A life cut too short

A newspaper article caught my eye. A young boy, 16 year sold was crushed to death by a train while crossing tracks yesterday. Due to our regular exposure to violence, I have probably lost all capabilities to be shocked. But this news did jar me a little. A young boy, full of life with dreams and ambitions of a new life dies an unnatural death due to something as inconsequential as following rules. Why is it that after so many deaths, so many warnings, so many horrors we still go ahead and break the rules and put our lives at risk. Is reaching office/ college/ school at time so important that we are ready to risk our lives for it. Will reaching 5 minutes late be life threatening. No, but crossing tracks to reach 5 minutes early might be. What makes this story worse is that the boy did not hear the train’s horn, because he had his earphones on and was immersed in music. The train was in full speed and could not be stopped; the boy was hit and dragged for a while before the train could be halted. I sympathise with the parents. There can be nothing worse than getting the news of the death of your young child. That too because he had chosen not to follow a mandatory rule. The sad truth is that even after this unnecessary death, there will still be cases of people crossing tracks. Pitting themselves against a lumbering metal giant hurling at full speed. And the question is ‘Why?’ Do we think we are invincible, that bad things are something that happens to other people? Or is that we feel it is our duty as citizen of India to break every rule. Do we not realise that it is us who bear the brunt of it. Drinking and driving or not following traffic light kills people or injures them seriously, in some cases paralyses them for life. Littering, spitting on roads creates an unhealthy environment in which we have to live. Honking horns leads to blood pressure and heart issues. Cigarette smoking and tobacco lead to cancer. Everything which is banned or should be avoided is for our own safety. So why are we putting ourselves at risk. Why are we committing suicide daily? Why are we still crossing tracks?