Imagine a father who has just lent his shoulders to the coffin of his young son! Those very shoulders on which he, in happier times, carried his son to the church and to the park! Those very shoulders on which his son cried, whilst he grew up! All that those old paternal shoulders would have asked for today, would a reassuring touch by his son. But alas! It wasn’t to be. Those drooping shoulders were assigned the agony and pain of carrying a coffin to the graveyard - all because of the pusillanimous debauchery!
His son died a hero’s death – standing up for his manhood, in a vicinity, where most men brazenly stood testimonial to their clandestine cowardice and appalling callousness. Every father would pray he had sons like Reuben or Keenan, and wish that their sons stood up in defiance of acts of perverts, that threatened the dignity of a woman. But no father would ever wish his son would not come back home to recount his act, that befits a gentleman.
We all know what ghastly incident I am talking of, and therefore I shall not allow my words to strike the wrong chord by providing an unwarranted narrative. The deaths Reuben and Keenan have died have been brutal and barbaric, to be say the least - and for us, as inheritors and protectors of a civil society – it would call for ignominious levels of oblivion and insensitivity, if we were to write this off as a mere aberration – which would implicitly defy the rationale of a civil society. Luckily, we do not belong to a populace that is characterized by ruthlessness.
Over the last few days, we have been surrounded by an engorgement of angst, rebellion, fury, pain, grief, sympathy, empathy and disgust. Surely this emotion hasn’t come to us in a day. It has been building up within us today we have founded ourselves a vent. Nonetheless, we would cheat ourselves if we leave it at that.
It is heartening to see the youth of the city respond and more importantly empathize than merely sympathize. It is indeed a real glimmer of hope to see the urge in most of our brethren to act and act decisively. Most cries for justice have echoed the principle of ‘eye for an eye’ (which given the adrenaline rush is justified). Along with this new found conscience and the drive to set a precedent out of this incident, we find ourselves embroiled in an apprehension of the political clout derailing campaigns and movements. We reminiscence our habitual malady, of a short-lived memory! We still stand in defiance and believe we will see light at the end of the tunnel.
Amidst all our anguish and agitation, there lies a glaring reality, which most acknowledge but very few appreciate - and that is the appalling dearth of awareness and the ensuing absence of understanding the implications. Majority of us are enraged at the toothless law in place, but how many of us know why it is toothless? Our society has seen many earnest movements and campaigns; but has unfortunately lived to see most of them fizzle out into oblivion or deviate to such extents, that the original identity of it is lost. Believe me; you wouldn’t even expect a prize to guess the reason for these failures. A shocking paucity of informed opinion! If a person is most susceptible to wandering or deviating from a path, that person is uninformed or worse still – misinformed! And what worries me most is angst without wisdom.
Revolutions happen on streets! It is very easy for us to lament on the state of affairs in the country, but remember – a country is just a reflection of what its people want it to be. Don’t always wait for things to happen in your house before you wake up. When you wake up, it may be at the cost of a loved one sleeping eternally.
Let us not be entangled in trivialities and be distracted by philosophical debates. All we need to do is to keep the pressure on those who are charged to act and compel them (morally) to act in the manner needed. Let us not be naïve and assume ourselves to be protectors of law. You and I cannot pronounce and administer justice. But we can try to ensure, justice is pronounced and administered.
May I request you all to take this pledge :
I swear by my life and love for it, that I shall not let myself live an ignoble life. My scruples will not and cannot tolerate injustice, exploitation and debauchery. I refuse to admit the peccadillo of passivity and indifference. I refuse to let callousness run in my blood. I summon my conscientiousness right now. I plead the human being in my person to awaken!
No comments:
Post a Comment