Just watched the movie Assi. A very well-made movie. The movie is about the rape of a teacher who is raped by 5 men in a moving car while coming back from the Metro at night. The movie is all about the tough fight the victim's lawyer puts up in court. Apart from other things, the movie shows the dirty face of the institution called family. How people try to protect the victims of rape in the name of respect of family in society. How families carve out settlements for the girls who are raped by marrying them to the accused of rape. How the family of the rape victim tries to convince them not to fight the battle in the court, and tries to get a settlement done out of court.
What have we done in the name of love? I fail to understand how the institution called family can be so divisive vis-à-vis the rest of humanity. There is no doubt that we have formed the institution called family so that a few people can take care of each other during tough times. If a family member falls ill, others take care of him, and vice versa. When the adult members of the family go to work, the elders take care of the children. Similarly, the adults take care of the elders in the family. Thus, all the members of the family support and take care of one another. There is absolutely no problem with this.
However, is the purpose of life just to take care of the family and maximise the pleasure of all family members? If that is the case, why should the soldiers fight at the borders, leaving their families at risk? Why should some scientists spend days and nights in the laboratory to come out with a vaccine that saves the lives of millions of people? If the maximisation of family members' pleasure is the end goal, taking dowry, taking bribe, and earning black money would be justified. That would allow people to carry out any crime in the name of family.
We may form any number of groups and call them family, community, society, or state. None of them will work and make us a realised society unless we grow individually. It's shameful to see the elders dancing on vulgar tunes in the baarats and throwing money at the people dancing to those vulgar songs. Unless the elders in the family delve into the deeper purpose of life, how will the new generation get inspired to explore? Where are the role models for them? I think the last generation has failed miserably to inspire the present generation to explore the larger purpose of life. I was listening to Yuval Harrari saying that dopamine addiction is like a treadmill. Every time you get a high, you have to run faster for the next dose. In the present world, where porn and drugs are so easily available, there are no role models available to the children, even in distant families exploring the higher purpose of life, people have pockets full by selling off their lands, sounds of the DJ is consistently increasing to almost deafening levels, and the intellectuals are treated like mad and stupid people, where is the scope for sanity? It is high time that we stop violence and stupidity in the name of family and seriously tell our kids from a very early age to live a meaningful life. Each one of us will have to register a protest against the mad show of wealth. Unless all of us speak, our cities will never be safe for our daughters.
Comments