Morality Matters
by S.P. Kachru
A fish seeing from below the
water and a bird from above shall
see same thing differently and
so for our opinions about moralities. It
is sometimes matter of convenience to
preach morals but law makers have
nowhere been able to impose it by law.
Morality in effect is the result of a
rational process, whereby, the mind
reasons about moral ideas and creates
moral rules, which shall make
morality acceptable and
applicable universally. An
interesting paradox this since
the myth of moral conduct and
justice needs to address the
application of so-called ‘duty'to rescue those suffering
injury by others or by nature.
Indeed legal quibbles cannot
govern the morality of
governance.
Some European nations
even go to the extent of
imposing lawful stipulation
of binding duty for citizens to
offer support and help in such
emergencies, failure of which
may even lead to defaulter’s imprisonment. On the
contrary, in USA even a
group of qualified life guards
may not be penalized for
seeing a child drown,
however, they may be
questioned for the liability of any injury
to the child or even for the damages to the pool, caused by the
rescue attempt. So
while there indeed is a
moral duty to help but
legally there is none.
European nations may
have perhaps overlooked
or underplayed the
Janet Jackson visual but unusual
uproar and protest that ensued in USA
was unrivalled.
Understandably, there is
more than one set of morals
and therefore each one can
cause aggravation in a
different fashion, time and
people. We observe media
morality in what we see in
the newspapers splashed
across the pages whether
passed off as a news item or
indecency and obscenity
flashed in the garb of product
promotion but how often is
there a public outcry against
them ? Not unaffected is our
Censor Board and hence the
liberal spirit of
unprecedented anatomical
displays and permissiveness
for daring and baring thus the
so called morality of our
nation undergoing a big
change. Similarly, the
increasing indecency over
Radio has many running for cover over
their ears while the eyes shall anyways
bear the brunt of unprecedented race
for exposures over various TV channels,
trying to out do each other in order to
ensure higher TRP. Films have always
led from the front when it comes to
showcase morality in various forms,
however, policing of eroding morality
appeared in yet another form through
recently released and running to packed
houses, Bunty Aur Babli, a movie
wherein the super cop Amitabh
Bacchan lends a perfunctory nod to
morality.
Morality in public life and politics has
also attained newer dimensions –political leaders of all kinds and creeds
overruling the established laws and
precedents as and when they want to do
so. Be it the Chief Minister of Bihar,
Tamil Nadu or Gujarat, they would get
away by doing their own thing just as,
morality in political arena showcases
how no political party falls short of
offering tickets to many gangsters,
slumlords etc., what with a strong vote
base that they may claim to carry with
them. Not too long ago, Barbie dolls
were declared a threat to morality in
Saudi Arabia since revealing clothes of
the “Jewish” toy were considered offensive to Islam hence religious
morality was activated. Similarly,
Mumbai recently heard some moralists
blaming the molested women and their
attires for inviting the attacks on them
while the offenders were given the
support of sympathy. Morality may also
mean bombing schools and hospitals as
war against terror and terming
protection of temples and residential areas
in Kashmir from militant barbarism as
human rights violation. Morality thus
also distinguishes world’s most powerful democracy from world’s largest democracy - depends upon how one sees
it.
Source: Milchar
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