demanding what one deserves

Its common among software engineers and I’ve been no major exception as well – to be perpetually pissed off for not having got a well-deserved hike or a promotion, esp as much as someone else got. Once in a way, we go beyond mere bickering and nagging to really trying to demand what we deserve. A common very effective strategy when all else fails is to procure another job offer – now that really grabs the management’s attention and they finally start listening!

I’m currently in Hyderabad visiting some friends. Was pleasantly surprised to come across a Kannada version of the Jataka Tales in a bookshelf. Flipped through it and found it really involving – beautiful and priceless (purchased from some Buddha Vihar or something like that in Bangalore, will find out exact details and post it here later. They (it was one among many others) seemed to be really old books though newly purchased, looked like a long lost treasure!) . Anyway the Jataka Tales were very fond memories from my childhood beautifully illustrated by Amar Chitra Katha comics.

But for those would try reading a story another time after all these years, might well find a bit more depth in the very same story. And this particular Kannada book even had the stories written in a more detailed way, starting right from the Pali translation.

One particular story I remember is about an elephant’s generosity.

Reading the story first before proceeding would be better for the the rest of this post. (don’t bother too much about the story’s title – its probably just some kind of a literal translation):
The Elephant King Goodness

For this context, if we ignore the the greed and ingratitude aspect of the story, and look at only the selfless giving part of the elephant, who only gets suffering in return, I was reminded of its story when I read this news article:

BANGALORE: They battled the floods morning, noon and night for four days. Today they are fighting a different battle — against disease and infection. Two of them lost out in this fight. Scores of policemen, BWSSB workers, BCC gangmen and labourers worked continuously for days on end trying to clear clogged drains and water-logged roads.

On Friday, threats of heavy rain and water-logging had receded. Instead, fungal infections, skin-related diseases, dhobi’s itch loomed as large as the floods. The feeble gumboots and galoshes were no match for the water-borne vectors waiting for baits.

source: TOI: All they get in return is disease

To whom do these guys demand what they deserve? Ok they may somehow manage to find the right persons to demand monetary compensation or more safety measures, etc but they can’t really demand that the pain that they’re going through from all their ailments (and the medicines, medical treatment is hardly ever pleasant) be reduced.

Atleast the next time we come across these chaps, let’s not show them the same disregard as we normally do 😉 We could do anything even if it seems very insignificant like a smile or a thanks or even a silent wish for their good.

“From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that we are here for the sake of each other – above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.”

~ Albert Einstein (1879-1955)