Getting your day off to a good start means staying well clear of the newspaper, which paints an everyday picture of Armageddon such that you’re thankful just to make it to the next day – only to pick up the paper again and perpetuate a never-ending cycle of doom-and-gloom. Fortunately, then, we provide alternate reading that hopefully fuels you with some optimism and adrenalin. Not this particular column on this occasion, though, I must warn you.
When reading of the many ghastly acts in the daily news, it got me thinking about the cause for the general apathy that we seem to have towards even basic law and order. And, while I’m no sociologist, I think I may have figured out the answer. You see, every single day millions of ostensibly otherwise law-abiding citizens take to the roads in the mad rush of the daily grind. As they swerve, abuse, and wind their way through their daily commute – many a time even on the wrong side of the road – they’re filled with the realisation that breaking the law of the land doesn’t really come with any consequences. At least not on our roads.
The police force is stretched so thin that not only do they not see the anarchy on our roads, or turn a blind eye, they actually contribute to the lawlessness as much as everyone else. What this does, then, is instil a sense of daring – a sheer disregard for the law – amongst the ordinary citizen. With no fear for the rule of law – rape, murder, pillage and plunder is, if you think about it, all but a natural progression. In the worst-case scenario!
Perhaps I ought to study sociology before coming up with more societal theories, but it seems to me that unless we start fiercely and strictly implementing the rule of law on our anarchy-fuelled roads, we’re doomed to slide down the slippery slope of lawlessness to a point where we’ll create habitual offenders faster than we can keep track of if-and-when we decide to act.
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