Lost In Ourselves: Ignoring The Pain Of Others

Yesterday, while cycling to the university campus I experienced bipolar emotions within the span of a minute, varying from feeling ecstatic to empathizing with another person.

I was on one of the many bridges of Kamogawa river which often afford me the luxury of seeing a section of Kyoto city from end to end. On one end lies a mountain range and on the other lies a developed section of the city which abuts the river. I often am quite touched by this view which brings contentment, leading me to appreciate the life I have. Yesterday was different.

I saw from afar a woman pushing a wheelchair in which was perhaps a friend or relative who was apparently incapable of walking (permanently, by the way the person was seated). I am not stranger to such sights but as I approached this pair I was stung by the look on the face of the person in the wheelchair. All I could see was sadness, no pain, but immense sadness accompanied by a face that belongs to a person who always cries. I am sure that person was weeping at that moment and has probably been weeping for a considerable time lasting many days. I saw nothing but despair and helplessness. My only conclusion was that either this person probably lost her ambulatory abilities recently or that they finally could not handle the frustration of being incapable of moving by themselves.

So the scenario was that I was on a bridge that had a beautiful view but I stumbled across pain. At that moment my heart went out to that person but as usual, I was at a loss as to what I could even do to help. I moved on. I thought about this person along the remainder of the way but as I thought about my own tasks for the day the disabled person was out of my mind. It is as they say: Out of the sight, out of the mind.

What I say next applies to most people but not all.

I realize that we are lost.... lost in our own world.... lost in our own thoughts.... lost in ourselves. Others pains are only of a limited concern to us. Can we truly love and understand each other ? Can we truly care for each other ? Do we truly care or do we just use hollow words ? Is it all about convenience ? In my case..... it does seem to be so. I cannot seem to be able to being a smile on the people who are truly sad. I am a selfish person. I accept it. I only hope that I will be able to some day make a difference to someone who really needs it, not for the sake of feeling good about myself (which is what most people do) but to just know that I have helped. I seek contentment and not pleasure or happiness. I seek peace.

I wont go on about how the world will be a better place if we cared..... greater people have already preached these things and I am no one significant to repeat their words to others. I write this small article to just let people know what kind of a jerk I really am and that I want to be better than this. If you feel the same way I do then reflect and share with me your solution.