Haiku — 0032: Compassion

Being part of something.

You must have heard this by now — Not all heroes wear capes.

Today, I came across (again) a Thirukural, which is both the name of a Tamil text and the contents of it, translating roughly into “divine words”. Essentially, these are couplets with seven words, in a 4+3 format (5–7–5 vibes, anyone?)

The one in question, which inspired me to write this Haiku, roughly translates as

“A timely help, however small, shall be greater than the world”

So, here is my humble take on that:

A small act speaks loud,

Stroll, talk, give, smile, contribute,

A world of help.

Have you ever been thanked by someone? Or, better yet, thank someone from the bottom of your heart?

Have you ever thought you deserved it?

One of my most important days was the first time I trekked to the pilgrimage of Kedarnath, a sweet 12000 feet above sea level. Around the middle of going up, the person walking with me started gasping for breath. He couldn’t adjust as quickly to the altitude and the two of us separated from the rest of the group on an already cold day — It was bleak and intense.

At that time, two people with horses, who were going down, stopped to help us up and to carry him to the destination. They were even kind enough to refuse the full fee and helped him calm down. Not their first time dealing with these cases. But, for me, it was the timely help I could never quantify enough.

The same can perhaps be said of a lot of small gestures and acts we do, or are shown, which will make a world of difference.

So, let’s not hold back from doing something nice, especially when it doesn’t cost us anything, or demands a lot of effort.

And when we are at the receiving end of such nice things, let’s do the decency of acknowledging out loud.

Yesterday’s Haiku —

For the rest of my Haiku, please follow —