In a world marred by greed and jealousy, we must reclaim empathy and support to transform our relationships from toxic to nurturing
It is a fact that man is a social being. He cannot live in isolation. He needs others to live a comfortable life. Though a person can survive alone, in the company of near and dear ones, he feels safe. However, when relationships turn toxic, a person feels cut off from every kind of relationship. There are many reasons responsible for turning a fruitful relationship into a toxic one.
From the very beginning, greed and jealousy have wreaked havoc on sweet relationships. The desire to gain material benefits at the cost of one’s relatives has reduced the concept of relationships to nothing. In this situation, relationships become toxic. When, instead of providing comfort, relationships hurt deeply, a person begins to hate the very concept of relationships.
In the present age, no one is on good terms when it comes to relationships. Everyone grumbles against one another. Superficial misunderstandings are creating gulfs among relatives. Instead of correcting them, people escalate the situation, and the result is that hardly any relationship remains unspoiled. As mentioned above, when greed and jealousy hijack relationships, it becomes quite difficult to continue.
Once upon a time, there was sympathy, empathy, love, etc., in relationships. One relative was always available to help another relative come out of any difficult situation. Monetary help, kind words, and other forms of assistance were the order of the day. If a relative was found in a difficult situation, all the relatives would do their best to help him or her. But now, it is gone. Gabriel Okara is right in saying that whether among common people or relatives, they meet each other for personal benefit.
Its results are obvious. People are in need of caretakers. By name, there are thousands of relationships, but when it comes to helping each other, there is no one available. There is no contact between relatives today. They have closed doors to each other. In their hearts, they harbour grudges and are reluctant to meet even for a casual encounter. This has turned what were once fruitful relationships into toxic ones.
The need of the hour is that, as human beings, we must try our best to mend our ways. The time is not far off when, in a large crowd of relatives, a person will find himself or herself alone, looking for companions. It does not bode well for a human being to be full of toxicity. So, let us try to build good relationships as soon as we can.
By Syed Mustafa Ahmad
sy************@***il.com