have we become immune?

Like every other guy who has a smartphone with whatsapp messenger installed in it, i too woke up this morning and checked my phone for new messages. and like always there were few conversations popping up the screen. mostly messages were in groups of which i was an inactive participant. but two of them were eye catching. one from a very old friend whose message came like after ages. second was again from a friend who was now married but keeps dropping by every now and then, in short we were in touch like every fifteen days.

i opened the first one, ‘Hi Mate, How are you?’ was the message. somehow this ‘Mate’ word doesn’t look very familiar to me. though i am in US, but the word is more like European. which reminds me this friend of mine is in UK for say like almost three years.

I opened the second message. ‘need to talk…its urgent’ now this is something to be acted upon. i picked my phone and dialed her number. she was on another call so i dropped it. first thought was something bad has happened, she was calling everyone.

while i waited for her message, i typed a reply to my first friend ‘Hey…long time….m fine…how are you?’ there was an immediate reply,

‘Good…last week came back from India’

‘Oh wow…so found some girl? marriage plan progressed?’

‘actually, my father passed away’

i was shocked. there was nothing i could reply for at least few minutes. meanwhile second friend’s message came, ‘call now’. what else bad news will be here, i thought. i thought of calling her after some time as i must talk to him first. I could not call him as my US number does not allow me to make call to UK due to my India calling card. so i asked him about aunt and his brother on the messenger itself, it was weird consoling someone via messages. every message lacks emotions and somehow makes you more detached. but i had no other choice. 

I looked at the watch, it was already 8 and i was getting late for office. soon our conversation ended with words like ‘hmm..okay…and take care’ i turned to the other message. and dialed back. ‘Hi…sorry couldn’t call immediately. whats the matter? everything okay?’

‘yes, all is fine, i just need your expert advise on which company should i join? i have two offers. one is paying good but work is hectic, also very less leaves. other one is paying less but lot of leaves and work is also not hectic’

my first thought was what the hell, here is a guy whose father had died and he was like ‘how are you’ and there is this girl ‘call me urgent’ isn’t it weird how the world works, how different people react on situations? i find it weird. well like she said, as an expert i gave her both pros and cons of both the companies but with no conclusion as it was she who has to decide for herself not me. she was satisfied. time was already 8:25 and i was really getting late.

i ran to the bathroom and within few minutes i was all groomed for a reputed US based pharmacy company. while traveling to the office, what was changed? a friend’s father had passed away, other friend was more worried about which job offer to accept. apart from being late for few minutes to the office, what was changed?

here when i thought of penning down this incident, again i thought ‘what was changed?’ then a more relevant question passed by my mind, ‘have we become immune as humans?’