Rights And Responsibilities

Sometimes we have to re-think about what we have memorized in schools but may have forgotton over the years, such as "your rights are others' resposibilities and vice versa", "Your rights come with your responsibilities" , etc.

Let me be specific with examples-

1. We clean inside our houses, but throw the garbage just outside. Now, do you think the bacteria, mosquitos, viruses, etc. would think, "Uhhh, let's us not get inside that clean house and infect their children because they are rich elites" ?

2. We teach our children, "do not treat the cook or the 'servant' as equal, do not play with their children, do not let them sit on the chair..". Now, do you think your children will grow up to be good humans with self-respect and respect for others? or will they always try to place themselves as "I am inferior to them and superior to those" like wolves do.

3. We do not let our children wash their own clothes, clean their own rooms, organize their own toys. We say don't worry you just do your homework, and someone will take care of those things". Yes you do have the rights to teach you children as you wish, afterall they are your children. Then you send your kids to a hostel or to USA, and wonder why they are such misfits and clumsy.

4. We brag about how we split the income, distribute the property rent-checks in the name of our wives/children/ cousins, to save (essentially cheat) on income taxes. Don't you think we should be the last people to criticize the government being corrupt?

5. We do not want to stand in line for a ticket, rather bribe someone to buy the same at a higher price. Don't you think your children are becoming dishonest like you? Do you want them to be part of the cheating bribing crooks?

6. We do not volunteer our time to spread basic education to the unfortunate children in the neighborhood, so that they could grow up to be productive, decent, law-abiding citizens of India. Don't you think you and your children have to live among them for decades? How would you feel if hundred pairs of eyes look at you with resentment or jealousy, do you enjoy it?

7. We buy flatpanel TV, video games, and electronic toys for our children, and discourage them from playing one hour extra in the fields. Don't you think they would grow up to be unsocial overweight lazy geeks?

I would say, before you do anything, including producing kids, that you believe is your right, think about the responsibilities, learn about how to do things right without causing damage to yourself and others. Only then act in the right path following your education and concience.

I tried to put it in simple words, for the very fromal education that has given us the access to this sort of information and rights to it, has stripped us from the ability to think at a basic level. This is why we keep Mahatma Gandhi's picture on the wall and practise exactly opposite of what the great Man taught. It is not too late for all the good Indians to wake up, get together and change direction of a falling society through positive actions.

And to the ministry of education and the educators, this is what I have to ask - how can you expect the people to obey the basic civil laws if you do not teach them in schools. Isn't that ridiculous? Then what are you teaching? Or do you want the laws to be taught only to the lawyers and hope to catch millions of ignorants who inadvertantly break them to make money off them? How sly of you!