Indiffirent Attitude

Things do change transiently, so do people’s attitude. It sometimes changes due to career moving up in the success path, or sometimes due to fortunes falling in even deeper disarray. But very few people remain the same either when things around them change in a positive way or in a negative way. This is human tendency, to bark in a success and lie low on a failure. Some personalities are in their own league, they more often than not remain the same. Greatness is not about doing great things momentarily, but it is the state that needs to be maintained, incessantly. Consider the example of the great Tiger Woods, what a great a sports icon he has been! But one incident changed his greatness, or you might say his stature in his fans’ eyes—sponsors went away, wife left and what not! He was unable to preserve his greatness, he lost it within few days—it was not due to his failures in his game, but his personal and social behavior that let him down. But look at the master himself, the great man—Sachin Tendulkar—he just exemplifies the “greatness” term. In last two decades he has sat at the pinnacle of the game, he has the same passion for the game as he had during his childhood—doing continuous trainings, workouts etc, to be at the top of his game. He never took things for granted and nor did he think that he has achieved too much. He just wants to love the game and enjoy it till his body permits. He acknowledges his achievements with so much humility; it feels that he has hardly achieved anything. Look at the “Federer”, he is another masterpiece.

I cited Tiger Woods, to show that if one has achieved a lot, it doesn’t entitle him to go and do any thing which he likes. He is answerable to many people for his behavior on and off the game. People will love and respect him, only if -- he meets their eyes. Sachin and Roger are the people who will always remain great. They have so much humility, and they don’t think much of the achievements that they have gained in the past, but continuously try to better previous achievements. When these people speak, it seems that these are people like us, who are yet to achieve a big thing in their life. Their humility just speaks the dimensions of their greatness.

If people who have accomplished so much in their life can be so humble and down to earth, then why can’t we? This question’s answer is very intricate for me to find out. People like us, who with a very miniscule success (for them) in life make them feel as if they have hit a bumper jackpot and behave in a very indifferent way. Their talks mostly have the arrogance of the small success (what they feel) that they have got. Even the normal Chaprasi/Gatekeeper doesn’t miss the opportunity to show his arrogance, and make us feel that he has some stature. The point is—people like success and power, and one of the qualities that makes people “great” or say more “human” i.e. “humbleness” goes on a decline. Due to this, people become self centered and selfish. People, who have power, can use it for better deeds, but mostly they use it in a contemptuous way. I am unable to understand the rationality behind this behavior.

This “indifferent” attitude has become quite rampant in our society. Hockey members are fighting for better payments-- which are dismal to say the least, inflation is on an all time high—government doesn’t understand that this kicks normal people very badly, government officials are doing their job in ever increasing apathetic approach; and you count it and the list goes on for the wretched things going on around us. Hockey sportspersons can be easily better paid, inflation with proper government policies can be brought down, BMC officials can do their job in a much more responsible way and honestly—but these things don’t happen. It seems, looking at these things that little power can change people’s attitude in a negative way; it feels that power makes people indifferent towards others. But as great leaders and sports people, who after achieving enormous fame and recognition, don’t change; so why do our attitude change when we get a small success or a little power? Why don’t we put to use the powers whatever we have in a better way, at least why we don’t care that our actions don’t harm others? We can see everywhere people misusing there so called “powers”, some teachers for their personal ego, can even destroy a child’s future; government officials as usual, doing their job incompetently and dishonestly; most of the politicians also fall in the same category; the bosses, who just think from a single point of view-keeping themselves first in every respect, add to the similar group of “unsympathetic” people.

Initially, it used to be people like the landlords, who used to get into such awful actions, but now they have transformed themselves into various roles. In such an indifferent society, people belonging to middle class can somewhat survive but what about the poorer sections of the society, they get beaten from every corners. Can anyone answer for the “indifference” people show towards others?