‘Taking for Granted’
The other day a
bit late in the night, I was thinking about this vague expression – ‘taking for
granted’ and a few unsettling ideas clouded my thought center. Without my knowledge, I slipped into an
uneasy sleep there right on the living room couch. I had a dream and therein a
white shrouded Unidentified Floating Object (UFO) came in through the walls. I
asked the Object “How did you come in?” I was a little upset too and demanded “Don’t
you think you should knock before you came in?”
The UFO got offended “kaise mathlab? Bhooth hun!
Didn't you watch the Cadbury's 5 star Chomp advertisement on TV, you moron?” it
said sarcastically. “I can come anytime anywhere in any manner.Got it?”
Though
slightly hurt at the snide remark, I quickly played back the advertisement
mentally and not sounding moron-like, curtly said “if you have come all the way
just for chomping on the Chomp; I am sorry I have none. Got it?”
The UFO was still
floating around but appeared to have calmed down; “Oh! My dead fate! I take
things too much for granted” it said ruefully!
The sentence hit me like a bolt! “Taking for granted? My God! I have been
thinking about it all night but still not getting head or tail of it! Could you
put me in perspective?” I asked the UFO quite expectantly.
The UFO stopped floating
and while adjusting its dangling white shroud properly, said philosophically; “though I
have a grudge that you didn't offer me a Chomp, since I have nothing better to do,
let me enlighten you on what exactly is taking for granted”
“Taking something
or someone for granted is to expect someone or something to be always available
to serve in some way without thanks or recognition; to value someone or
something too lightly. Taking for granted is something that we all tend to practise knowingly or unknowingly in our day to day life. It may not be an exaggeration
if I say; it probably is hard coded into our DNA. Homes, relationships, offices,
society, civic infrastructure, governments and Nation - nothing can be an
exception to this!” the UFO defined the concept with authority".
“Could you expand
the concept with a few examples?” I quizzed the UFO with my spirit of inquiry becoming quite quite palpable now.
The UFO looked around and its head was locked in the general
direction of a bucket of water kept in a corner and commanded me to hold its
hand. I looked puzzled and meekly said “er... Excuse me…I don’t find any of
your hands?”
“What a bother! Hold on to the
dangling end of the shroud, you imbecile!”
Cursing softly, I hurried to hold one end of the shroud. It floated
across to the bucket of water. I panicked and cried in a shrill voice; “We don’t
get water as and when we please. That’s the only water reserve I kept for
taking care of my morning ablutions. If you have a fanciful idea of guzzling
the whole bucket down your shroud, you would better float out of the window
right now!”
The UFO calmed me
down and said it won’t do such a catastrophic thing with anyone in this city. “Do
you remember the ‘Pensieve’ which Dumbledore used whenever he wanted to show some flashback?" the UFO asked me with a tinge of doubt. “Yes. Yes. I know it very well. I saw all the 8 movies many
times” I replied quite excitedly.
The UFO smiled victoriously and said, “Okay. Now let’s
get into your Pensieve”and jumped along with me into the bucketful of water.
(To be continued)
Interesting stuff. Anxiously wainting for part 2
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