Today, I saw him standing beside the liquor store again, begging for assistance. He's the same alcoholic whom most of us in this part of Yelahanka encounter daily but usually disregards. He's a frail, dark, and short man clad in dirty clothes, constantly present in this area from early morning to evening. When I first met him five or six years ago, I took pity on him. I would frequently offer him a few rupees until the day I realised he was spending all the money he collected on alcohol. That's when I stopped giving him money. Despite my decision, he continued to pester me over the years. During this period, I also created many drawings and paintings of him. As an artistic obligation, I would compensate him for his liquor money. As the years passed, his alcoholism appeared to take a severe toll on him, evident in the deterioration of his physical health.
Today, just a few minutes ago, I reencountered him, standing by the liquor shop and begging. He appeared as though he hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. Apart from battling his liquor addiction, the lockdown also affected him. After approximately five years of seeing him on the streets, I decided to speak to him in my rudimentary Kannada to inquire about his food situation. He confirmed my suspicion that he hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. I gave him a little extra money and watched from a distance to see how he'd use it. Predictably, he entered the nearby liquor shop.
In a sudden epiphany, it became a transformative moment in my life. All these years, I had viewed him with disdain for being an alcoholic and for squandering his life. However, I realised that I had been drinking from a well of contempt for his life. I consumed my judgments and remained deluded about his life and its virtues. In an instant, the world changed for me permanently.
In truth, everyone in this world is like my alcoholic friend, ensuring that every opportunity they get is used to seek their own intoxicating pleasures. Some drink in art, others in philosophy, politics, power, money, success, education, morality, religious belief, hatred, contempt, ethics, social standing, farming, work, family, love, celebration, and so on. We are intoxicated by our beliefs and make-believe systems, perpetually trapped in our hallucinations. None of us differs from my alcoholic friend as we embark on our self-absorbed journeys, with some deeming themselves superior and others inferior based on our convoluted societal arguments.
The drunkard became my teacher.
(posted on fb during covid)
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