Examining the impact of individual actions on community well-being in Kashmir

The great metaphysical poet, John Donne said, “No man is an island, entire of itself: every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” Man cannot survive and spend his assigned time alone on earth, he necessarily requires other human beings to survive and avail all the necessities of life. His life relies on them. Everybody is interconnected in such a way that one man’s needs and requirements are meted out by other fellow humans. Man cannot produce everything that is necessary for him to survive. For instance, he takes tea in the morning for which he needs different ingredients which he buys from others because they are manufactured by others. Similarly, man does not only have individual responsibility but social responsibility as well which he needs to execute. His interaction with his society hurls some responsibilities on his shoulders. His acts and doings should not harm the fabric of his society. Social responsibility is bigger for which one should not hesitate to sacrifice his personal freedom. Man’s responsibility to himself is significant but his responsibility to society is more significant.

The great British dramatist, George Bernard Shaw said, “I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can”. Any act that becomes a scourge for society should be inhibited. Unfortunately, it has become vogue in Kashmir, on the marital eves, to hire a singer for the whole night to sing songs on the loudspeakers keeping the whole society awake and disturbed. It is an evil and should be obstructed. Any exercise that is harmful to the health of the whole society is evil and needs to be denounced. Last night in my neighbourhood on the marital occasion, a singer sang for the whole night disturbing not only my sleep but the sleep of the whole locality. The singer sang on the loudspeaker and pestered everyone. I’m sure, no student had read anything last night and went to bed early cursing the social evils that permeate our societies.

Marcus Aurelius famously said, “That which is not good for the hive is not good for the bee”. Conducting musical ensembles on loudspeakers is not only a nuisance for society but for the convener of it as well. It keeps the whole attendant crew awake and disturbs their performance while serving the guests the next day. How will these things be taken by the ailing ones who need rest and relaxation? how will the student community take those who have to appear in exams the next day? And how will it be taken by those clergies who preach social responsibilities to be executed properly and strictly to maintain the social fabric of the society? The idiosyncratic thing is that the singer is stopped at the time of morning adhan and he instantly resumes singing once the prayer call is over. These acts are so derogatory. When will this social consciousness develop in us that our acts should never infringe on the rights of others in our society?

People may ask that they have individual freedom to conduct such concerts but one cannot trample over the freedom of hundreds of people in his society. If everybody does things in the society on the pretext of individual freedom, the whole society will land into mayhem creating trouble for everyone. It is selfishness and a reflection of an immature society. Each one of us needs to contribute to the establishment of a peaceful society. It is a collective responsibility. It is a social responsibility. If one person in society becomes adamant of doing things as per his choice, the whole society will be disturbed and agitated. This worsens in the congested areas where various families live in one house.

We should adopt good social behaviour while socializing and fraternizing with the members of our society. We should behave responsibly in our society. Our morals and manners are polished by our society. Emile Durkheim said that, “Man is a moral being, only because he lives in society. Let all social life disappear and morality will disappear with it”. Society is an institution where one’s morals are uplifted, one’s ideas are recognized, one’s potentials are realized and one’s manners are polished. It is a sacred institution and should be revered in high esteem. It is our recognition and we are identified by it. We should vow to contribute profusely to the well-being of our society. Let us pledge not to do anything that is obnoxious to our society.

The writer can be reached at [email protected]

Fida Hussain Bhat