'' Many people happen to hurt other people's feelings without realizing that they are doing so; you may take these instances as the commonest evidences of people's lack of imagination. Is imagination a quality that can and should be cultivated? A clear answer to this question is: 'yes'. If the clear answer is 'yes', then the next clear question is: 'How do we do it?' Let us make an effort to answer this question.

One evening Manoj came back home from work as usual; at home, he found his wife Renuka weeping bitterly. He stopped where he stepped in, and asked, "Why? What's happened? Why are you crying, Renuka?" Sobbing, she said, "Sushmita's child has been killed in an accident." Manoj reacted, "But what's there so much to cry about? So many children get killed in accidents, don't they?" Still sobbing, Renuka said, "But my heart breaks when I think of Sushmita." Manoj said, rather callously, "Now, come on! Don't be so silly!" And he walked away, leaving Renuka to continue weeping.

Another day, Renuka got the news that another friend of hers, Vasudha, had lost her husband following a massive heart attack; and Renuka was crying again. Yet another day, Renuka found a small kitten at her door-step; it was mewing in a plaintive way; perhaps it had strayed away from its mother and was feeling hungry. Renuka brought the kitten in and fed it with some milk. Its tone of mewing changed and became a contented purr; obviously, it was not complaining any more; instead, it showed signs of being happy. Manoj was rather irritated and commented, "You have nothing better to do, Renuka?" And he walked off the other way.

Yet another day, Monica's son had lost his job, and the family found no way to make ends meet. Renuka asked Manoj if he could put in a word with his friend Venu who had his own little factory where Monica's son could perhaps be given some small job, at least for the time being, till he found something else. Manoj couldn't care less. In an irritated tone he said, "Leave me alone, will you, Renuka? Let him find his own job; I can't be bothered." And he looked the other way. He couldn't pause and step into the other man's shoes.

Obviously, Manoj and Renuka had two entirely different ways of looking at life; they hardly ever saw eye-to-eye about anything. Obviously again, they had grown up in two entirely different homes. In a home where both the parents agree on being compassionate towards those who are suffering in some way, the children grow up imbibing compassion from the environment at home. Today's world is crying for such homes. Remember, as parents, we owe it to our children, and through them, to the rest of the world to create homes in which love, fellow-feeling and kindness are nurtured. Don't we all need a better world to live in? The clear answer is: "Yes, we do!"