In recent times, a sad trend is emerging where most people feel happy mistreating others, especially those who are simple, quiet, and shy and, hence, are introverted and innocuous by nature. Being a harmless fellow should be taken as something positive. As a matter of fact, such simple people should be celebrated and appreciated, but they are most often scoffed at and victimised rather than appreciated and promoted. This raises some questions: why have social values acquired such propositions where people derive pleasure in teasing others, feel happy in their troubles, and maltreat them?
The nature with which a human being is born, as per Islamic concepts, supports the fact that human beings are intrinsically good. According to this school of thought, every child is born innocent and pure. This can be supported by many instances from the Quran and Hadith, where the main focus is on kindness and mercy. In Surah Al-Maidah (5:32), it is stated, “whoever saves a life, it is as if he has saved all of mankind.” In Surah Al-Baqarah (2:83), it is said, “and speak to people kindly.” In Surah Ar-Rahman (55:60), the focus on kindness is reinforced: “Is there any reward for good other than good?” Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also gave much importance to treating others with fairness. At one point, he said: “Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to mankind.” (Sahih Bukhari, 6013; Sahih Muslim, 2319). Showing mercy to the creatures of Allah is a way to please Him. The same thing is highlighted at many places by the Holy Prophet (PBUH). At one place, he says, “The best among you is that who brings the most benefit to others.” (Sunan al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, 6192). His sayings truly reflect how significant it is to live in perfect harmony through good dealings with all around us. Some other sayings by him echoing a similar point include: “He who is not merciful to our young and does not honour our elders is not one of us.” (Sunan Abu Dawood, 4943; Tirmidhi, 1919). “A believer is like a gentle plant that bends but does not break in the wind, while a hypocrite is like a hard tree that is uprooted by the storm.” (Bukhari, 7460; Muslim, 2811). The Prophet (PBUH) also said: “Make things easy for people, and do not make them difficult.” (Sahih Bukhari, 69; Sahih Muslim, 1732).
One act of giving can change a life forever, especially for those whose lives have been a daily struggle
Despite all these clear directions and emphasis on fair dealings and good treatment towards our fellow human beings, why do people turn into sadists as they grow up in our society? Is the collective conscience of our society dying, or are people becoming totally indifferent to thinking of the good of others? Why do we see the erosion of values? The societal behaviour should be looked into for these reasons. It is a modern dilemma and must not be ignored, as it leads to creating an environment where the best abilities of many individuals cannot shine, and overall development suffers. Because of undue torture, many people have to deal with multiple mental issues.
The person who is victimised cannot get rid of the negative experiences and the excruciating pains associated with them. For those who become victims, their struggle with the bad experiences is very difficult.
To address these issues, encouraging positive behaviours in society is important. Rebuilding societal values will help a lot in facilitating ways for the weak, quiet, and shy people who are at the mercy of those who think themselves to be very smart and clever. One act of giving can change a life forever, especially for those whose lives have been a daily struggle. In this context, a call for collective action is required. Awareness-raising is a must, and there is a need to go for discussions at different forums. This will also help in fostering and improving social cohesion—a society where weak people are safe and protected and no longer feel afraid. Advocacy and awareness campaigns for propagating kindness are a must for engendering harmony and peace in society and treating others with respect, not making them feel let down.
Focusing on values like empathy, cooperation, and emphasising mutual respect is very essential. We must get rid of behaviours that pave the way for a place where people do not find joy in causing distress to others. Genuine happiness lies in standing against cruelty and promoting politeness and kindness.
How empathy, understanding, and proactive measures can lead to overall well-being can be learned through Danish pedagogy methods. If, in Denmark, a teacher feels that a particular student is not performing well, she ensures that the underlying causes are addressed as to why he is facing difficulty in learning. For this purpose, she pauses academic activities, works with the students, parents, and other school staff, and looks for the possible reasons hindering the student’s ability to learn. The methods she may employ may involve additional tutoring, a change in teaching methods, or counselling.
The element of respect is a must. Respect is a value that must be honoured by all. Every relationship, if given the respect it deserves, flourishes and becomes a source of happiness for all concerned. Also, we must know that life is not meaningless. Small things do matter in life for us and can become a source of immense happiness and gratefulness. The realisation of this helps solidify every relationship in the world.
We must always remember that life is very beautiful. Actually, unwittingly, we ourselves fill our lives with much pain and sadness, which could have been easily avoided through introspection, as mostly we ourselves are responsible for creating problems in our lives. We must know that changing the perspective of life will change our life, as most of the pains in life are not because of anyone else but are caused by ourselves. Genuinely, we have to reflect on our actions. Life is neither meaningless nor meaningful. It is up to us what meaning we confer to it. Anyone who takes care of us, honouring that person and deriving happiness from this aspect, may add value to our living. It may become a source of pleasure for us, no matter if the whole world turns against us. Even if nothing is good in our life, for that one person, living will make our life worth living.
It is equally important that we know we should look for multiple possibilities in life, but learning to stay contented with what we have is also significant. Accepting reality is very important. If we try to humiliate others, this act reflects more on us than on those whom we try to underestimate. Therefore, we must often question our own behaviour. How many times do we judge people without actually knowing about them? The fact remains that simplicity and kindness do not lessen our importance but instead elevate us.
A person’s true worth is not in their status but actually in how they choose to treat other people. Are we living to impress others or to learn to become better people? It is actually not what you achieve or have but about the positive impact you leave on the people around you. So, let the actions speak for us.
For making ourselves feel bigger, pulling others down and humiliating them in front of others will not serve any good to us ever in life, but for that very person whom we try to belittle through our acts or gestures, the pain of these bitter things will remain alive for long. We must not forget that such acts are always self-defeating.
One good lesson we can learn is that we do not have to become like and support individuals who are a part of this cruel exercise. We have to play our due role in facilitating others and helping people in distress. That is the very essence for which a human being is born.
The true goodness lies not in perpetuating this cruelty, mercilessly hurting or judging people on account of their appearances, and inflating our egos, but in championing the cause of humanity and sticking to the ethical principle that if you have to choose, always choose to be a good person.
Hope, compassion, and resilience are keys to success. Have we ever tried to give a thought to how many times we apologised for our arrogance and how many times we learned from apologies and took these as opportunities for change? The reality cannot be denied that often what we search for most in the world is what we find least in ourselves. The sooner we realise this, the better it will be for us.