We all know that being socially aware means that you understand how you react to different social situations and effectively modify your interactions with other people, so that you achieve the best results. According to Karl Marx, human beings enter into certain productive or economic relations which lead to a form of social consciousness. Social awareness gives us the ability to understand and respond to others’ needs. By doing so, we improve our social skills and gain the respect of others. To achieve this, basically, we need to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. Someone who is desperate and in need of help. Empathy helps us understand someone else’s perspective. In a nutshell, social awareness is defined as being aware of the problems that different societies and communities face on a day-to-day basis.
A classic example would be the recent mass destruction and havoc created by the floods in Kerala and Karnataka. People dying due to drowning, hunger and thirst. Practically everything was lost and washed away in a matter of seconds and minutes. The fury of nature taking everyone by surprise. The Government, NGO’s, Welfare organisations, Corporate Bodies, Societies, individuals, practically all and sundry, responded to the call to help. Donations, contributions in cash and kind poured in. People were shoulder to shoulder with one another. No caste, creed or religion made a difference to neither the victims nor the volunteers. What a noble gesture, a treat to see, hear and experience. Responsibility to the cries for help in their time of distress. Our Archbishop, Filipe Neri Ferrao, through all the Parishes in Goa and the organisation, Caritas-Goa, led the way in organising relief to these brethren. Social media was abuzz with updates and live coverage of the damage and the relief work, the volunteers doing a wonderful job. Humanity and social concern personified. God loves a cheerful giver. God Bless us all.