The ripple effect

Throw a pebble into a placid pond and the disturbance created spreads in ever-widening circles until they reach the very edge of the pond.

Called ‘The Ripple Effect’, it is representative of what happens in many areas of life. One small act can let loose consequences that are far-reaching and so play an important role in material and ethical aspects of living.

The following story illustrates this point admirably: A traveller who was riding a magnificent horse reined in when he heard the cries of a man lying on the wayside.

He was lame and wanted help to reach his home some distance away. The traveller offered him a lift. Since the man was lame and said that he had not eaten anything that day, the kind traveller got off and lifted him on to the horse. As soon as he was astride, the lame man whipped the animal and was away in a flash.

‘Listen!’ shouted the traveller.‘You have lost your horse,’ laughed the lame man.
‘You may take it,’ said the traveller, ‘but don’t tell anyone how you got it. Whoever hears it will never ever stop to help a lame man!’

What happens between two people hardly ever remains a mutual transaction.
What one person does becomes representative of what others are capable of doing. With each act, we set an example and this is true whether the person is a parent, teacher, trader, in fact, whatever his or her calling happens to be.

Consider the gang rape that took place in Delhi. It shook the entire nation and there are very few who do not want the guilty to be punished severely.

But what of its fallout on ordinary people? They do not want their daughters to travel alone or at night. They would rather impose restrictions on them rather than invite molestation or worse. The result is that all men have been tarred with the same brush.

Psychologists have pointed out that abuse of the child can twist their personality out of shape. Tyrants and despots are often products of traumas suffered in childhood.

History may have been different if Hitler had received more appreciation for his artistic abilities. However, what is heartening and inspiring is that this effect works both ways, that kind deeds and good actions can have an equally great impact and turn the world into a better place.

There is no shortage of examples with one of the finest coming from our own land. A man clad in a loincloth dared to bend and pick up a handful of salt. It galvanized his countrymen into action and rought freedom to our nation.

His name of course was Mahatma Gandhi. Another unforgettable person in this category was Anne Sullivan.

Another unforgettable person in this category was Anne Sullivan.

Using just a few words, she was able to communicate with a child who lived in “utter
darkness and withering silence”. This was the turning point in the life of Helen
Keller who was deaf, dumb and blind. It was an act that not only brought sunshine
into Keller’s life but also light and confidence into the world of the blind.

No act remains with the performer. It fans out, affects and influences many others. Let us take care of each of our acts; the world then will take care of itself.