Is it the social caste system or simple human kindness that has endured?
I remember one day in Bangalore, Southern India, I was riding my bike down a long, gradual hill while a rickshaw man was struggling to peddle his rickshaw up the hill with two adults in it. One of his thongs (flip flops) fell off. I came to a screeching halt, picked it up, and started back towards him with it in my outstretched hand.
He came unglued and started yelling at me to put it down. I had touched his dirty thong, and even though I was a boy, I was white and way above his standing in the social caste system. Because others on the road witnessed this, I had – in his mind – drilled his social standing home and made it worse by touching his “dirty” property and social unworthiness.
I tossed his thong towards him and very sadly turned and went on my way. In truth, I was 14 and should have known better. I had unnecessarily embarrassed and insulted not only him, but everyone who had witnessed what I did.
You know what, though? I trust he quietly never forgot the truth and kindness at the core action of a young white boy. I like to think he questioned his belief in the social caste system and realized how easily it could be dissolved with simple acts of kindness between human beings…I like to hope so anyway.
What futility we conjure up for our own selfish and false gains. After all, is it not so that even we attempt to put ourselves above each other simply to boost our own ego? Do we have our own version of a caste system?
| Copyright © 2021 by Victor L. Midyett |
America certainly does, although ours is based on a distorted, surreal type of "merit" system. The elites are above all, can get away with saying stuff on Facebook others can't, the cowardly suck-ups at FB fearing the "blowback" if they ban a popular figure (POTUS notwithstanding of course), they can in fact get away with murder. Except merit here doesn't mean "merit"; it means whether the masses accept you as an elite, like the Kardashians. Rich and famous for being rich, famous and utterly lacking in talent. A line from "Money" by Pink Floyd comes to mind, "New car, caviar, Pulsar, baby I think I need a football team..."
ReplyDeleteFrom Vic, roundabout:
DeleteYou are so right, Roger. Thank you for your response. I KNOW we have a similar put-down system seemingly with the intent of raising ourselves above another. I simply wanted to get folks thinking that it IS real.
The caste system in India resonates here; as a pest control operator, I would be of the lowest sort were I there, like a "ratcatcher", in fact would have no caste status at all. Therefor most Indian customers did not care if I took my shoes off or not; I simply did not count as human I think.
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