Life lessons

A honeybee flew into the house. Sitting next to me was a young 13-year-old family friend. He asked me, uncle can I…. Before even he could finish his sentence, my slipper was in my hand. He stopped me and        asked, “can I pick it up and release it?” 

 I put down my slipper. The next few minutes were spent in all of us giving him advice how to pick it up and release it without being stung. I with a bit of sarcasm said, take it in hand, let it sting you and then release it. His sister gently reminded me, once it stings it dies. Both of them with a deep emotion and desire to protect and preserve one bee! Well to cut the story short, we helped that young man to set it free without being stung.

It was a lesson for me. With a honey bee hive just across our window, bees flying onto the window and falling dead on the window sill is a common site for me. This was yet another of the hundreds of bees that I would have seen dead or that I would have killed myself. But for that young boy, innocent as he was, (or well informed decisions?) it was one life to be saved and preserved and protected. 

Some where in my life journey I had lost this innocence and sensitivity. Yes, it was only bees, but I had a rational explanation for killing it. It will sting, many die every day anyway, what difference would protecting one bee make, if you send it out, how sure are you that it will survive and a few more explanations. But for that young innocent sensitive mind it was one bee to be protected and preserved, not thinking too much about what might happen once it is send out on our house. 

But then later at night, this event spoke to me more – this loss of sensitivity and innocence is not for bees alone, even human lives destroyed or dishonored. Stories of girls being dishonored, people being killed or attacked are so common that these remain as just statistics in my mind. Yes there is some initial inner movements, but that is lost too soon in the routines of my life and challenges. Tears hardly come or heart is hardly moved these days even though so much of pain is around us in our nation and the world. 

May be that is why the Jesus reminds us “Unless you change and become like children…” 🐝 

I am reminded of this very well-known story, 

“One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.  Approaching the boy, he asked, What are you doing?” The youth replied, Throwing starfish back into the ocean.  The surf is up, and the tide is going out.  If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die. Son, the man said, don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference. After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf.  Then, smiling at the man, he said, I made a difference for that one.” Loren Eisley

May be it time to save a few more bees and shed a few more tears. Watchman Nee says, “It can rightly be said that a person who is unable to shed tears has lost something of the very essence of man: he can no longer be considered as being human.”

And also see how can I make a difference…