No one is indispensable

Those of us who have watched the film My Fair Lady will remember the delightful song, There’ll be spring every year without you. Eliza Doolittle (a flower-seller) has helped Henry Higgins (a professor of phonetics) win a bet that he can teach her to speak in a refined manner. When his pupil is mistaken for a princess, triumphant Higgins basks in praise, ignoring Eliza. She angrily walks out on him, and indulges in a lyrical outburst, declaring that England
still will be here without Higgins,
and that the Earth does not need him to spin. Eliza confidently concludes that, like everything else, she can manage minus her mentor.

Professor and protégée eventually reunite, but Eliza’s melodious manifesto of independence states an important truth. Nobody, however essential to our existence they may seem, is indispensable.

Not long ago, my husband and I parted company with a person who had been in our employment for 25 years. His departure caused us considerable concern, and we wondered how we would cope. It was
not easy at first, but we have grown more self-reliant, and others are ready to render assistance.

The age-old theory, “Nature abhors a vacuum,” may be outdated, but we repeatedly realise that, when it comes to humans, we are not as difficult to replace as we might imagine. My former workplace, where I spent six fruitful years, is doing remarkably well, and in no way impaired by my absence.

I am reminded of an incident that my cousin shared with me. Once, when he and my father were driving past a cemetery, the latter slowed down. Indicating the tombstones that were partially visible over the wall, my father remarked that, among the hundreds at rest, there were probably many who had been pillars of their communities. They would have found it hard to envisage a world devoid of their presence. Yet, there they lay, still and silent, and, in some cases, completely forgotten. “Remember, we are not indispensable,” said
my father.

Of course, the passing of people dear to us leaves a void. Still, much as we miss our loved ones, we have no choice but to carry on. One day, when our time comes to bid farewell, life will continue calmly without us!