The value of a human life
Maana apni jeb se fakir hai (I admit that I’m poor when it comes to money)
Phir bhi yaaron dil se hum ameer hai (But when it comes to the vastness of heart, I am rich)
Sundays with Mukesh and Kishore is the ideal picture of contentment. Today, I happened to listen to the evergreen song “Kisi ki Muskurahaton pe” from the film Anari, sung by Mukesh ji. It started a train of thought. Weird one. It will take some time to untangle this thought, but I felt I should attempt it, and where better than at Medium. (I have subscribed, I might as well write something and pretend to be a writer.)
I have a horrible boss. The proverbial bane of my existence. The curse of my life. The Umbridge to my Harry. You get the drift. I hate this person. I actually *hate* this person. Not saying I want bad things to happen to him or anything, I don’t hate him that much. Let’s just say he is the only one on my contact list who makes me want to throw my iPhone at the wall when I see his name on the caller id.
He had a project about which he still has no clue how to proceed. He recruited me when I was about to move into another career itself, promised me he will help me and then- well, he didn’t.
He is the reason I am stuck in a project I cannot quit until I complete it, and that too without any remuneration. He made a commitment without giving it adequate thought and in the process ruined my prospects.
There are days when I have imaginary conversations in front of my superiors, detailing the injustice done to me. In the grand scheme of things, my problems are minuscule for them. My time, my efforts, my life- doesn’t matter to them. They consider my ruin a collateral damage in the process of satisfying this guy’s ego. I end up asking them, whether they thought just because I am useless and they are prominent personalities, my time doesn’t matter. That I don’t matter.
But then I think- do I actually?
When compared to a person who is (supposedly)making contributions to the society, who is a top official and a highly paid executive, am I insignificant?
What determines the value of a human life?
I don’t have an answer. But I do believe that as long as one is alive, one is breathing, one carries within him or her the potential to be valuable. Even if it is not apparent, everyone is an essential cog in this grand machine. Just because I don’t make any money doesn’t mean I am useless. I carry within me an infinite potential to be useful.
Right.
Anyway noone is writing anonymously on medium about me ruining their lives. So yea. Maanasamaina-1. Horrible boss-0. Note the tally universe.
