When I bought my TV set the first channel I was hooked on was Animal Planet and National Geography. In the beginning, I was not understanding why I was liking it so much it even when the ugly crocodiles were tearing the body apart of zebras in muddy water, which were trying to cross the river. The water got muddier when the crocodiles were taking and turning to tear the zebras before they can convert it into easy bite sizes. I do remember watching it, as if, I have to give exam tomorrow on this subject matter. There was nothing good in particular about watching it, except for the narration and the passion was put in the document to make it so interesting. I was immensely fascinated, the way animals were treated with so much respect, liked and loved. Above all, they were not being judged about their wild behavior.
It was more of narrator's voice which was so captivating, with full of respect and understanding for animals, even for their wild behaviors they took before they trap their prey. More I watched, more I learned that many nature conservationists were studying hard throughout their lives about wildlife and their behavior, with so much passion and respect. Interesting, no judgement for its wild and untamed behavior.
As a young child, I was customized to hate animals of all kinds including cats [ it was viewed as a symbol of black magic]. Killing another animal for its food and then devouring it instantly when the blood is still hot was regarded very bad. Now, I was watching it live on my TV and yet not hating it for what it was doing. It was the wildlife in jungle and that's how they manage food for survival. There is no way judging them for the food it manage for living.
Watching these channel has one good point and one bad point in it. I like it the way the wild animals were treated and understood but, I did not like the fact that how badly we were treated when we were growing up in Bal Mandir.
I have been writing about this second class citizens behavior from the staff at the Bal Mandir in many of my posts and then be judged that we are bad, purely because we came from bad family background they ignores that it was the situation that went wrong with us. Many thought the bad things happened to us, because we must have done some bad work in our early life- the philosophy of karma you know. Had I not watched these channels, I would have never ever learned that we were treated worse than these animals. Me being a very slow person to get things fast, it really took me time to get the real reason behind; why I was so hooked on to watch that channel and why I liked it so much.
Like everyone I like being respected and understood. But, I learned something only after seeing how animals were being treated and respected by humans. and how badly humans treated another human beings.
Honestly speaking, I did not even have heard the word dignity nor I knew the meaning of it until I went to college. One of my friend was talking about it. Then, I came across this word when she used the another word ‘humiliating’, which was again a new word for me by then. I grew up in an environment where we were not respected, loved, liked yet I was not aware of all this words. Now, its something pretty strange for me to absorbed even today. What I was missing in those days was respect, dignity, right and freedom of being who we are and what we are. To feel good about ourselves regardless of the situation that went bad in our life.
The channels let me know [without intending] that the it was human's decision to treat good or bad way to other human being or other creature on earth. It has nothing to do with us or our condition and then the book by Gijubhai [Divaswapna] gave me the glimpse that it was something which even family members were treating with their own children in 1920s India. That in fact, it was consoling to me in so many ways but it was the sign of uncivilized society.
With some exception, we know that that if we treat roughly to the wild animals they are bound to attack us and then harm us. We might get killed under its wild anger. There is no doubt, humans can be very dangerous creature too, if; they are treated worse than animals. I have seen people who has the simple motto in life, “you treat me like one I behave like one.”
There is no doubt that I was not brought up in civilized environment but it seems to me that it was our society not just my environment. If we want to be treated good we must treat others with equal respect. One thing for sure, for best result treat them like the humans ! or in simple language be civilized in your behavior.
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