Protect Strangers With the Same Care You Give Your Family

It is easy to imagine the people waiting for someone we love. It takes a deliberate pause to remember that a stranger on the road belongs to someone too. Chapter 8 connects the protector identity with care that extends beyond the household.

Remove the category that hides the person

“That pedestrian,” “that delivery rider” or “that slow driver” can become a label that makes impatience feel justified. You rarely know why someone is moving cautiously or what they can see. Give their presence the attention the situation requires instead of assuming bad intent.

Express care through predictable conduct

Allow adequate space, avoid intimidation and follow the applicable road rules. Kindness should not become a sudden manoeuvre that confuses others. A considerate decision takes account of the wider traffic situation as well as the person immediately in front of you.

A practical way to begin

• Notice when a label is increasing your impatience.
• Return attention to the actual surroundings.
• Allow time and space rather than demanding instant movement.
• Avoid filming strangers to make an example of them.

Care for strangers is not an extra task added after your own journey. It is part of how the journey is made. The Sainik idea becomes public responsibility when the person you do not know receives the same basic respect you would want for your own family.

Read the series introduction: One Protector in Every Home: What HarGhar Se EkSainik Means.

About the book

This original article is inspired by Chapter 8, “What Harghar Se Eksainik Really Means,” in HarGhar Se EkSainik by Syed Abdul Hakeem, Chairman of Hetch Foundation. The chapter explores how personal road responsibility can grow through the home and into the wider community. Learn more through Hetch Foundation.