With the advancement of science and technology where day in and day out we encounter novel inventions that are made to reduce human-efforts; be it a small machine which we use to wash cloths at household or a vacuum-cleaner with which dusting has becoming labour of minutes that otherwise would take hours and days in the past, or the other appliance which are nowadays used for sowing, thrashing and reaping in the field. Thus with the advent of science and technology the human-effort has been reduced to a large extant. But, on the other hand, with this reduction the life of human beings has become shorter, sluggish, listless and jaded.
In the past, a man used to work in the field, plough his land with his exertions and hard work to make it rich for cultivation; so that his family would not starve. These agrarian-men would leave their house at dawn and return after sundown, for the whole day would they work in the field without complaining eitherscorching heat of hot sunny summer or intense cold of icywinter. Yet, were they better-off and happier than the people residing in this era, who have everything at their disposal but still feel emptiness and vacuum in themselves for which they give-up their lives in a very vile way by committing suicide; which they sense and reflect is the easiest way to quit from life.
Since the beginning of Corona lockdown, the suicide rate has surged immensely, starting with Shushant Singh Rajput and other Bollywood celebrities who could not absorb their stress and gave up their lives in a very unpleasantway. Since then, committing suicide and quitting life has become everyday news, where each day almost, we hear that someone has committed suicide which acts as a catalyst for already disheartened and depressed people which soonthus become an unending chain.
Seeing the scenario which not only is a cataclysm but also a very serve alarm which must be addressed with a lot of contemplation and remedies before it turns cancerous. The questions which must be dealt with; why is the suicide rate in the present era touching skies when everything seems possible and within the reach? Why people in the present epoch seem more melancholic and dejected than the people who resided in the bygone years? What stuffs are forcing people of the present age to commit suicide? And what has made a modern-man so miserable that he believes suicide is a better option than surviving?
Beholding the above questions intensely, one gets close notions that the people who lived in the past must had some talisman by which they used to ward-off such thoughts to protect themselves from committing suicide like acts. While having a scholarly eye and closing observing the times and people, one gets a clear understanding that people who resided in the past certainly had a talisman in their hands which would help and shield them from such terrible thoughts.
The men, who lived in the past were very hardworking and meticulous, these men, had a strong conviction that hard work is the only mechanism which can bring fruits and laurels, so they would seldom Stay free or remain idle. The people of past used to consider work as a worship and would aptly follow an old saying “An idle mind is devil’s workshop.” Not only men but women also back home would not stay work-shy but always kept themselves busy in house hold chores and used to work hand in hand with their men. The women would clean house, wash cloths, make tea/food besides looking and taking care of their children. They in additional to the above household errands used to take care of chards which they used to visit at dusk for watering plants and for another agrarian activities.
The above people whom modern society calls primitives and crudes were in actual sense very modern; who would keep themselves busy with different actives so that their mind could be stress-free. The men gone by, were energetic and hardworking, who had a meagre resources at their disposal which they would utilize meticulously without being dejected and gloomy. They would show their contentment in those meagre resources which they were bestowed with while paying thanksgiving before their Lord than complaining for their desires and wants.
Apart from being hardworking and industrious, they also were strong in their conviction. They had a strong belief in religion and revealed scriptures which they would adhere to whole heartedly.The strong conviction would unveil that every person has a different destiny and fate; so every person has to work differently to make the ends meet. Besides this, having faith in revealed scriptures would also help them in eradicating many vices, such as jealous, envy, greed, bitterness and many other things which would help them eventuallyin making strong social ties. As research has proven that people with strong social bond are happier and do not fall prey to suicide like acts. But, it also is an acknowledged fact that peoples with above vices can never form a strong social bond.
In the past, societies used to live a family and vicinities had asolid social linkslike afamily. Neighbours in the past used to be considered as family members and there used to be nodiscrimination among the neighbours. The hearts used to clean and pure unlike these days. Sharing items like pitchers, vessels or other stuffs used to be a part of the culture and there used to be nothing like shame or ego in asking a helping hand from your neighbour.
Family used to be very much concerned about their children and children often used to share their feeling sentiments or emotions with elder members of their family, who used to be an age oldpersons having a paramount like experience whose counselling and guidance would help the children in their later life and whose supervision would often be treated as final words. These age old men or the head of the family would guide their offspring’s for good and bad and their progenies would follow them like a commanding officer’s command.
Unlike today, no concept of separate room or bed-rooms used to be there, a family used to sleep in a big hall with smiling faces and cheerful-hearts. No virtual word existed in the past buta practical world was people would help each other with care, affection and love. They would also share their pains and sufferings with each other which would relieve them from all anxieties and depression and would also help them in bringing their smiles back. As rightly put by someone, “Smile is the best medicine one can have.”
To deduced, one must accept the truth that social bonding is very important, a person cannot live single-handedly; seclusion kills a person, forces him to over think which causes depression and despair which thus ends in committing suicide like acts. So let we imbibe some chunks of rich bygone culture to save our progeny. Let we shun the biases and grudges and embrace each with loving hearts and warm souls so that the human existence can live happily and thankfully.
(The author is a regular columnist. Feedback:[email protected])
