Is honesty too much to ask for? If honesty were an innate trait, then why do we discard it later? The abuse of power has become more like a social norm. People can threaten and inflict harm if they have access to power. Cases that could have been resolved in months take years, and justice remains a mere mirage.
Rutba Banday
Is honesty too much to ask for?
If honesty were an innate trait,
Then why do we discard it later?
The abuse of power has become more like a social norm. People can threaten and inflict harm if they have access to power. Cases that could have been resolved in months take years, and justice remains a mere mirage. Any means of access to power among youngsters is what has guided them to the path of destruction and is a root cause of their insolent and defiant behaviours. They feel privileged and above the law, which inflates their confidence and conviction that they can never be held accountable for any harm they inflict on others. They become so certain that whatever malice or rules and regulations they violate—be it as simple as being underage and still driving—they will never be caught and will always feel shielded by power. It’s a root cause of other societal plagues like corruption, dishonesty, and what not!
And we all, as a collective society, contribute to it in one way or another. When we find our child, relative, or a close acquaintance guilty of something, the first thing we do is ensure they narrowly escape the situation without considering the trauma they must have caused. All we desire at that point is their immunity; that they be liberated without being held accountable for their actions and facing consequences for the same. Little do we realise this is the venom we inject into society ourselves, which has rendered society a hellscape and unsafe for anyone.
I often find myself haunted by this question:
Why is it that when we are ensnared in a legal challenge or when we are bound to an authority,
Why is our heart gripped by the desperate hope that they will be honest in our case?
They should not obstruct it by means of power, or out of greed for money. Is it too much to ask a person to stay true to the authority they have been granted? To grant the grace of truthfulness when you are yourself a victim? How come influence outweighs honesty? Does that mean a person with no power, status, or influence should forfeit their right to justice? This entire system of systemic power abuse has caused lives to perish; it has deepened social divisions among people, fuelled superiority complexes, and allowed evil to triumph in the end. We as citizens should question ourselves: “Is this the injustice we should tolerate and stand by?” Is this what will guide our young generations to the path of righteousness, when we ourselves are consumed by its antithesis? People in power should be respected, not worshipped! This entire system would collapse if we obliterate our habit of rooting for what is corrupt, and instead stand for what is just!
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