A Freeway To A Better World

On the weekend, while sipping a king size cafe latte in a Rajiv Chowk metro station's Cafe Coffee Day, I wondered what does it take from a person to acknowledge and appreciate the being and effort of another person? I couldn't help observing people's raised eyebrows and instant frowns for neither the coffee was interesting enough to distract me nor was it possible for me to commence reading my new book amidst all the superficial chatter that eclipsed the English country music streaming from cafe's new wireless Bose speakers. 

You might find it hard to believe, but the question remained in my head even after I was done with all the scheduled meetings and was on my way back to home. See, here I am talking about our society at large, including you and me. Each one of us gets our dose of moral conditioning not just from our homes, but also from all the place and people we invest our time and energy on. And, the skill of appreciation, which I am trying to bring to notice, is, unfortunately, absent in most of us. 

Accept it or not, most of us refrain from pausing and dropping a genuinely good note or even a simple smile to any person we come across, who we do find wholeheartedly fusing-in all his/her resource and talent to do something remarkable. Now, you most probably would say "So what? How does it matter? Somebody or the other would pause by and appreciate the chap, why do I have to it? And, by the way, when nobody ever has been all that nice to me, why should I be?" 

Did I just catch you awkwardly smiling? Yeah, I guess I did, because, you see, I understand that you can closely relate to all of this and are also somewhere down the line a bit apologetic for the same. But, if we are human enough to feel apologetic, why aren't we humane enough to dare and drop a note of appreciation to the ones who are enthusiastically trying to do things which you almost always ignored? 

I remember having once read a quote by William James, a well-known psychologist, and philosopher,  “The deepest principle of human nature is a craving to be appreciated.” And, to encourage you furthermore to inculcate this healthy habit, I will now like to clearly list three most astounding benefits which are as follows-

1- A Freeway to a better world:  Your sincere compliment can inspire somebody to fight against all odds and keep making the extraordinary efforts to beautify the world. Assuming that you are a Twitterati as well apart from being an ardent lover of Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Snapchat, I hope you do get to read about the horrifying everyday occurrences inflicted by groups of intolerant people from around the world. Then, explain it to me, how is it that you haven't so far been able to understand the fundamental essentiality of encouraging the people who are doing genuine good? Give it a thought, because, like many other believers, I too believe that the best way to better up any society is by encouraging its selflessly dedicated craftsmen to come together. 

2- A smile accelerator:  The fact that humans seek approval of one other for the work they do, is now scientifically proven. Whether you are a student, a working professional or a parent, you would agree that every time somebody steps forward and sweetly expresses their approval, you feel absolutely elated. So, when a simple note of appreciation can offer greater motivation than Money itself, why don't you start serving back your community by gifting its people a variety of smile accelerators?

3- A matter of Karma:  Nowadays, a lot of people rest their belief in the rules of Karma than that of the ones listed in their religion's holy book. So, if you too are one such believer, you would clearly agree with the fact that complimenting another person's effort and out of the blue gifting warmth to their heart will help you attract positive energy and blessed luck to your own life. 

So, I suggest you to #UnNumb your mind and starting from today mend your behavior towards others and begin to considerately contribute for the betterment of the society. And, yes, most of all, do not ever misinterpret a genuine note of appreciation as somebody's attempt to 'hit' on you.