PANIC AND PRAYERS ARE NO ALTERNATIVE TO PLANNED PREPARATION

Every home must have a clear display about emergency contacts.

- DR HEMANT MADAN

Life can be unpredictable. It often changes course without notice — one moment everything is routine, and the next, chaos strikes. We live in a world where we prepare meticulously for birthdays, vacations, and festivals, yet many of us remain astonishingly unprepared for something far more consequential — a medical emergency.

Not long ago, I was called by a neighbour to attend to a medical crisis at their home. The family was well educated, financially comfortable, and seemingly in control of their lives. But in those critical moments, when swift and decisive action was most needed,

I found them confused, panicking and completely unprepared. They didn’t know where their medical records and insurance cards were, which hospital to go to, whom to call, or simply what to do next.

The incident stayed with me. It was not about a lack of awareness or capability on behalf of the family — it was about a mindset. And this mindset, I believe, is a widespread one.

THE LAW OF PERSONAL INVINCIBILITY

There exists, in all of us, an unspoken belief that can be termed as “the law of personal invincibility”. It’s the quiet conviction that illness, accidents, and emergencies happen to other people. That they will never happen to us. Or if and when they happen, it will at a time and place of our convenience.

This belief, surprisingly has its advantages. It is this belief that allows us to live without constant fear. It gives us the confidence to take risks, pursue ambitions, and plan for the future. It’s what fuels human progress.