Bosco Pereira sdb
MUMBAI, JANUARY 25, 2010: A 'factory' made progress with lots of production and profits. There was a particular MACHINE that did 80% of the work. It was the owner's pride, neighbours envy and the delight of the workers. No other "machine" could produce and manufacture so much. The 'power', the 'speed' and the 'efficiency' that this machine delivered was far beyond expectations. But and a Big BUT for that matter, it got dysfunctional every now and again creating physical damage to the people who worked on it or around it.......fingers got cut, sparks went into people's eyes, faces got wounded or the head got damaged - now and then a person even died.
Since these accidents did not happen on an everyday basis, not much attention was given to the defective 'machine'. The focus was on the huge profits and not on the damage done to the individuals. To heal and hide the wounds, a first aid kit was placed in the work place. A nurse was employed to say that management 'Cares'..... And as years went by more damage was done. The wounds became more fatal. The productive machine's behaviour got more erratic and violent. Injuries were on the increase......the management opened a hospital, got in counsellors to deal with the emotional and psychological consequences of the physical wounds. A priest and a nun were employed to put spiritual bandages on these wounds that were created by this Defective Productive Machine.
The machine though very useful at the same time created much damage. Nobody wanted to throw out or discard the machine that was so productive and brought in profits to make all needs and ends meet......
This parable maybe an answer to the suicides we have had in the recent past. We may have intellectual 'monsters' who 'head ' our educational system........the elephant is in our living room, it spells death.
We either change the room or get rid of the elephant. Other actions will only be 'pain killers', but the Disease will remain. Our children will carry on choosing 'not to be.'
Let's get rid of the elephant!
MUMBAI, JANUARY 25, 2010: A 'factory' made progress with lots of production and profits. There was a particular MACHINE that did 80% of the work. It was the owner's pride, neighbours envy and the delight of the workers. No other "machine" could produce and manufacture so much. The 'power', the 'speed' and the 'efficiency' that this machine delivered was far beyond expectations. But and a Big BUT for that matter, it got dysfunctional every now and again creating physical damage to the people who worked on it or around it.......fingers got cut, sparks went into people's eyes, faces got wounded or the head got damaged - now and then a person even died.
Since these accidents did not happen on an everyday basis, not much attention was given to the defective 'machine'. The focus was on the huge profits and not on the damage done to the individuals. To heal and hide the wounds, a first aid kit was placed in the work place. A nurse was employed to say that management 'Cares'..... And as years went by more damage was done. The wounds became more fatal. The productive machine's behaviour got more erratic and violent. Injuries were on the increase......the management opened a hospital, got in counsellors to deal with the emotional and psychological consequences of the physical wounds. A priest and a nun were employed to put spiritual bandages on these wounds that were created by this Defective Productive Machine.
The machine though very useful at the same time created much damage. Nobody wanted to throw out or discard the machine that was so productive and brought in profits to make all needs and ends meet......
This parable maybe an answer to the suicides we have had in the recent past. We may have intellectual 'monsters' who 'head ' our educational system........the elephant is in our living room, it spells death.
We either change the room or get rid of the elephant. Other actions will only be 'pain killers', but the Disease will remain. Our children will carry on choosing 'not to be.'
Let's get rid of the elephant!