Don’t make kids pay for our excesses
Shaadaab S. Bakht
Shaadaab S. Bakht, who worked for famous Indian dailies The Telegraph, The Pioneer, The Sentinel and wrote political commentaries for Tehelka.com, is Gulf Today’s Executive Editor.
- 03 Feb 2022
Whenever I see a picture like this I seriously wonder whether we are “fallen angels” or “risen apes.” If we could have allowed the degeneration of human lives to the level shown in the photo then my doubt about our origin isn’t without reason.
I am reacting to the photograph because the children could have been mine.
The adults of this world, especially those appointed to look after the well-being of the children, should find the sight shaming and an embarrassment to society. When one of the children wakes up and with the passage of time decides to pick up a weapon to settle scores with a world he feels has wronged him, will he be wrong? There’s an irrepressible temptation to say no.
When one of the children wakes up and subsequently decides to steer her life and take the wrong street to make ends meet, won’t it be horribly inconsiderate to protest that she is walking up the foul street? We can’t taint the pathway and blame the walker.
We can’t taint the pathway and blame the walker.
Therefore, if we don’t want the boy to take up the weapon and if we don’t want the girl to walk the unwanted path, we must ensure that when they wake up we shouldn’t be caught napping about their plight.
They shouldn’t find us wasting time at summits because parched throats and empty stomachs don’t respond to promises showcased in rhetorical cadences. They shouldn’t find us debating their nationality because thirst and hunger don’t stop at sovereign borders. They shouldn’t find us haggling over the quantity of relief to be dispersed.
When they wake up they should get some clean water to drink, some hot food to eat and some rooms, which they can call home.
And, I am sure, that is not asking for too much in a world where millions are being spent for minutes-long trips to space. The net gain of which is merely thrill and a membership of the world’s most prestigious club of people.