SELFIE CULTURE A PROJECTION OF SELFISHNESS?  

We are living in an age of selfie. Selfie is something that projects us alone, oblivious of the surrounding and the persons around. In this culture I feel that I can do anything myself – I don’t need another even to take a snap which I desire. Hence the ‘other’ becomes an intruder and inconvenience for me. Someone has pointedly put this question, “Who do you love the most?” to which the reply was, “I love myself the most.” To the further inquiry, “after that who?” the reply was, “Where is   time to love the other; I do not get enough time to love even myself!”

The story is told of a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Moreover, his village had the best corn crop in the country. 

One day a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

The reporter found it very strange in the competitive world. Hence he asked the farmer, "How is it that you share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?"

The farmer replied, "Don’t you know that the wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn plants in the vicinity? If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn…"

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves. This is true with our living situation.

If we want to live in peace, the neighbors also should live in peace. The things you do to make your life ‘secure’ without giving attention to your neighbor shall make you only a prisoner in your home (with security measures we take, we are creating prison out of our homes! How many of you could sleep peacefully, with the windows open and the fresh air coming in? How many of you can leave your homes for a few days to be with your children with peace of mind?

Realize: If we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn!