No Brooking 'NO'

No brooking - ‘No’

Dissent is disturbing to everyone, it creates a rift when the going is smooth, within a perceived peaceful environment, and we as humans are reluctant to sync that which is abnormal to any set routine, to our own set pace of life.

This human tendency has seeped into every sphere of life, including governments, people with authority and those in power, people who supervise human resource down the line, and relationships within families. It has also started a dangerous trend of eliminating that which is not convenient, which bodes ill of a given line of thought.

Thus eliminating witnesses, people who may be seen as enemies to your cause or just being intimidating and no tolerance are the new trends that can be seen in our lives. Every day we have newspaper reports of women being raped. Rape as such is malice in our society, but the newer trend is eliminating whosoever stands up for the victim, including witnesses from within the family of the victim.

It is not enough to have caused untold hardship on the victim of rape but going one step ahead is to shut up the meek voices of dissent, objections, of fighting back, of dissidence, or a fight back both from within and without.

Family members of victims are being burned alive, killed through staged accidents or being shot dead. In other words all forms of protest and fight backs, dissidence, non tolerance on behalf of the victim is seen as being against the present norms and needs elimination.  The administration and administrators at various levels aren’t playing fair too; on the contrary they seem to be playing coy.

But that is only to be guessed with mighty ministers openly advocating removal of their ideological enemies by terming them traitors. Not agreeing or saying No to their version amounts to being a traitor and traitors must be shot all in full view of the law and the guardians of the law. There just cannot be a counter viewpoint. It all boils down to the narrative that there cannot be any disagreement on their vision plan.

Not only will the culprit have his way but also ensure that there are no witnesses to corroborate. No; is no more acceptable and remorse or regret for crime committed is shameful. It is equal to burning down your house because it is witness to your numerous mistakes committed in life. The only way to present a clean sheet is by doing away with even hearsay evidence and anyone remotely attached to it.

This is a dangerous trend and must be nipped in the bud. All such cases reported must be sanctioned forthwith and heavily so that the message goes out loud and clear to all criminals and future culprits that such acts will be stoutly rejected by the administration, courts and civil society irrespective of whether there are survivors to corroborate the crime.

In a way are we propagating such behavior by ourselves being intolerant to dissent at our level of activity whether in governance, factories, offices, universities, social and religious organizations or elsewhere? After all, if it is good for the goose it must be good for the gander right?

Is our own logic a stumbling block to acceptance of another ones virtue? Are we pushing our thinking too hard and basking in its glory as newly confounded so as to belittle internally the thinking of another section, another person?

Are we demolishing everything that does not confirm to our sacred vision, our version of truth, our understanding, our existence? Or are we just cowering behind the act to justify our own flawed character?

What is wrong with us? Is it our thinking? Is it our vulnerability? Our false machismo, our chauvinist self, our powerfulness, our helplessness, our authoritarian self, our self applause, our crooked logic, or is it a reflection on our upbringing?