Human beings are so disappointing. We know what the right thing to do is…..but out of convenience and an attachment to regular patterns, we don’t do it.
We’re wired to behave and act in whichever way that brings us pleasure and happiness the quickest. So naturally, we forgo doing certain things the right way or practicing a more ‘straight’ lifestyle if the rewards are long term instead of immediate.
But this behaviour creates a society where inconsiderateness, insensitivity, and rule-breaking are the norm. People act in ways that are most convenient for themselves, but doing so makes it unpleasant and problematic for those around them.
Common daily examples of such behaviour (at least what I observe everyday) include:
- Open burning, which damages the environment and further worsens global warming.
- Littering and illegal rubbish dumping, which dirties and creates an unpleasant environment.
- Illegally or incorrectly parked cars, which disrupts traffic and worsens jams in certain areas.
- Having an excessively loud or boisterous functions in neighbourhoods, thus infringing on other residents’ peace of mind and privacy. Or for that matter, being too loud in places which are supposed to be quiet like libraries.
- Ignoring those in need and resuming our daily activities, despite being in an ideal position to stop and extend a helping hand, like helping push someone’s broken-down car to the roadside. This prolongs that particular individual’s predicament and collectively produces a less warm and supportive society.
All this isn’t good for our outlook as a society. We need to change our trajectory and institute changes within ourselves to become better.
The first, and most effective step is to adopt more mindfulness in our daily routine. I sincerely doubt that most people are mindful of their actions in our modern, hectic-paced world. This would partially explain why so many people, despite being fully-aware of society’s rules and the proper way to behave, simply opt not to.
Many go about their daily routine in an autopilot-like state, thinking only about their affairs and acting in ways most convenient to them, without a single pause to consider their consequences toward general society and the environment. Practicing mindfulness can help reverse this pattern.
Another effective step is to make certain inconsiderate actions (especially like the ones mentioned above) punishable offences and follow them up with strict enforcement. And that’s the thing about human beings; most of us tend to follow the rules primarily out of fear of being punished if we don’t.
True enough, some acts have indeed been deemed by the state as punishable offences long ago, but in the absence of any meaningful enforcement towards perpetrators, such punishments are utterly moot and hence people just resume their inconsiderate behaviour without a care in the world. Strict, regular enforcement is absolutely key here.
If people can only take their taught values seriously and extend their sphere of caring and consideration beyond just themselves, we can create a truly pleasant, harmonious and united society. And that’s something we all need right now.
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Raveen (raveen.veerasenan@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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