Tales of Kings and Kindness

Once upon a Time, a Kind and Gentle King traveling through the forests was accosted by a group of skinny mendicants who wanted to know where the river was, as they were very thirsty . As he walked them to the river, they attacked him . The dacoits, for that’s what they really were, beat him up, and stripped him of all his wealth- his coins, gold and jewelry. The gentle royal let them take all they wanted and when they were about to leave with their booty , bruised and battered, he asked them for one favor. Delighted with their booty , they readily agreed . ‘Do not ever share this tale with anyone outside’ .’Oho’, they sniggered , ‘so you don’t want it to be known that the great king himself was robbed in his own land , do you ?’ ‘No’ , he replied , ‘its because I don’t want them to feel that kindness could be repaid with betrayal and loss. They will never take pity on another fellow human again. And where will that leave all of us ?’
Cut to the Modern Ages. Read yesterday’s news paper. A man who has had an accident in front of a good Samaritan , who then takes the apparent accident victim to the nearest hospital finds himself surrounded by six thugs who take away everything he has got . Its reported – and parents tch-tch and say he should have been careful , not to get bamboozled by these goonda types. A man at Mekhri Circle flyover helps out a poor chap trying to change a wheel and gets jumped by the ‘ poor guy’s friends , loses his cards, mobile and cash , and gets his arm broken when he resists.
We all sat in school and on our parents laps and heard how we must love my neighbor, that we must be kind to our fellow men. That’s all very well , but there is an urgent undertone now - first assume the other guy , bandaged or bloody , is not first armed and dangerous. Else wait for the next car to come cruising and let them be ( snigger snigger ) the good Samaritan. I mean you can be kind , but you don’t have to be darn stoopid !
It seems sometimes, the law itself is against kindness . Moral and legal obligations seem to be quite different from place to place , and person to person. The first question is of course whether we need the law of the land to define what kindness is. Apparently it does matter. The French Criminal code makes it a crime not to help someone in need of assistance when help can be provided at no risk to oneself. Common Law under which the English and American systems are part , says the law cannot compel active benevolence . When the law compels a person to act in a certain way, it limits that person's liberty, and it does so more severely than if it simply tells a person not to do something.
In India curiously, a person who kills another in an accident is held for manslaughter whereas if the victim is only injured , its attempt to murder . So for the accused, causing death impacts him less than injury – strange. Till 7 years ago I think people were scared to even take an accident victim to the hospital as they could get needlessly involved in a long drawn police case . The law later passed absolved good Samaritans of any problems, and things became relatively easier .
Kindness seems odd to mandate. We all know instinctively what must be done in case there is an emergency or assistance required , but somehow get better at responding to that kindness in a group. All alone, and no one to count who’s standing, there is an increasing reluctance to lend a hand -Both for our own safety and the inability to showcase one’s kindness to an audience. My kindness is limited to time spans that I am free , and also to the typical convent school education that we have had , stepping aside for an older person in the elevator, helping someone to pick up scattered belongings . But this isn’t selfless. I also feel irritation when someone I have assisted at a department store to pick up all their bags , does not even acknowledge the gesture with a simple thanks.
I am no angel, nor am I the King. We need the barest of excuses to give up kindness. . I deeply feel what he says when he wants the innate desire to help to be protected at all costs. One day it could be you and me out there , and that is an awful argument to use , and a selfish point of view, but nonetheless true. And what do we want to have done unto us? Do we want our neighbour to cruise by, assuming I am a potential murderer and thief and that by helping , s/he is only causing himself inconvenience and pain ? I do what I can, but I do try my best . I hope I do not become so hard as to walk away when it matters.
Despite the headlines, I still hope that you and I can continue to depend on the kindness of strangers.
(First Published in Bangalore Miirror - My Views )