strangers. I try to justify their stand, but I can’t. It’s just doesn’t seem fair. I am no foreign to the depressing realities of the third world. I lived here for 21 years. I guess, I had conveniently forgotten the miserable conditions that most people live through here in India.
My double standards have been bothering me for past few days.
It’s weird how I don’t stand up for things I believe in so strongly. Objection towards child labor, stereotyping and discrimination, all seem to parch off as soon as I land here in India. They say charity starts from home and my own house employs a fifteen year old for house work. Why do I overlook things that are outright wrong? Why do I lead an ordinary life hiding from the unjust around me? Kindness is the best religion, and suddenly it’s missing from all over my world.
12/16/2006
I am still thinking about the child labor. Visited a primary school this afternoon. There were a lot of children playing around, seeing them reminded me of the fifteen year old working at my place. Why does she have to work 9 to 4, while these kids go through 8 of their lectures, learning new things every hour of their lives. God must be very unhappy that we are letting a child work everyday, when she is supposed to learn and have fun. For little comfort, we compromise on a lot of our preaching. Every child is entitled to get basic education and a chance to traverse through the barriers. And there is no excuse for not letting that happen.
I tried to talk to people who are supposed to be compassionate and considerate around me. They tried to simplify it for me, the child is better off working at our place than begging on the streets and being knocked around by strangers. I try to justify their stand, but I can’t. It’s just doesn’t seem fair. I am no foreign to the depressing realities of the third world. I lived here for 21 years. I guess, I had conveniently forgotten the miserable conditions that most people live through here in India.
posted by da_az at 12:19 PM
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