Have you ever felt as if you should have helped someone but did not? Did you ever feel guilty for not doing anything when you could have? Well, if you have let me congratulate you by saying you have a heart, if not one big enough to deal with the immediate situation. We often come across incidents where people ask for help but we rarely lend a helping hand thinking, “Why should I help him when I don’t even know him?”

This reminds me of an incident. Once while waiting for one of my friends a beggar came up to me asking for alms. Suddenly I found myself ignoring him. To my surprise he said in Urdu “Sahib apne aankhein band mat karo” (Sir, don’t close your eyes). That very moment it didn’t strike to me but later I it dawned to me what he meant. He was asking me not to close my eyes from what is most precious in life.

We close our eyes to problems making belief that it does not exist but we fail to realise that it does exist in our mind. That is the truth, the ultimate reality. Poverty, illiteracy, disease have always plagued humanity but we have always overlooked them or even when we could not do that we have criticised their existence a number of times.

It is very easy to blame. We are blaming someone or the other most of our lives but when will we glance into our own hearts and for once take the blame on ourselves. When one finger is pointed to the other person, little do we realise three fingers pointing towards us. Its sad we don’t make an effort to change ourselves. At times we become so hypocritical that we blame the government for rising population but are thrilled at the birth of our fourth boy child. Blame neighbours for dirtying the streets but never think twice before spitting on the roads, ourselves.

I guess it is time we stop running from reality and face our problems and realize that they exist and are our own created problems. I have heard even problem has solution and we should make an effort to find a remedy, which will not only help us in the long run but the whole nation as such. We have to stop closing our eyes because shutting our eyes does not solve the problem it just leads us into darkness.

—Mohammad Taimoor,

Modern Indian School , Class X