Divyesh was upset. Another child had pushed him down at the park. He did not even know the kid. Out of nowhere, the kid had pushed him down.
Samaira was angry. She was driving her father's car, and a middle-aged uncle dented her fender and immediately drove off without apologising.
Both Divyesh and Smaira had been wronged without any fault of their own. They both came home and narrated the annoying incident to their mother. It wasn't fair, and they were irritated. Both expected at least an apology.
Their parents said, Forget it.. let it go.. but the irritation lingered. for a while. and brewed. Divyesh decided that the next time, he's going to push the other child down. Samaira decided she doesn't owe anyone an apology, the next god-forbid she bumps her car into another.
Life happened.
Let's zoom in on both scenarios.
The kid who pushed Divyesh down was a special needs child. He didn't know why he had pushed Divyesh down. He just did it. He didn't think anything of it. His parents immediately took to explaining that this was not Ok behaviour. But he couldn't understand why they were so upset.
The uncle who accidentally dashed into Smaira's car was in fact, rushing to the hospital, where his wife had been taken after a fainting spell. He wanted to apologise. But he was torn between the emergency, and this seemed like a minor incident to him at the time. He felt bad, nevertheless.
In a world of billions, we cannot presume to know everyone's life and situation. So many times, we don't even know the real feelings of those close to us. Then, why not offer a smidge of benefit?
Allow ourselves a minute to be more observant and process what's 'happened to us' and allow the other person the benefit of the doubt. No doubt, it's difficult to see the situation from the other person's eyes when you don't know what's going on. But can we try?
I'm sure we can.
With a little bit of awareness, Divyesh would have noticed that the other child wasn't playing like the other kids on the playground. His expressions were almost blank.
Smairah, if she had looked closely, would've seen that the uncle was sweating profusely and was driving almost in tears like a maniac.
Imagine if Divyesh had said to the other child, "I did not like it. Pl don't push me again," and offered a handshake. Samaira, seeing the uncle's plight, could have said - "It happens. But please drive safely."
What a beautiful relief it could have been in the same situation.
We can't control the situation. We can definitely control our response.
More aware. More sensitive.
Calmer World. Peaceful people.