If you were to catch someone in the act doing something wrong (morally or lawfully) and point it out to them, chances are high you will hear the refrain “Oh, I wasn’t aware of that” (if you are not unlucky enough to get a rude response, or worse still, suffer physical abuse). Now, I have often wondered why this is the case. Awareness of the right way to do something frequently needs to be drilled into people, while the contrary option almost always seems known to them. This is all too evident in the daily actions I have been witness to. Take for example, general behaviour on our roads. It has become common to see people driving (2-wheelers) on footpaths, and walking on the road! Admittedly, footpaths in our cities are crying out loud for attention, and are generally not fit to walk on. But when they are available and wide enough, why can’t people use them? Instead, they continue to walk on the road, occupying precious space that is already a scarce commodity given how high traffic densities are. I have also seen, during my commute to work, people driving on the wrong side of the road to beat the traffic; apparently, others waiting on the right side are idiots. These behaviours get carried over into the workplace too – indiscriminate use of tissue paper in washrooms and cafeterias (uses include cleaning lunch boxes and spectacles) while usage of handkerchiefs or cloths would be more sustainable, leaving taps running in the washrooms, and leaving computers and monitors switched on when not in use, even during the weekend. Other frustrating examples of impropriety I have seen are requests for plastic covers at shops and supermarkets, with no attempt made to carry cloth bags or reuse older plastic covers; breaking lines and queues with impunity; littering on the streets with gay abandon, many a times casually flicking objects out of moving vehicles.
What compels people to act in these ways? Sure, this may be a psychological issue of the proverbial ‘good versus bad’, but I find it hard to believe that a majority of the educated populace find it difficult to exorcise their mental conflicts. All it takes is to evaluate the situation for an instant and check if they are probably doing the right thing. Agreed, it may not always be known what the correct decision is (the wonderful effect of hindsight kicks in later to aid in realization), but in majority of the cases it is not too hard, because one would have either read or heard about a similar situation. What irks me is the attitude of people who make no effort, shrug their shoulders and then take the easy way out.
This may sound like an ideological rant, but that unfortunately is the tragedy of the situation. Industrial and market growth alone does not define advancement of a country – it is the small actions of day-to-day life that help to characterize and shape society, and are a barometer of progress. Which brings me back to the original issue – why do these little things have to be mentioned over and over again, and then euphemistically be called awareness campaigns? The harsh reality is that people need to be galvanized into doing good deeds, but be controlled from doing the bad ones. Perhaps this is ingrained into the human psyche, and cannot be changed overnight. But those of us who are educated should definitely try to change for the better; it is inexcusable to hide under the guise of ignorance.
Inculcating these sorts of mannerisms is a one-time effort. By means of habit, it no longer becomes a conscientious activity. We can easily observe the positive effect it has on the quality of our own lives, and that of those around us. Life is beautiful; the onus is on us to keep it that way.