As a matter of fact!

“We need stronger laws”!
The sentence has made headlines in recent times. It almost became a proclamation all the way from the Home Secretary to the housekeeping lady ever since the unfortunate Delhi-Girl tragedy took place.

No doubt, a harsher punishment would instantly deliver an emotional justice to the victim & society.

No doubt, by fixing the dysfunctional judicial system it ensures the immediate safety of the nation.

No doubt, a stern law would instill fear in criminals not to commit crimes in future.

So undeniably, the emotional outburst of the people are well justified by the protests for severe punishments. 
But, Is it enough? Is a stronger law alone enough to prevent crimes in a society which is as diversified as the Mother Nature herself? Is it sufficient for a country where people’s mindset is like “wearing motorcycle helmet only when we spot a police at traffic signal? (even though the law is meant for our very own safety)

I doubt that the ineffective system is the only lesson we learn here from this unfortunate Delhi-Girl tragedy. After all, prosecution & punishment comes only after the crime.

In my humble opinion, the problems we face today are mostly human oriented, not system related. Simply put, the way we are looking at our living is outdated.

See, the basic question nobody asks in the first place is “why do people do these”? And the question tells me that the root cause for the Delhi-girl tragedy doesn't just stop with the six criminals, as such. I believe it goes beyond all the way to the lack of “common sense” in the human society. it’s a collective failure of our total awareness.

If the common sense is what separates human from other animals, then it’s logical to think that the human, in the absence of common sense, can naturally be cruel like a hunting animal. (According to Wikipedia, common sense is "a sound and prudent judgement based on a simple perception of the situation or facts") 

I think the common sense in a man generally takes a less emotional heart with a more rational mind. But we live in a state where we are not allowed even mentally to see, to know, to understand and to examine the life by OURSELVES.

In fact, the interesting thing about common sense is that we all think we possess a share of it just by design or by being a human animal or by getting an art & science degree or by making some material wealth or by just socializing. we never intend to EARN them trough our experiences & wisdom, as a necessary tool to measure our judgments.

The human, having the extra sense, still makes gravely mistakes because he barely uses it to judge what's right & whats's wrong.

so why are we deprived of common sense? According to me, It may be because of the reality of poverty, ignorance, illiteracy and socially misunderstood values & principles. 

For example, if we take all the six people charged in the rape case, we can find out that none of them had been exposed to any kind of formal education. Nor were their family. Simply put, they didn't learn any humanity in the first place. 

But, how do we earn common sense? I believe that the common sense is to be earned and acted upon by us, meaning you, me, the neighbor, the parent, the teacher, the student, the preachers, etc. It’s time to do it alone, person to person, if we want change. We cannot wait for any leaders or bureaucrats.

We as everyone can make this Idea possible perhaps by sending every child in this country to elementary school at least. Again, you may ask why even educated people do commit crimes. The thing at fault here is not the education as whole but what people were being taught in classrooms. The teachers must ask themselves what they do to the next generations.

I don’t care what the country’s formal educational system means. But we as teachers can still make a difference here if we build the next generation’s character by providing them a basic level practical knowledge and judgment that they all need to help them live in a reasonable and safer way . 

To me, a formal education is only completed if it develops a common sense in any social animal.

And, If we as parent could teach our kids about human values, compassion, love, tolerance, honesty and ethics, then perhaps we can expect them to become a genuine human being that we are calling upon others to be. It's not just we teach them economics & science because there's a difference between making carrier and making life.
I understand that the ideas are costly. It may not give any T20 solutions but it’s in the long-term interest of this world. We may have to wait for a while to reap them, but it’s worth doing.

And talking about us, how about we, adults? Had some of us knew a little more common sense, the wounded Delhi-girl could have received some medical assistance at least two hours earlier, instead of fighting herself on a road side.
It's fair to find faults in the politicians and systems. But what about us, individually? Our humanity has struck behind an outdated, insensitive and narrow-minded belief system. Our common sense has been weeded out in the presence of materials, fame, power, fun, glamour etc. we are solely in search of every short cuts that are available to all petty pleasures. We do need ourselves equipped with some rational thinking & practical Judgement for already complicated once-plain life.
If we don’t see the problem here clearly, we’re going to perpetuate it. We’re going to teach our children our confusion, and we’ll go on, generation after generation. That’s why I feel that the time now is not only good for some judicial reforms but also right for a review on the way we think who we are; on what we teach ourselves & others about life nowadays.

The impact of the common sense on social problems is more than we think because we live in the 21^st century, where we can alter our lives by just altering our attitudes of mind. As Mr. W. H Auden, saying, “Fate succumbs many a species; one alone jeopardizes itself”.

Thanking you,

MP.

P.S. I believe in my idea to an extent where it made me clear to send at least a kid to school by sponsoring his education. I do believe I can make change here, and most importantly, so are you, lovely people.