A few years ago, I was saddened on seeing my huge German-Shepherd dog, whimpering in pain.
His ear had got infected, so with cotton swab, antiseptic cream and warm water in plastic mug, I slowly and laboriously started cleaning it, holding his head lovingly against me, before putting soothing medication, and adding a few drops of a pain killer!
My dog looked up at me, he usually allows me to touch his wounds, and I imagined what he was asking me with those brown pleading eyes, “What are you doing master, what are you thinking off? Just cleaning my ear? Treating my wound, or what?”
I touched his beautiful, handsome head and whispered, “I’m thinking of a healed ear!” Did I see a smile on my dog’s face as I gently caressed his huge head? Whatever it was, he stopped whimpering and allowed me to minister to him, as I gently applied the anesthetic balm and he continued to rest his head happily on my shoulder.
Today, I pondered on the imaginary conversation I’d just had. I thought of doctors or surgeons looking down in the operating theatre at their patients.
What did they see themselves doing? Were they thinking of themselves, only cutting, slicing and surgically removing some infected part inside? Were they so fixed on the task, they’d forgotten why they were fixing?
Or the patient; did he or she as she was wheeled in, think fearfully of the surgery or happily of being fit and whole again? What do you think of your morning workout? As a tiresome exertion, or do you see a physically fit future you in the mirror?
And as I pondered on such I thought of leaders of nations, as they started doing dramatic and drastic things; did they see a nation in turmoil or a people happily living with each other in peace? Do our leaders see one nation and one religion, really leaving the whole of India happy? Is the concentration too much on the surgery and less on the healing? I remember Trump; isolating America, not with a surgical scalpel but with butcher’s knife, as he, leader of the most powerful country on earth, with the power to bring peace to the whole world, instead, with furrowed head, divided the world with his repulsive, revolting, rotten tweets!
That day, my dog, walked away from me, and in his eyes, I saw gratefulness for what I’d done. He knew he was on his way to healing.
Are we also sure of that as we look at all we and our leaders are doing? It’s time you and I raised our eyes and help raise theirs too, from surgical slicing and segmenting and separating, to simple, soothing healing..!
