There’s a reason a society stagnates in terms of intellectual growth. And that is because we fail to create room for meaningful discussions. Our mindset propels us to not wander on territories that will invite debates on issues considered “sensitive”. Truth is, they are sensitive because we fail to talk about them. The most recent example is the stir created by a question asked in a law end-sem exam in IP University.
THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THE QUESTION
The question asked whether a man had committed a crime by killing a cow in the presence of 4 other people, who belong to the other religion. This is the question if put sensibly.
Let’s try putting logic here. The question was asked to a law student and not to a science student who has no knowledge of the legalities of the matter. The name of the paper was “Law of Crimes”. According to a Delhi based lawyer, “the question is technically correct and is a case study involving section 153A of the Indian Penal Code”.
Manish Sisodia, the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi called the question “communal” and has already ordered a probe¬†into it.
IS IT A MADE UP SITUATION?
Have we not come across such headlines in the newspaper? Are we not dealing with problems like these? Why do things get out of hands when we come across these situations?
There’s just one reason: we do not create a space to have meaningful discussions on the topic. We fail, as a society, to talk about delicate things. Intellectual minds tend to “stay away” from such questions because they fear disastrous consequences. We fail to accept things as they are.
WHY DO WE GET OFFENDED SO EASILY?
What my limited faculties suggest is that we do not have the right environment to understand things. News channel discussions give a political undertone to even the smallest of things.
Comedians cannot joke about religion. (Keep in view the recent FIRs against comedians)
We still do not talk about sex openly. (An IIT Madras student was publicly shamed on his possession of a condom!)
What happens as a result is that these things do not get normalized. And then, people fight on clashing opinions. People argue because they lack the faculties to understand and accept the opposite views.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
A change of thought process. We need to understand things, read about opposing views and develop the right understanding of things. This is not only our responsibility as the youth but a necessary step for a better future of the country.
No side is correct. No side is wrong. The truth always lies in the grey area between extremes of black and white.
