A Tale of 2 Apples

One boy has an Apple. The other has an apple. One is exploring the world through a screen, while the other is enjoying what the world has given him to eat. They sit barely a foot apart on a battered pavement, seemingly oblivious to the traffic and the world rushing past. It is a curious photograph, almost as though someone had asked modern civilisation to pose for a portrait. Two children, two Apples, and two very different expressions of value. Steve Jobs would probably have appreciated the irony. I wonder whether he would have appreciated the message.

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Of course, appearances can be deceptive. We know nothing about these boys, their families or their circumstances. The tablet may be borrowed, and the apple may have been lovingly packed by a parent. Yet the image captures something unsettling about the society we have created. We celebrate technological progress, speak proudly of rising prosperity and marvel at the convenience money can buy. But prosperity has an awkward habit of visiting some homes more frequently than others. For one child, the world may be a place of endless possibilities. For another, the possibilities may depend on considerably more basic things. The tragedy isn't that their circumstances differ. It's that we have become remarkably comfortable with the difference.

There's a saying that sums up this contradiction rather neatly: "We live in a world where the rich want a discount and the not-so-fortunate don't get any." Think about it. Those who can afford expensive things are regularly rewarded with exclusive offers, credit-card privileges, loyalty points and generous cashback. The more you spend, the more someone wants to help you save. Meanwhile, those who count every rupee rarely qualify for such generosity. They pay in cash, buy in small quantities and often have little bargaining power. We have somehow designed an economic system in which having money makes it easier to save money, while having very little can make everyday necessities more expensive. Even generosity, it seems, prefers customers with purchasing power.

We live in a world where the rich want a discount and the not-so-fortunate don't get any.

And yet, what stays with me about this photograph isn't the contrast between technology and hunger, or even wealth and deprivation. It's the innocence of the two boys. Neither appears concerned with the symbolism that adults might read into their surroundings. One is occupied with his screen, the other with his fruit. Perhaps that is how childhood ought to be, free from the labels and hierarchies we so readily impose. But the photograph leaves behind an uncomfortable thought. We live in an age clever enough to put almost the entire world's knowledge into a child's hands, yet we still struggle to ensure that every child has an equal chance to make something of it. We have become extraordinarily good at making expensive Apples desirable. Perhaps it's time we paid more attention to making the ordinary apple affordable.