No matter into which level the insensitivity of a society deteriorates, there are few reasons for losing hope. Since the early days of civilisations, many human communities have been found lost in the abyss of self-interest. After all, self-centric trends have been defining the larger segments of society since long. At extreme points, the foible egocentrism dwarfs all kinds of wickedness. On occasions, lack of compassion and empathy seems benign when compared to insensitivity. Yet there are uplifting things around us. In spite of the pervasive dominance of insensitivity, a subterranean stream of love also flows through human societies.
Given the great place of the many forms of cruelties among humans, societies would have long started disintegrating. But it hasn't happened. As optimists would like to view it, this is because all is not yet rotten in societies. Going past a middle-aged man lying unconscious at a busy bus stop with no qualms or feeling of curiosity in the people around appears to be a height of insensitivity. It occurred the other day in Dhaka. The man has been in that motionless state for quite some time. According to street children, the crew of a bus have brought the senseless man out of the vehicle and left him dumped on the ground. More than half an hour has passed, the hapless man lying on the ground with no motion. The adjacent footpath is filled with pedestrians, vendors, beggars and assorted people. Everybody is going about their business. Scenes like this are not that unusual in Dhaka city.
The tolerably well-dressed middle-aged man would have been in that pitiable state for some time more had not a smart young man come rushing towards him. The young man was driving a car. After almost speeding past the motionless man, he pulled in a few meters from the scene. He checked the man's pulse, and carried him into his car with the help of some passersby. The car leaves the place in a moment. By that time a small crowd gathers, with people showering praise on the youth. A brief excited discussion follows. It was then leant that the man was the victim of a notorious gang which mugs gullible passengers by making them unconscious through dope. Bus passengers falling victim to mugging-cum-dope gangs is a day-to-day occurrence in Dhaka. All of them are tricked into taking a large dose of sedatives or similar substances that might lead to their deaths. In the present case, the victim was fortunate to be moved to a hospital when there was still time for him to be stomach-washed and come free of danger. The gentleman came to the capital from a nearby small town to draw his pension money. The money was gone. But thanks to the nearly providential appearance of the kindhearted youth, he could survive.
Happenings involving people in hazards are part and parcel of Dhaka. Barely a day passes in the city when a person does not have a brush with a great mishap, and even accidental deaths. The question of insensitivity, if not the one of letting a criminal get away with his act, arises at this point. Watching in utter nonchalance an elderly man being assaulted physically by thugs in broad daylight or a young woman being verbally abused by teenagers seems to be the order of the day. Few bother about standing by the hazard-struck, the humiliated or the weak. Exceptions are also many. When a midnight fire breaks out, some people still rush to the scene to rescue the blaze victims. Noticing a child drowning, brave people still dive into a derelict pond. In this society of ours, we can find people for whom insensitivity is anathema. Driven by the spirit of humanism, they are ever prepared to bail people out.