All Hope Is Not Lost…!

Tears rolled down his innocent face as he tried explaining himself to the people around him. He worked in a nearby garage where his master had given him a 100 rupee note to get some stuff for the shop but out of ill fortune, he dropped that 100 rupee note somewhere and now it was nowhere to be found. So, now he was going to lose his job only after his master was done beating him for the loss.

It was a hot summer day. I was at the bus stop, cursing everything and everyone around me as I waited impatiently for the bus which was late as usual, “oh God, nothing’s going to change, things are just hopeless; this is one heck of a world of torn up attitudes,” when I noticed people gathering around that young boy, sitting in a corner, holding his head in his hands as he weeped silently. His sobs turned into bitter tears as people started calling him a liar and a thug while no one for a moment thought that he might actually be telling the truth. It was then that I observed a man passing near the crowd gathered around the little boy, still insulting him for his misfortune. As soon as that man got an idea of what was going on, he ever so quietly, took out a bright and crisp 100 rupee note out of his wallet, crumbled it between his fingers, maybe to give it an older look, went straight to the boy, gently tapped him on the head and said, “hey good boy, is this what you were looking for? I found this lying there in the corner. You shouldn’t be careless with money, you know,” as he handed him the crumbled 100 rupee note.

I would never be able to put into words the expressions that suddenly took over that boy’s face. His face lit up as if he was given life again, as if death spared him by seconds. Colors returned to his face like the beautiful wings of a butterfly that escaped the hands of a mean gal. He thanked that kind man with a smile filled with gratitude as he brushed off the tears and all the insults that he was being subjected to, for everyone was given the proof of his honesty. Soon, both the young boy and the kind man, with a smile set on their faces, went on their own ways. That day I asked myself a thousand questions, I asked myself why was I standing there, just watching? Why couldn’t I spare those 100 rupees? Why couldn’t I take the first step towards bringing the change we are so desperate for? I asked myself if things could change.

Things could change. Things could change if only I tried, if only people tried. If only eyes could see what can be done; if only hands would set to work, determined to make a difference; if only instead of asking for one, we ourselves would lend a helping hand. Things would change! We don’t have to continue with this dull and hopeless life, no more dreamless, aimless, pointless people walking under the shadows, bent low, weighed down with woe. As they say, the last flicker of flame shines the brightest, this is the high time for us to bring the change, before the light dies. We cannot allow this time to slip by, unheeded and unobserved; neglected. If there’s still a ray of hope at the far end of the shore then something must be done, someone must take the first step,
someone must begin to pay attention to some of the neglected things, it sure can be you; it sure will be me.

If today, we all would resolve to do something for the greater good, something for the good of humanity, we would be able to make lives better. It doesn’t have to be something big, it can be a small act of selflessness or better, an act of kindness. If each of us would become adamant to do something; something for the sake of people merely surviving life. If each of us would set aside a small amount from what we earn for those in real need; for those in pain, we would be able to make lives easier to bear. If all of us would educate a child each; we would be able to help this ever falling rate of literacy and as a bonus; freedom from child labour and this plague of child abuse.

As all of us would start working together, more hands would join in to make this world a better, brighter place; a place where a sense of reason would take over this sense of doom that hangs heavy in the air, and in the heads of men. No more despair, no more decay, people would start walking out of the shadows, standing straight, heads held high, holding high the flags of change, celebrating the beginning of a new dawn, singing and cheering the songs of hope and happiness. Things don’t have to be like this always, things can change.

I see light at the far end of the horizon as I place my pen down, as they say…

“no cloud is so dark that the sun can’t shine through.”

Image Credits

Art by Syeda Sumayya Tariq – All Rights Reserved

Guest Author Bio

Syeda Sumayya Tariq
I started writing and sketching as a hobby. Later it turned into one of my passions, thanks to all of those who appreciated. I enjoyed talking to my notebook through these, without having to reconsider and weigh my words and feelings before putting them on paper. It is my personal belief that this is the best way to share your feelings, experiences, hope and happiness with the wider audience. I am a student of science and I come across so many amazing things everyday that I cannot help but share it with others. Sometimes however, experiences from daily life teach you so much more than a school ever can.

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