An
ideal society is a community where its citizens work together for the benefit
of everyone. Over the years, many societies have flourished, while others have
collapsed because they lacked respect - whether that is for different genders,
cultures, authority, or the environment. I firmly believe that respect is the
foundation for a successful society, and an absence of respect ensures failure.
As
per the Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu had several incarnations, from early
aquatic life to humans, and his latest incarnation, Lord Krishna, was part of a
society that was intended to be Utopian. However, this society collapsed for
not respecting women. During a gambling game between the two contenders of the
throne, the Pandavas and Kauravas, the Pandavas put their wife at stake, and
eventually lost her to the Kauravas. Disrespecting their wife by putting her up
for gamble and sexually assaulting her were huge mistakes by the Pandavas and
the Kauravas respectively. This led to an epic war, known as the Mahabharata,
in which, it is claimed that all of mankind was wiped out, and what was
believed to be a Utopian society crumbled due to the lack of respect. A more
recent example is the Taliban, who disrespected women in Afghanistan and
deprived them of education. This led youth activist, Malala Yousafazai, to
start a global movement that toppled Afghanistan’s Taliban government, proving
that a society without respect is not sustainable.
During
the 1900’s, in Europe, different cultures and ideas were not respected and the
anti-Semitic leader of the Nazis, Adolf Hitler, strongly believed that Germans
were superior, especially to Jews. Hitler wanted an “Aryanization” of Europe,
which meant that he wanted to exterminate any group who was not Aryan, or “pure.”
Due to this belief, the Nazis tortured Jews and violated their rights. As a
primary target, approximately 6 million Jews were brutally slaughtered along
with others including the Polish, Gypsies, handicapped, and homosexuals, who Hitler
deemed inferior to the Aryans. This disdain of other cultures and violation of
basic rights happened under the cover of World War II. In the end, the society
that Hitler persisted on creating collapsed because it was a community where
different thoughts, beliefs, and cultures were scorned.
An
important aspect of a well-functioning society is respect for its institutions
and authority. A government is necessary to maintain law and order, however if
not everyone abide by the rules, and respect authority, the society could
quickly plunge into chaos. Our world is dotted with examples of various
terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda, Ku Klux Klan (KKK), ISIS, and Boko
Haram that have forcefully taken over territories, disrespecting and
disregarding the government and its constituents. Instead of following the
rules and participating in the electoral process, they chose to go against the
government, violate human rights, and spread terror. Many areas that have been
invaded by such terrorist groups are now in chaos, and on the path to become
failed states. In contrast, the biggest and oldest democracies in the world,
India and the United States, both have thriving societies because they respect
the institution.
Environment
is considered an insignificant factor of society, and people tend not to take
care of it. However, the outcome of disrespecting nature is evident. People
pollute the environment by indiscriminately burning fossil fuels and emitting
harmful gases from manufacturing activities. Air pollution has a direct impact on
human life, as it is a leading cause of asthma and kills one person every 2
minutes. Continued disrespect of nature is causing global warming, rising sea
levels, acid rains, and more frequent and intense hurricanes, which all is
putting a lot of stress on society.
As
society continues to evolve, it is imperative that we have respect for everyone
and everything. In the past, advocates such a Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi,
Martin Luther King Jr., and others have insisted on showing respect for all
sections of the society, and have positively contributed towards it. Nowadays,
there are supporters of campaigns such as #MeToo, and #BlackLivesMatter that
are standing up against injustice, and demanding the respect they deserve.
Females who have been sexually assaulted are telling their stories and condemning
society for not respecting them. A similar cause is behind the
#BlackLivesMatter campaign, where supporters are striving to not only raise
awareness about police brutality against people of color, but to also demand
respect for black people in general.
Clearly,
respect is an absolute for a functioning society. As Albert Einstein once said,
“Any society that does not insist upon respect for all life must necessarily
decay.”
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