The purpose of morality is to teach you, not to suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live - Ayn Rand
This particular statement has the power to transform the society. Be it the 21st century or the future age of robots ruling humans, the feared apocalypse, the 2012 beliefs; whatever age we might be in, this quote from Ayn Rand is so applicable, it shocks me. The statement itself explains a very simple issue that when you read it, you will be left wondering, Hey! I already knew that. But sadly most of them don't.
There are radical thinkers who appreciate and comprehend this quote. But let's face it, they take it up a notch saying the society doesn't need morals to abide by. Everyone is a free thinker and have freedom of expression but without morals where would this world stand? At the brink of extinction, the gap between right and wrong amalgamated and everything upside down.
I may borderline exaggeration but I am not sorry about it. But the misconceptions of morality and the actions trying to preserve it has lead me to believe that the radical thinkers are far better.
The entire definition of morality has been misconstrued. If you need examples, look around you. The terror attacks, the ISIS, the forced and ruthless conversion of religions and faith, etc. all scream The very dangerous misconception of Morality.
One such example is the honor killings that occurred in India. When no one anticipated it! India! The fastest growing country, the new and improved government, the charismatic Prime Minister; These thoughts occur when any outsider thinks of India now.
Today numerous parts of India still exist where they live in the 1800's. I am not talking about the heritage, preservation of culture here, but the sheer darkness the people live in. Mind you, I am not degrading or undermining the nation; I staunchly believe it's one of the greatest countries in the world and I am a proud citizen!
I am talking about the obscurity some parts of the nation live in. They believe in an age old philosophy of morals and culture and religion. If it were so simple, it could have been tolerable. But the level of misbeliefs have given rise to applauded brutality.
According to them, the girl child does not have any voice in the society. They all are taught to behave in a certain way and no one dares to question that belief. The outside world is just a virtual space to them. Not real. But I am not emphasizing feminism here, even though it requires the much deserved attention. I am talking about the moral definitions these populaces believe in.
A couple of years back, an issue came to the surface about a couple being killed by their villagers. I remember no one gave any heed to it except a few false condolences offered and forgotten and shut down. But it's India; so people tend to be drawn more to "Bollywood" than to their daily newspapers. So one of them chose this topic and made a movie and everyone became aware and forums kept cropping up condemning the actions, moral policing started and what not. Nothing changed. It's no surprise that People forget easily.
I decided to do some research and find out more about honor killings. There has not been 1 or 2 but a total of 25-30 cases reported in the past 3 years- Nitish Katara Murder case of 2002: Nirupama Pathak murder of 2010: Asha Saini murder case of 2010: Monica and Kuldeep Murder of 2010: Deepti Chhikara murder of 2012: We can't even think about the unreported and the smothered up ones yet.
This is an alarming number at this day and age. To kill a boy or a girl just because they decided to marry outside their caste, sub-caste or faith!? Let's even try to fathom the fact that parents don't support the marriage and even go up to the extent of forbidding the relationship, but to actually kill their own child is beyond barbaric!
In all these cases, there has not been the habitual drill of murders, but the prolonged period of tortures, the use of the nails, hammers and farmer's tools as murder weapons, which is unimaginable. The killers or in other words, the family of the victims, are not punished or degraded by their society, but they are applauded, celebrated and almost up to the extent of worshipping! Why? Because they are the saviors of morals, the culture and tradition?!
It's a different issue where the accused were tried and after years of the courtroom battles, they were sentenced.
But the fact that the local police, the Panchayat Raj, the big goons of the village are all a part of such honor killings shock me to my core.
Have people in India lost their voice? Is it right to let this misconception get deeply instilled in their minds? All for preserving their caste and status; and in turn lose the compassion a family should possess for their next of kin? Are we doing enough by tackling it as and when a case comes into the light and let the courtrooms do their job but not put a stop to such future brutal acts?
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
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Morality:Misconceptions and more!
Non-FictionThis article outlines the importance of morality and the misconceptions that back morality and the their extended outcomes in our society. Kindly read and comment. Thank you...love you guys! :)))