Day by Day my frustration of not actually working in the field that I studies for several years is coming out on my face. I randomly started talking Rude to people.
This is a story of recent incident happened on 1st of March 2016.
I was walking out of Queensland Universty of Technology and out on the Gate bunch of people stopped me asking DO you support Refugees?
I did the same thing what a decent qualified man does these days. I ignored them, changed my path and started walking away.
But out of all one girl was persistent and she walked in front of me with a newspaper article may be one or two weeks back date and asked me again
Do you support Refugees? Do you care what’s happening to them?
I wanted to shout out the truth, I FUCKING DONT CARE. I am JOBLESS, I don’t know how after one next month I am going to pay my rent and I am tired of knocking Doors to HR, private recruitment companies, I have to first build myself to at least support myself before I can even think about supporting Refugees if my heart ever say so.
But did I say that? NO.
I acted more sophisticated and try my best to have a polite, Scarstic conversation as most Cruel Bosses to me Always do.
I asked her back, WHY are you Supporting Refugees?
She was surprised by my question, What do you mean Why?
This was the moment I was honest and I replied, “Till date, who so ever I worked with, Everyone Hates the Refugees and I know their reason why they hate them but never heard a story from the supporter point of view, Thus would like to know why you Support Refugees? ”
She said, No only the RICH GUYS hate the REFUGEES. And people have the saying that they take our jobs, our land and our resources.
I said, they don’t hate about taking away anything for them Everyone I know is self-aware GEOGRAPHICALLY the complete Land of GLOBE Belong to everyone and everyone has right to earn a living and feed themselves, they just hate saying why we have to work for them without our interest and they enjoy the benefits without any labour?
She was still puzzled by my statement, so I started explaining further.
Lots of my colleagues working in various field pay huge amount of Taxes. First of all the mentality of Taxes is like a Penalty on the hard work money they are earning.
On top of that they got angry that Refugees gets money for not working at all. I met some refugees who came to Australia by Sea Route. The Refugee I recently met told me When they started on small boat from their country they were 40 and only 9 were able to survive the tidal storm and reach Australia.
The Refugee said in his home country he was feeling helpless by not earning anything and he even did not have money to afford a journey to a developed country thus he took the serious step. And later he said that after a week of his arrival he got his registration. In next two week he will get his TFN and his 300 $ weekly allowance will start.
I continued. There was a time when earning even 100$ a week was a difficult task to me and my colleagues. And everyone was struggling hard enough to work for money to earn their bread. And on top paying Taxes the share of Taxes going on around 300$ a week to Refugees even when they are not working at all will just make them lazy and they will start depending on the money instead of working.
Thus i asked the question again, Why are you supporting REFUGEES?
The girl Replied in a very strong and firm voice, “BECAUSE THEY ARE HUMANS !”
Her one single line was just like a hard slap on my face. Though not physical but mentally or internally I felt OHHH TAPISH, YOU ARE GONE, You don’t stand a chance against this dialogue.
But I am a stubborn person, I still wanted to know what’s the driving energy or the strong cause that makes a girl wake up at morning, dress up and come to QUT orientation week and Educated everyone about REFUGEES?
So I asked a different question, Won’t THAT will downgrade the Economy of this Country?
At this instance, the team leader who was watching this conversation from some time approached us and interrupted our conversation and said, “Actually not, It is giving more hands for the Economy to build up.
And if you don’t mind we are little busy here. Would you mind….”
I was again shocked, Initially, I wanted to walk off but they stopped me to talk with them and now I am interested in talking and they want me to walk out of this conversation!!! Was I really Mean ???
I said ok and started walking back. The words “Because they are Humans” were repeated in mind. Inside there was guilt that The Girl is actually doing something Good and I am stopping her from doing that. That’s not me.
Why did I do that?
And adding to it, the words “Because they are Humans”, or in fact the word “HUMAN” was not used to resemble just an evolving species on Earth but the word HUMAN had emotional quotient.
It was just a deeper feeling. But then what went wrong. Either was anything on my argument not right? I re-evaluated. All the points I presented in front of that girl were politically Correct. Just why just one link “Because they are Human” Disconnected me to the world I am living in and Forces me to do something good.
Why the hell I was even feeling GUILTY?
For all my life I have learnt to Compete. Living in India and belonging to middle-class family background the only think I focussed was to compete, Competing on Resources, Competing on education, Competing to support or be against reservation. Most of the time I don’t even Realize what competition I was under but I was competing.
Made several friends but it was again taught to us that while you face interview, and if you are asked should the employee select you or your friend in this interview, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS SELECT YOURSELF.
“YOURSELF” that the number one priority what I was giving always. And I am taught I am doing right when I choose ME before anyone. Probably now there is just simple conflict between me, my inner ideal voice and the practical person I am outside.
I guess still strong belief system has not yet establish that I can choose anyone other than me when the choice is between me and someone (when someone being stranger at this instance)
So SORRY REFUGES, Currently I DONT SUPPORT YOU. I can’t even fully support myself in the tough world. Maybe One day…I will.
So The Question is Back to my readers…. DO you support Refugees???? Why or Why not?
Tapish Dongre 