Let's put human life above Instagram, please!

This picture has been used for representational purpose

It is rare that this edit piece spins off from a report of a incident that has taken place outside India. Yet, these are global times and the Internet super highway shrinks distances and connects us like never before. That is why a report about a student brawl, holds lessons for us as a society. The report states that on Monday, a deadly fight between students broke out in New York. A group of teenagers looked on as a 16-year-old student was knifed. The boy eventually died from his wounds in hospital, but even while he was suffering some took out their phones and documented the fight, later putting it on social media. Nobody from the bystanders stepped in to help.

This sounds familiar. Taking videos and photos has become the new walking away from trouble or not wanting to get involved. Here, too we have seen numerous instances when people prefer to record something for the maximum likes on social media rather than help those in trouble. Earlier, there was an attitude of getting away before we get embroiled in this situation. Today, barring a few, the attitude is let's get away but before that we should take a picture for Instagram.

One does agree that in India, helping somebody who has been in an accident or a fight like we read here would lead to a bureaucratic rigmarole and people were wary of getting embroiled in such situations. Today though processes are more streamlined and youngsters especially need to be taught that help must take precedence over taking pictures of those struggling.

There are good Samaritans who help, but we need campaigns to spread awareness, we need to listen to our conscience and realise that compassion must come before that click.

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