The Other Side

A life that is not seen, yet.

Keshav got his much-awaited Royal Enfield last Friday. He waited for Monday as he wanted to show off his bike to his colleagues. The week began and Keshav took his brand new bike on the road. He felt like a king and rode the bike with pride. On his way, he saw an elderly man waving his hand. It was a signal to get a life. Keshav did not bother to look at the old man and accelerated faster.

The city roads were full of stagnant water everywhere after a rainy night. Damaged roads were common in the so-called city roads. Keshav escaped riding over uneven rocks. It would take another fifteen minutes to reach the office. The road was almost blocked. If he stopped, he would be late to work. He guessed it could be an accident. He was in no mood to spoil his auspicious day. Somehow, he found his way and kept moving ahead.

The old man who waited for someone to give him a bike lift had missed the bus. He didn’t want to let down his granddaughter on her birthday. He carried some sweets in his bag for his granddaughter who would be waiting to cut the cake.

Keshav saved his bike from the puddle. But, he did not notice the pedestrians. The dirty rainwater splashed on the children going to school. He didn’t realise the school children were in tears.

The blocked road was an accident spot. A motorist hit a car and was injured. Keshav assumed it to be a death.

What’s wrong with Keshav?

A single thought could have made a difference — to the elderly person, to the school kids or the injured man.

Did Keshav lack empathy?

Are we judging him based on what we know?

Our perspective can conclude Keshav had no care for others.

What if Keshav was rushing to the hospital on an emergency? Our views about Keshav would alter in a fraction of second, isn’t it?

At the blink of an eye, our opinions change about everything — self, others and the world.

Our opinions are beyond our control. Human bias is inevitable. We can’t get rid of bias from the brain. We can reduce it and it makes a difference.

Like Keshav, we lose the true nature — to be a human — while chasing a materialistic life. It is not about Keshav. It is about you and me. We fail to see life from a different lens.

We can consider another view.

What do we miss?

The other side of life.

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