Thursday, June 05, 2014

Them's the rules!!!!

The irony was inescapable.

Rush Hour traffic at one of Pune's largest chowks. A large poster overlooking all offering Shraddhanjali to the Divangat neta - Maharashtrache laadke - Gopinath Munde.

And 3 cars attempting to cut their traffic light.

Honestly, this post is not about the late Mr. Munde and his unfortunate, fatal accident. It's not even about traffic sense (or lack thereof) or traffic congestion or anything of that sort.

It's just simply about our societal abhorrence for following rules.

What is it about our culture that we prefer to conveniently ignore any rule which stands in our way?

Is it that there is no point in following any rule since there are so many of them that it is physically impossible to be compliant with all of them at any given point in time?

Is it that in our fatalistic destiny driven culture, whether you get caught or not is all in your destiny and is God's way of testing you?

Is it that historically, we have always been a ruled-class - there have been rulers who rule, with an iron fist, and make sure you don't get caught. If you're caught you're guilty, and if you're not, you're not? It's always us versus them, and we really don't believe what "they" have decided for "us" is worth following?

Is it some or all of the above?

Weren't we supposed to in this all together, and this is our country, and we have the right people, who represent our interests and have, in keeping with those interests, set certain rules which we all have supposedly agreed to follow?

I mean, why should I ask my kids to follow rules, if all they see around them is people flouting rules and getting ahead?