Privilege and Empathy

In recent days I have been thinking a lot about my privilege.  This is because I am starting to interact with people of all social standings.  We do not know how certain actions lead to certain consequences- I sometimes miss my office shuttle and would be forced to take a share auto for commuting. By sitting along with co-passengers and having small chit-chats throughout the journey, I can glimpse a part of their world. For instance, I would hear stuff about how the share auto drivers would not have their breakfast until they had earned the money they had spent on fuel. I often see how women run en masse to get into the government public transport buses. (In Tamil Nadu, women in the state can travel free of cost on the government-owned city and town buses)

 

In this light, I would want to narrate two incidents that inspired me to ponder on my privilege.

 

Scenario 1# -  A restaurant serving good food but cuts costs at the wrong places:

 

During weekends, I have my morning brunch and evening snacks at a very famous restaurant.  On one such occasion, when I was near the cash counter to pay the bill, I saw a young, fragile woman running towards the counter. She and her team were responsible for moping the floor and ensuring that cooking areas are relatively free of spillage. It so happens that when you work in wet environments for a long time, you develop skin conditions like rashes, cuts, and other problems.

 

The receptionist was provided with Saibol - a commonly used ointment to treat skin conditions. Now, this young woman was requesting the receptionist that she had been standing in the moist area for a long time and it would be nice if she gave her a small tin of Saibol. (You can google the size - The tin resembles the shape of the Cherry Shoe polish, and each tin costs just a dime - around Rs 40)

 

The receptionist was double-minded and tensed. She was afraid that if the manager found that she had given a lot of Saibol tins to the people, she would have to face the music. On the other hand, she also badly wanted to help her colleague and end her suffering.

 

Firstly, I would love to extend my appreciation merely for the fact that they had stocked some Saibol inside the restaurant! - Full marks for that thoughtfulness! But is it not possible to have them in large numbers? I am not demanding here. Because the toughest job in the world is to create jobs. Any armchair commentator like me can sit in a cosy chair and comment about how the world can be a better place.  Entrepreneurs are the people who execute stuff on the ground.

 

Yet, I have a small disappointment. Now that they have become an established chain of restaurants, is it too difficult to focus on employee satisfaction? This is when I think that rich should enter the world of the poor and see it through the lens of empathy. Once I read a post by Sridhar where he says Sam Walton never occupied posh places and stayed wherever his customers were.  Could this approach connect the entrepreneurs well with their employees? (Watch this video to understand what I mean) Moreover, if we are arguing that it is the manager and not the restaurant owner who is not being very thoughtful, I would say work culture trickles down from the top and not from the middle.

 

Scenario2#: I live in a country where people refrain from spending even 2 rupees for their basic needs:

 

This time I was waiting for my local train at Mambalam (a busy locality in Chennai).  I am always fond of travelling on trains. They are indeed Garib Rath (poor's chariot). Many sell their products by hawking across the train. (Please also note that it is illegal to sell in trains without being registered. Read this beautiful poem to know how ethics wins when the law fails) Whenever the train services are about to end, I have seen those people stretch their legs across the seats and have a tired sleep. Of course, this is not why I am fond of trains. They are cheap. I can commute from Zoho to Chennai Central Railway Station for just 15 rupees, making it very seductive to prefer it as a mode of transport. And this has made me flirt with their world, their way of life.

 

This Mambalam railway station also has a drinking water kiosk. You could get your water bottle refilled (starting from 500ml) at Rs 2 without complaining about the water quality.

 

When was about to board the local train with the water bottle I had purchased there, a transgender woman approached me and requested, "Thambi, enaku andha bottle eh thareeya? Thaagama irukku." (Brother, could you lend me that water bottle? I am thirsty.) This is despite the bottle being half finished. To provide you with more context, I just came across this incredible statistic that an Indian earning a monthly wage of Rs 25,000 is among the top 10 per cent of earners in the country. For those remaining 90% earners, two rupees is indeed a big deal. I think this fact should shake our collective conscience.

 

I can be all sad and concerned but I know that nothing changes their lives because of that. What could change their lives is by cultivating a big heart and a manifold brain. A heart that emotes seeing the suffering and a brain that ends it with prudent solutions.  These days, we see parsimony instead of charity beginning at home. The above two scenarios are not even about charity. They are about being curious and willingly entering their world with compassion and empathy.

 

I ask aloud, is that difficult?  

 

The world says yes with its piercing silence and indifference.