I’m Nightingale! | Sunday Observer

I’m Nightingale!

17 June, 2018

As far as I can remember, I was barely 11 years old. Since I was small I was passionate about music which later became a driving force to join the “bakthi geetha” group at my village dhamma school. For every Poya day, we used to visit the nearby mental hospital to sing ‘bakthi gee’ for the patients.

That day, as soon as I got down at the hospital, it felt peculiarly tense and amidst many incomprehensible sites, one caught my eye in a flash.

She was a young woman. Couldn’t have been older than 25. Since it was the Vesak festive season, she had a hand made Vesak lantern hanging from her frail hand. Surprisingly she had a “mottu” which was a piece of red paper torn to resemble a dot pasted on her forehead. To add a tad bit more content, she was running up and down the corridor yelling (I’m Nightingale). Once or twice her “mottu” flew off her head due to the brisk pace that she was keeping up but she happily licked the paper dot and pasted it back on her forehead every time.

I knew who Nightingale was back then. From the ‘almost’ accurate cosplay by the young lady, I deduced that she knew who Nightingale was as well. Florence Nightingale; the pioneer of modern nursing, was one kind lady who gave her all to take care of the sick, night in and night out, especially in the persona of ‘the lady with the lamp’.

Despite losing almost all her memory, that mentally deranged young lady somehow had clung onto the precious memory of one kind lady she got to know of.

I had no emotional maturity whatsoever to comprehend what I saw back then but it was firmly etched on my mind.

Years later, I went through a really rough couple of years. I lived a happy life and suddenly fate had decided that I had enough going my way and that it was time to mix things up. Several bad decisions and unfortunate yet unforgettable situations made me go through what I can only describe as mental torture. I sought help after trying so hard on my own. I was swept off my feet countless times and the frustration and mental exhaustion that was built up consumed my soul. I could no longer muster a pinch of energy even to get out of the bed and live to see the end of the day.

Thankfully I met a handful of caring and affectionate human beings who dragged me out of the fog and made me feel human again. The misery was finally over and I was no longer drowning and falling into a dark abyss.

At some point in life, we all go through one or several situations which make you stop and ponder about the purpose of the life and how you have lived it so far. Since I had enough experience in mental struggles, I revisited the memory of that frail young lady who only knew Nightingale. It was unequivocally obvious that she adored the character of Nightingale. And I can swear that at one point before she lost her mind, she was dearly hoping for a “Nightingale” to veer into her life and care for her like she deserved. But apparently no one had stepped in. I, on the other hand was lucky to find several Nightingales who to this day, think that I’m worth saving.

But the lady who adored Nightingale can only yell (I’m Nightingale).

People in every walk of life have to deal with enough tough tasks that challenge them mentally. If we all look around, we’ll see plenty of people who are dearly hanging onto their lives hoping that their “Nightingales” will magically appear to save them. In spite of your attitude towards other people, it’s about time that we treat fellow human beings in the loveliest way possible.

You never know when you’ll be gone. Don’t you want to see someone else smiling because of you before that day comes?

Everyone thinks the toughest challenge to your body is physical damage. Let me assure you that it’s not. It’s the mental agony that is purely unbearable. Knowing that you are living, but not knowing why you have to live without any love kills a genuinely pure soul every single second.

So please treat everyone around you in the best way that is humanly possible. Make everyone feel loved. No one in this world can survive without love. Maybe it’s a big bright smile, maybe it’s a warm hug. Just do it if who’s next to you deserves it because you never know what they are going through. Not everyone seeks help as we have turned a blind eye towards mental wellbeing as a society. So, it’s high time that we put an end to engendering delusional “Nightingales” due to our ignorance. Be a reason for another human being to smile! Be a reason for another human being to live!

- JNG

 

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