As water-coolers / coffee machine gossips go and our office has many of them… (coffee machines.. I mean), save our tigers campaign has been quite talked about in terms of “let’s do something” part of our lives. What many fail to understand that signing up for a website is not going to save tigers or for that matter anything at all. “Spread the word” campaigns do just that… they spread the word. They don’t end up solving real-world problems.
This piece in today’s Hindustan Times echoes brilliantly what most of us feel about the campaign.
This also brings me to the trouble of coffee-table community service that most people want to indulge in. Translated it means, writing elaborate plans, reports, sending ‘register for support’ campaigns… sometimes even educating people that these problems exist and a heightened sense of awareness will help solve them. But does it? Obviously it doesn’t. We cannot save environment by sending campaigns on mail.. nor can we solve terrorism by doing candle-lighting.
These events do nothing but become channels for commercial gains for enterprises who cleverly identify how will you react to a certain situation.
Obviously, & thankfully the above is not always true. I have met a few people in my life who are so committed to few causes they support that sometimes I feel ashamed at our own materiality and growth-focused life. I respect those people for their sheer energy and passion, and I wish there were more like them. Even if I were a shade more like them.. I think I would be happier. Getting awed is easy, getting inspired is not.
