Let’s do a small role play:
Or more to the point, why do we need to follow these?
Or even more to the point, why do we follow some rules, laws, processes or guidelines and not some others?
Why, for example, do we have prashad with our right hand, and right hand only, after wiping the hand on the trouser, but not follow traffic laws?
Even when the prashad rule is an unwritten convention, barely mandatory, and hardly matters in the larger scheme of things, whereas the traffic law is written in our legal system, agreed to by representatives of our society, and implemented / enforced (at least superficially) by the protectors of law and order and an error could literally cost lives?
Are rules and processes the crutch we use only when we don’t want to do something?
Why do we say “Satyameva Jayate” when the reality is that it’s more a case of “Jayatyameva Satya”?
Why am I bothering to teach my kids to always do the right thing, when right and wrong are becoming increasingly subjective?
What, exactly, is the point of all this hypocrisy?
Imagine you’re driving on an open city road, when you approach a traffic light. About 50 yards or so from the light, the green light turns amber. You’re at that point where it is a split second decision whether you accelerate or take your foot off the pedal. You know for a fact that you may be able to cross the threshold but you will not clear the square before the light turns red.Exactly why do we follow rules, laws, processes, or guidelines?
Do you step on it, or do you follow the rules?
Let’s say now, you decide, using some miraculous sense of right and wrong, to stay within the limits of the rules and stop before the line. You’re waiting for the light to turn green, so you can proceed. And along comes a speeding vehicle, which seeing the road ahead open, decides to not bother with the rules, and just go ahead.
What do you do now?
You know no one is going to catch you. You are almost guaranteed to not be punished for not following the rules.
Do you still wait?
Or more to the point, why do we need to follow these?
Or even more to the point, why do we follow some rules, laws, processes or guidelines and not some others?
Why, for example, do we have prashad with our right hand, and right hand only, after wiping the hand on the trouser, but not follow traffic laws?
Even when the prashad rule is an unwritten convention, barely mandatory, and hardly matters in the larger scheme of things, whereas the traffic law is written in our legal system, agreed to by representatives of our society, and implemented / enforced (at least superficially) by the protectors of law and order and an error could literally cost lives?
Are rules and processes the crutch we use only when we don’t want to do something?
Why do we say “Satyameva Jayate” when the reality is that it’s more a case of “Jayatyameva Satya”?
Why am I bothering to teach my kids to always do the right thing, when right and wrong are becoming increasingly subjective?
What, exactly, is the point of all this hypocrisy?
3 comments:
Inculcating values to your kids would never go wasted. Probably these values would get them to change "Jayatyameva Satya” to “Satyameva Jayate”
A small correction.. what you are referring to is Dharma and not satya..
and the scriptures says "dharmo rakshati rakshitaha". i.e., if u save dharma, it will save you.
Dharma keeps changing from place to place and time to time. but truth always prevails..!!
I think it is question of accountability. When we take prashad by right hand we believe that accountability of this particular act is registered somewhere. Our God fearing nature and inner belief system speaks to us telling that repercussions of taking prashad with left hand will be for sure for real and will be negative.
It is not the case for other laws only laws can not punish us. If there is lack of strict enforcement system there will not be repercussions for not obeying laws. It's our subconscious risk vs reward calculation which tells us not to obey laws if there is no punishment. (it is also 1st law of physics...law of inertia)
I think we obey certain things based on our "strong inner beliefs". In traffic situation mentioned above we keep on forgetting that if this act was done 1000 times perhaps 999 time you might escape harmless (and with addd advantage of saving time and petrol/money). but that one time when you meet an accident that 1 time can change your life and life around your people dramatically. And it will not be for good.
I think when we train our new youngsters we try to inculcate this strong "belief" system of "repercussions" in them. We want to teach them to cover all our basis including that 1 bad time. That is why perhaps we tend to teach kids that "best practices"...
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