Who we admire
About 3 months ago, one of my mother’s friends discovered a lump in her breast. She has been a heavy smoker all her life, and there is a history of cancer in her family. So when she discovered this lump, she totally freaked out. I remember taking her for her biopsy, during which she couldn’t stop shaking, and refused to let go of my hand. Imagine her plight when she was diagnosed with cancer, and was told that it had spread too much for them to be able to save her breast! After the tests, we went out for lunch, and then she asked me to get her a cigarette. That was the last one i saw her smoke. She has never smoked after that. It has been 3 months and she hasn’t touched another cigarette.
After the surgery, began the traumatic procedure of chemotherapy. She travels to Bombay every month for her therapy. Not only has she lost all her hair and her breast, but her immunity has decreased to an astonishing level. She cannot eat non vegetarian food (which was her staple diet before the cancer), she cannot drink more than a glass of wine a week, and she has to take immense care of herself. None of which is a big deal normally; but when I see a 55 year old woman, having lived her life a certain way, now having to live in a completely different way, I can’t help but admire her for it. I can’t help admiring her when she walks proudly in a crowded street, amidst gawking strangers without bothering to cover her bald head….or when she wakes up at the crack of dawn to do her yoga, or when she reacts to uncalled-for remarks from strangers by not reacting.
When we think about people we admire, we rarely refer to these real life examples each of us have seen or heard about. I wonder why. I also wonder why when we think about the people we admire, we automatically think of Mahatma Gandhi, or Nelson Mandela, or our parents, even though they might have done nothing more remarkable than bringing us up. Why don’t we think about these people who have fought battles far more terrifying than most of us can begin to imagine?
Have we been conditioned to answer these questions in a particular way? If that is true, then it scares me. I dislike the idea of being conditioned to answer questions in a way that curbs my own thinking process. Or is it that we only give these people a fleeting thought, and don’t give them their due, because their battles don’t affect us in any way? If that is true, then it disturbs me, because I don’t like the idea of being insensitive and blind to the courage of others.
After the surgery, began the traumatic procedure of chemotherapy. She travels to Bombay every month for her therapy. Not only has she lost all her hair and her breast, but her immunity has decreased to an astonishing level. She cannot eat non vegetarian food (which was her staple diet before the cancer), she cannot drink more than a glass of wine a week, and she has to take immense care of herself. None of which is a big deal normally; but when I see a 55 year old woman, having lived her life a certain way, now having to live in a completely different way, I can’t help but admire her for it. I can’t help admiring her when she walks proudly in a crowded street, amidst gawking strangers without bothering to cover her bald head….or when she wakes up at the crack of dawn to do her yoga, or when she reacts to uncalled-for remarks from strangers by not reacting.
When we think about people we admire, we rarely refer to these real life examples each of us have seen or heard about. I wonder why. I also wonder why when we think about the people we admire, we automatically think of Mahatma Gandhi, or Nelson Mandela, or our parents, even though they might have done nothing more remarkable than bringing us up. Why don’t we think about these people who have fought battles far more terrifying than most of us can begin to imagine?
Have we been conditioned to answer these questions in a particular way? If that is true, then it scares me. I dislike the idea of being conditioned to answer questions in a way that curbs my own thinking process. Or is it that we only give these people a fleeting thought, and don’t give them their due, because their battles don’t affect us in any way? If that is true, then it disturbs me, because I don’t like the idea of being insensitive and blind to the courage of others.
posted by Mojo | 3:41 AM
4 Comments:
So what do you admire about me?
I would say, your perception. Most definately!
Trauma does not take place only when one goes through physical pain. The trauma I'm talking about is the one that takes place when one loses a part of their body; they have to change thier whole lifestyle; and all the other little things that don't seem like a big deal; but actually are.
Aha! My perception!
Post a Comment
<< Home