Society and intolerance
INTOLERANCE is growing at an alarming rate in our society.From homes to the halls of power, there is a serious crisis of tolerance.
It has become normal to fight with each other over small things at home. Families get separated from each other over trivial matters and do not like to see each other for years.
Similarly, if you look at the traffic conditions, there is also a lot of intolerance there. Where people create a lot of controversies even for the slightest breaking.
A comic actor had said that ‘in Pakistan, even two vehicles cause a traffic jam, if they come face to face in a street, both of them stand in opposition to each other and each keeps demanding the other to move the vehicle, like this.
Traffic gets jammed’. If someone’s car slightly collides with another’s car, then the fight that takes place is noticeable.
Each one tries to exonerate himself by putting all the blame on the other, thus the quarrel is prolonged.
When trying to get a car or a bike into a tight space, the way they try to outdo each other is especially spectacular.
There is no example of intolerance in our politics. Politicians have promoted the culture of intolerance in politics to such an extent that people have stopped even talking to each other because of what the politicians are saying.
Political differences have been brought to people’s homes, causing rifts in relationships. Social media has been made a political arena by political activists, which has created a state of civil war in society.
Look at any social media website and there is nothing but political bickering. Political workers abuse each other and use very foul language against each other.
Apart from social media, if you are sitting in a gathering or meeting, political discussions are also started there.
No one has any information; they just keep arguing with each other based on what they hear from here and there.
Then it also happens that they themselves keep saying bad things about leaders of others, but when someone else says something about their leaders, they fight back.
Keep saying it. Politicians in the assemblies have greatly promoted intolerance. There it seems that they have only sworn to oppose each other.
Slandering each other, and criticizing others have become their second nature. They don’t even care to see opponents in assemblies, talking to each other and shaking hands is a far cry.
There is also a tradition in our society of attacking opponents and torturing critics which is the worst example of intolerance.
Then this culture of intolerance is being embedded in the society, which has had a very negative impact on the youth.
A culture of patience and tolerance has to be promoted for peace and order and peaceful life in society.
For this, instead of looking towards the politicians, the important sections of the society have to move forward themselves, in which the scholars and teachers can play the most important role.
The scholars should teach the people good manners and patience from the pulpit and the teachers should teach the students morals and make them believe that the society cannot afford any kind of mischiefs and riots, so the words of any political leader should not be ignored.
Don’t come and spoil your relationship. Care should be taken in this that teachers and scholars should not mention the name of any political leader but should mention all of them on an equal level.
In the same way, the educated youth of the society should also think a little and instead of following the words of the political leaders, they should carefully evaluate everything themselves and follow the facts, and not imitate any political leader to such an extent that they do everything.
Even the wrong things started to seem right. In this way, the anxiety and intolerance found in society can be eliminated.
—The writer is associated with FBR Islamabad, is a contributing columnist.
