So, on this particular bright and sunny day, I got into an auto after a long wait. While getting in I glanced at the driver's face.He had a deep scar across his right cheek.It was an ugly scar screaming of tales of ignominy. During the 7 minutes travel, my mind raced unstintingly on the tracks of imagination.How did this man get injured so badly? Maybe he had some kind of criminal record. He got injured during an ugly spat.Maybe while making bombs he had an accident. One thing my mind was made up about. He was definitely a crook. I decided that I had to give him the exact change and walk away immediately to avoid any kind of argument and spoil the rest of my day.
With this thought stuck in my mind, I searched my 'big' bag frantically for coins. As luck would have it, I did not have the exact change.At the end of the journey,reluctantly I gave him a Rs. 20 note. To my surprise,he gave back the exact change-nothing more,nothing less and that too without grumbling. I did not even mention the actual fare.
It was at this moment that a memory from my schooldays flashed across my mind. I was in class 8. Our Bengali Miss..(Err..Yes we used to call our teachers "Miss ___" even if they were married or were the age of grandma and it did take a great deal of effort to switch from Miss to Ma"m during my days in Bangalore).So coming back to my recollection. Our Miss started the class by asking us about the first thought which comes to our mind when we see a person for the first time in train, bus, road etc. The answer which still breathes in my mind is that of my friend who used to travel from the suburbs by train.She replied,"Miss, I ask myself whether this person is a thief or not." After all these years,I was still holding on to that immature thread of thought.!I felt ashamed of myself. I felt as if I had failed my teachers after being fortunate enough to get 'educated' at one of the best schools where love and compassion towards the fellow human being was the first thing taught. I judged this person based on a scar which had lot of possibilities-both good and bad.However, I chose the bad.As I took the bridge to cross over, my point of view took a somersault as a fresh perspective dawned.Maybe he got injured while saving a lady from a group of armed goons.He was a noble man. Maybe, he helped the cops nab a notorious chain snatcher.He was a brave man.The true fact was that I do not know. I only know that he was an honest man and a good auto driver and that I would not hesitate taking his auto a second time.
We humans are strange. As more and more avenues of communication open up, we become more distrustful of people around us.The default setting in our minds has become like that of my innocent friend from nearly two decades back!We tend to draw conclusions from physical appearances which are as fleeting as the clouds above. We try to copy-paste our judgement based on our past experiences with a certain "type".We choose to be oblivious to the truth that the real depth, the character of a person is revealed when we interact with them. We forget that each human being is different. Every human mind is so complicated that even when we interact, it maybe difficult to ascertain the real person.I personally believe that we are a sum total of our experiences and choices. We are not all black nor all white. We are all grey or maybe of multiple unknown shades.This incident made me thoughtful.The short journey of 10 minutes taught me a lesson which will remain with me forever!
To look beyond what is visible. To clean the brushes and paint palette before starting on the picture!
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