They say, that in the most powerful country on the earth,
justice walks blindfolded across the land. Debatable, given recent events, but
for all intents and purposes, a claim that has stood the test of time and has
indeed produced some extremely remarkable feats of justice. But in any case,
justice has prevailed. And here we are, a nation of 200 million, all taking off
the blindfold and marching rampant through all echelons of society. All this
while the actual Lady Justice slumbers fitfully in the courtrooms, stirred only
by the presence of green paper and/or the occasional national level case. But
that is not currently the topic in question, although I will certainly be visiting
that topic in the future.
Why do we judge? Especially when it most certainly does not
fall to our lot to do so? An acceptable answer would be that it is a part of
the human condition. Therefore, it may be claimed that there is little we can
do about it. But the one idea that keeps me awake at night is that why do we
insist on making assumptions and decisions regarding people? It is one thing to
judge people; it is surely quite another to make them feel it, or indeed
showcase any external manifestation of your own personal opinion. Plenty of
instances come to mind when I think about it. First up, the recent murder of
social media star Qandeel Baloch, the so-called Kardashian of Pakistan. She
rose to fame after promoting herself through a series of bold posts on Facebook
and the like. Well, she got the publicity she wanted. As it turned out, too
much of it. Killed by her brother in the name of honour. But what makes me sick
to the stomach is how quickly people started saying that she deserved it, or
commending her brother. Whatever her actions in life, she did not break the
laws of the land; she only went beyond the borders of a society that we have
constructed. We are not the ones to condemn a person to death.
Someone’s an Ahmedi? We shun them in society. Despite our
constitution denying them the status of a Muslim, it does uphold their basic human rights. Therefore, under which
ruling, apart from our personal bias, do we continue to treat them as outcasts?
It seems like our nation will only use the courts to either achieve personal
ends, or to claim their supposed innocence, since the guilt has been already
ordained by society upon them and only the verdict is to be delivered in court
(in Qandeel’s case, outside it) awaits.
The aforementioned are controversial topics and everyone IS
entitled to their own opinions so let me share a personal story. There was a
girl in my school. Amazing personality, and an even more brilliant friend. Judgment
by some schoolmates led to her seclusion. Friendship was misinterpreted as desperation,
caring as being too clingy. All of which started as a series of judgments by
peers ultimately led to many people avoiding her and in fact losing the chance
to get to know one of the most cheerful souls I have ever encountered. Tragically,
she died recently due to cancer. I have
never seen people more devastated and broken than the ones who judged her at
her memorial service. Regrets are the one thing this short-lived existence of
ours has no room for. Do not judge; if you can’t manage that, keep it to
yourself. Life gives us many opportunities to meet incredible people. If we
cannot answer the door when they come knocking, perhaps we need to consider
which side of the door we stand on. Leave the judging to the courts and God and
rid your life of these small, insignificant acts of pettiness. One person
starts this, another follows and so on; all the difference from near anarchy to
utopia.
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