For The Sake of Civility

As I drive across the road, I see a dead body lying in the middle of the road; people driving around it to avoid driving over it.

Its internal organs have come out of the anus or stomach, not sure. I just see something coming out of the body, like the intestine. I feel really bad and drive away.

I see a boy on the bike, who also saw that body lying there and couldn't make up his mind whether he shall go back or move on like me or many others.

After all, it was just a puppy, drenched in pouring rain, probably starved for a few days, weak.

He stood there thinking, till I could see him, and then I drove ahead thinking the same if I should have stopped, moved that body aside and called municipal for picking it up. I felt like vomiting, not sure due to the condition of that dead body or my inability to do something.

It might have been a genuine accident case, but doesn't that puppy expect some basic respect? Can we term it as Hit-and-Run case or I'm just overreacting?

Somewhere in Manipur, a few women's bodies are dumped, covered in blood, violated, and wrapped as a revenge trophy. Whether the body reached its family for last rites, I don't know.

A group of people thought it is ok to move on because such outrageous behavior for these bodies is justified for communal reasons and those women/girls are not important enough to deserve last rites.

I wonder about the difference!

And then today another high profile respected person died and there was this large queue for his "Antim Darshan". Nothing wrong with that.

But what did the puppy and women's do to deserve such fate? Not born right? Not die at the right place?

Violence against women is probably less spoken of but well-known conflict or war hazards. Whether we talk about ancient wars, communal conflicts, Russia-Ukraine, Taliban, love jihads, or Manipur conflict, who suffers the most? Even though war is majorly fought among men, the only way to assert control is through women.

How did violating or parading women naked, suggested the victory of one group over another? And then there is a series of retaliations with different horrendous acts. 

Maybe we just pretend to be civilized and as soon as there is a conflict, hatred, or anger, we drop that face. What's your true conscience?

What will you turn into when you are angry, spiteful?

We want to be unstoppable, free; For what? For our rage? For our hatred of other preachings, ideologies, communities, parties, and whatnot?

One of my college friends tells me that social media is raising its voice against these crimes and the government isn't doing anything. But what about our inaction? Then we say, we can only raise our voice, we can't do the job that government is supposed to do, isn’t it?

Sounds like my morning feeling when I felt bad for the puppy. Maybe my conscience can only feel bad but can't take action. Then I remember my husband, who I have seen stopping his car, looking for some polythene or paper or something to pick up those unfortunate bodies and bury them in the ground or at least move them aside. There must be a few more like him for sure.

And, it hits me every time, that I can't do that. Probably it is not as important for me as for him. Even if I care, I do not care enough.

The same is with social media; they probably care, but do not care enough or are brave enough to act.

It is easier to write that I care while you do not have to sweat it; at the same time, difficult to stop and act. We are just too busy moving on and changing the gear.

Do I judge you? No. Should you judge yourself? Yes.

Because only you know your conscience and you can change yourself.

My Mom tells me that I will become a dog in my next life since I have pet dogs (her desperate reasonings to convince me so that I give them away).

Say it happens and I end up in a family that takes care of their dog through thick and thin, my life would be sorted.

But what if I end up like that puppy on the road?

The decisions that my ancestors took, have given me this life. Otherwise, what is the probability that I would not have ended up like those women in Manipur?

When one dies, though it doesn't matter to them what happens to their bodies. But to claim our civilized existence, carcasses around doesn't add to the credibility.

Animals don't have any dying wishes. But if I speak for myself, I would want to die in peace knowing that there will be at least one person who will shed tears for me and remember me for the next few days till he/she gets busy with a routine.

The one who died in suffering, the least one can do (to reduce guilt as a civilized society), is give the deserved respect to their remains.

I find this quote so meaningful -

Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.

It is hard to comment on the Manipur situation, but you can read a few facts on the impact of war/conflict on women - https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/women-and-girls-impacts-war-conflict/