blood off my hands

We had a blood donation drive in office today. I have always been a volunteer for blood donation. I see great merit in doing it. You do nothing much except show up, sleep on a chair and eat a few biscuits and there… good deed done. That too a high level one that involves saving lives. I might have now done this a minimum of a dozen times. I see no logic in not doing it. I remember my dad always ready for it and mom also volunteering. So I guess I grew up pretty much wanting to do it.
I got my first opportunity while I was only 15 odd years old. I was in the NCC air wing and we had to go for some republic day parade. While we were rehearsing, there was a tent put up by the naval hospital, I think it was INS Ashwini. So there they asked for volunteers for blood donation. I raised my hand amongst other like minds. Before I entered the tent I asked the guy in charge, ‘sir, but I am only 15”. In true armed forces style, he looked at me and said, “that’s ok, you look healthy”. There. Simple. I got put on a bed and the deed was done. The queer part was that they were paying us kids for it. I found that rather funny. Since mine was the boring blood group I got 20 bucks. One guy with a rare blood group got 40 bucks. I kept those crisp notes for quite some time. I guess I utilised them on some rainy day.
But then after that I have used every chance to donate blood. When there was a camp in college I got in and jumped the queue. I was in second or third year by then and amongst the biggies in college, so no one really objected. Soon after marriage I got Jasmine to get in the act as well. Her real fear at the start was the really huge looking needle. Now that she is over it, she is an enthusiastic donor as well.
The last time the camp was done in office I got a few more first time donors to get in the act.
Yesterday though was a day for a bit of introspection. I got an sms for liver donation. It seems the liver donation bit is like the blood donation bit and the liver regenerates in two weeks. I haven’t gotten into the details of the same but somehow its gonna take much more than an sms for me to get on to the operating table. After I am dead I don’t care two shit for what happens with my body. I hope not to have enough fat even to make soap but liver donation is yet not on my scheme of things while alive. Not for someone I don’t know at least. For your near and dear, surely one agrees to be put under the scalpel.
Coming back to blood donations. I am a little tired with the guys in office. People finding the excuse not to go down and donate. I wonder what really stops them? Most of them cite work as the reason for procrastination but water cooler talks take more time and yet are more frequent. For me it’s a wonder how we can’t have 100% compliance – that not including the ones on medication or other such ineligibilities.
Probably at some really higher behavioural psychological level, this test might give some clues – ‘Three experiments demonstrated that feeling wronged leads to a sense of entitlement and to selfish behaviour.’ Possibly office space is the wrong place for altruistic behaviour?