By: Owais Rashid.
Our individual freedom is as important as our responsibilities towards our fellow men. We cant afford to exercise our liberty everywhere. Where we have to follow the rules, we cant choose to go against them. For instance, if pedestrians start walking in the middle of the road and if cab drivers start driving on the pavement, things will go topsy- turvy. If we don't stop our vehicle when the policemen is asking us to stop, there will be utter confusion and it will be difficult to cross the busy road. If we defy the rules where are to be observed, there will be chaos and anarchy. If everybody start interfering with every other person anarchy will gain supreme. We must enjoy individual liberty where we don not interfere with other. We can decide where our child should study. It is the right of a student to decide whether he should specialise in science or arts or to play soccer or cricket. The right social conduct demands that we should not be selfish while enjoying our privet liberty. We have to resist our liberty when we know that it is interfering with other persons liberty. Man is an individual but cant live without society. Our personal liberties are preserved when others liberties are preserved. Nobody can stop you from pursuing your love for music. But you cannot exercise the liberty of playing on some musical instrument at some odd hour of night. While i am travelling, i have to see that my speaking louder does not disturb other passengers. The movement we step out of the kingdom of our personal liberty, it becomes our duty to have consideration for the liberties of others. Most of the people are liable to forget this. Our rights end where the rights of others begin. If i have the right to flourish a sword in air, i also have a duty to stop flourishing it, before i cut someones ear or nose.
A reasonable consideration for feelings and rights of others and small give and take of social relationships, are foundations of social conduct. One should have individual liberty as well as social liberty. Moments of great sacrifice and heroism are rare. One who follows the rule of the road is civilised in real sense. Small courtesies sweeten or make bitter the journey of life.
