Now as I got in the cab and we moved a few blocks, I saw a corper passing by, just a few more blocks ahead and I saw another pair. Now every time I saw them i took note of their uniforms. But that was it. I thought hey there is a corper just like me! And I fell back into my thoughts. But what struck me today was this. We actually have something that binds us together. Like an invincible umbilical cord.
Let me ask a question. Have u ever walked past a total stranger before wearing a corper uniform and u find yourself paying more attention to them as they walk by? Have u smiled at a fellow corper u do not know at a bus stop. Have u said hello to a corper u happened to get in a bus with, or stand behind in the bank queue? Well most of us may have. I have, and what was the response you got? For me there has been some slight nod of the head in acknowledgment of my intended cordiality.
Sometimes i got lucky and got a smile, other times a wave and on some very rare cases a big hello accompanied by a broad warm welcoming smile. Those were the good days. But so many times I have had my smile slowly turn into a creased eyebrow and into a full frown . I have had my hand frozen in mid air and in my most embarrassing situations, I stylishly wipe my fore head or act like I am trying to swat a fly bothering me. Yeah, I had to be creative. I have even turned my wave to an entirely different person so people won’t know I just got snubbed. I cant say its pride or lack of interest. I can’t guess or suggest the reason but it has begun to turn me into a recluse. I walk straight ahead without a smile or a hello.
Unity is one of NYSC's watchwords I think, unity in diversity. Even our country drums it into our ears. Its somewhere in the national anthem is it not? Then what is our problem? It’s easy for us to identify with our tribal indigenes, why not our fellow corps members? I don’t know if you have thought about it before, but can you imagine what it would be like if we always looked for a common ground with every person we meet? Don’t think too highly of yourself all the time. Just take a minute acknowledge a person and find a common ground. It would mean a world of people with invincible cords joining them.
You don’t have to go hug a hobo or a mentally challenged person on the streets, start from people in your immediate environment, your CDS group, your office, your home, a smile, a wave, a hello, even a nod of the head. It would warm your spirit Inside out. And believe me it would make our world a better place. You know that saying about ‘little drops of water make a mighty ocean’ contribute your own drop today, lets make an ocean together. Take a minute and think about it. If we can’t be united here, I wonder where we’ll be.
.... Again it’s just my tots...
By Alero Sandra
No comments:
Post a Comment