FAVOURS & THANKS

I went up to the chaiwalla and confirmed, “Bhaiya, Indore-Patna Express comes on this platform, right?” and he, probably for the third time, nodded with a grin. I thanked him again for his ‘favour’.

But was that all I could do? Just a mere ‘thanks’ could suffice. Why didn’t he ask for another favour? Isn’t it obvious in science and economics, that whatever is gained must also be returned.

Let’s not think it as an ‘on-the-spot’ exchange between two persons, else it would go on forever!

But what we can observe is how a person spends his life. In simple words, towards the end of his life, what is his net counter of ‘Favours’ v/s ‘Thanks’, i.e. a difference between what he did for others and what he expected others to do for him.

Now that every exchange of favour credits one count each in the global total of favours and thanks, implies that the grand totals are always the same for both the heads. But we will always have some who end up having much more ‘favours’ accomplished than ‘thanks’ spoken by them in reply to favours.

Can this be a simple objective criterion of differentiating between the candidature for the posts in ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’? More favours than thanks and the heavens are all yours! What if this is god’s secret way to make the toughest of all decisions seem so simple and objective.

Looks good till it has the element of uncertainty, had the process been disclosed to mankind, it would give a picture of chaos and loss of purity in the genuineness of the term ‘favour’. It would then lose its meaning and the whole objective process would turn into an utter failure.

I’m happy that life is not that objective in reality.

I’m happy that there is at least one thing in which science and economics lack.

And I’m glad that there are some things in life which are still left on the almighty to decide!

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