Make a Life....Please

Angelina Jolie, Sushmita Sen, Sen John McCain and Supreme Court nominee Justice John Roberts Jr are my personal heroes. Not because of their politics and views or they are beautiful, talented and famous. All of them have adopted children, some of them in partnerships with their spouses and some as single parents. Adoption, the single most selfless act that one can ever be a part of. Acts which many more of us should indulge in, but sadly don’t in the world today.

After our son Sidharth was born, I have known the effort, time, care and unconditional love that goes into raising a child. We have floods, tsunamis, famine, terrorism and poverty rampant all across the globe, thereby millions of children all around the world must be deprived of all the privileges accorded to a normal happy child. Despite all the clichés, children truly deserve better. An eight year old is not meant to work in factories or cater to pedophiles or serve as a punching bags for parents to vent their frustration. Depictions of the sad lives of children in excellent documentaries like ‘Born into Brothels’ and ‘Salaam Bombay’ help educate us, but the fact remains that each one us have innate ability to better the lives of, if not impoverished adults, the lives of the little ones of this world. Easier said than done, since it may not be easy to rise above inherent feral feelings towards ones own progeny, and at the same time be judicious while dealing with an adopted kid. Will one really be impartial when dealing with someone who’s not a part of your own gene pool? These are some of the doubts that most parent go thru before considering adoption. Some other predilections like the financial ramifications (adoption is not cheap), legal quagmire, the child’s mental and physical health all play a part of the overall decision. One needs to think about all these aspects before adopting.

Most or in fact all of our actions, if you like to admit it or not, are targeted to make us feel better about ourselves. Well, adoption is no different either, since people who adopt kids are in some subliminal was, basically are catering to themselves, and their ego. But if we can do good to fledgling lives, even if it may be just one, that would be truly something magnanimous to leave behind. If truth be told, many of us will never ever have the power to affect multitudes of lives a la Gandhi or Mother Theresa, Bill Gates, Rockfeller or George Soros. Just starting with one small life does not seem such a tall order. I am absolutely convinced about the merits of adoption. It’s just the missus who now needs convincing. Only if could be that easy!!!

Check out recent trends on adoption here. Please, at least make one life worth living, and worth living well.