Pay Attention!

While growing up, we often heard the Hindi proverb “Bhoond bhoond se saagar ban tha hain.” Translated to english, it means ‘Each drop adds up to build an ocean.’

If there were a donation drive for any charitable cause, people would use this proverb to encourage us to make a contribution, however small it was. If there were any change campaign for an environmental cause, they would use this as a slogan for water conservation, afforestation, reducing the use of plastic bags, etc.

Even at home, our parents used this same proverb to encourage financial savings. My mom would ask us to start recurring deposits or SIPs with a small amount to save money for our hobbies or any non-essential purchase.

In this way, I grew up assigning a positive connotation to this proverb. It always denoted making small changes to create a big impact. And my understanding was true as well. The proverb was proven true time and again.

Yet, it took me some time to realise, just as positive changes can happen, even negative changes also add up to create catastrophes. Small bad habits or changes can roll over to major crime.

Maybe saying major crimes would sound unnecessarily alarming, but let me give you a small example. During my college days, I would wake up at 4 in the morning to study, and I would finish my breakfast by 6 and be ready for the day. If you are an Indian, this time is considered the best time to wake up.

After college, as the pressure to study was gone, I started to slack off. I stopped waking up at 4, and my wake-up time slowly moved to 6 and later 7 in the morning. My explanation for this delay was that I was in no hurry.

Although the logic was sound, this delay rolled over to all my other tasks in the schedule. As a result, my breakfast got delayed. Over time, I started to skip breakfast so that I could reach the office on time. An empty stomach not only affected my health, but it also affected my mood and performance at work. Waking up late was a small change, but it cascaded into something major.

In the same way, we can see this same philosophy applying to our health. Our body often gives us small signals and warnings before any major health crisis. Small signs like breathlessness after just one flight of steps, loss of appetite, unexplained aches, or that small bump under your skin.

All these are like those drops of water that add up to build an ocean of health problems. I might sound like a scaremonger, but I believe in erring on the side of caution. If small changes can add up to bring a wave of positive change, they can also add up to create a tsunami of disaster.

I may have started this blog on a positive note, reminiscing on the happier days. However, my warning about looming threats should not be discarded. I hope we learn to pay attention to all those small, seemingly insignificant changes in our lives to avoid danger.