I try to look for the good in people, I believe people are inherently kind and good and all things sunshine. But then, we get corroded by our upbringing, immediate surroundings and peer pressure.
So, for me, people who can’t stand up to their family, friends and higher-ups, because of their innate need to belong, bottle it all up, let it fester, and then unleash it on someone who they think will be able to absorb their hatred.
A very well written characterization of this is in The Kite Runner, Khaleid Hosseini’s masterpiece on love, loss and making amends.
I am sure most of you would have read it, but for those yet to discover, the novel is set in 1970s Afghanistan, where a 12 year privileged boy Amir befriends Hassan-a Hazara boy- the son of their housekeep. Their friendship is cemented by Hassan’s unwavering loyalty and unleavened by Amir’s precocious affection. He loves Hassan but is embarrassed of his friend’s low socio-economical standing. Then something terrible happens to his friend, and instead of being there for him, he lashes out at him, acting out as a result of his own cowardice.
Their story is the most heartbreaking description of punching down.
While Amir had to leave the country because of the growing unrest as a result of the fall of the Soviet regime, he does get a chance for redemption many years after,
I was that person as a child, and I would do anything to be able to go back and do better. I would also want to stand up to those who did the same to me.
Fingers in symphony 