Mob Justice
By: Santosh (July 7th, 2009)
Few days ago I was attending an official meet from our compnay at Ahmedabad Management Association. As usual there’s no proper parking space at the institute so there where hundred’s of car parked on the road. I along with three of my other collegues having not found any place parked our cars outside a society’s gate. In the midst of the meeting on of my collegues who’d to leave early for an appointment called me franatically saying that “all my four wheels have been punctured”. Initially I thought that he’s just joking, but it was not so as he franatically called me and texted me eventually forcing me to come down. And what do I see? All four wheels out of air. And not only mine all three cars where punctured, in all twelve tyres!
Very soon we realized that somebody had come with a valve screw and taken out valves from our tyres and don’t know why they left the valve pin near the tyres. Soon we also realized the fact that it was the society people who had actually done this great task (according to them) as a punishment meted to us for parking near their society gates. Not to justify the wrong parking that we’d done, but I guess there was a lawfull way to deal with it.
Three days ago some people beat the hell out of a thief on the instigation of the owner of a mobile shop where he was trying to steal a mobile.
At around same time the convicts of Surat’s rape case where beaten black and blue when they had gone for their medical tests in one of the hospitals. The anger of the crowd seemed uncontrollable and roughed the three guys and later police had to intervene to save the convicts from being getting killed.
When I’m wirting about these incidents I’m not justifying the wrongs people have done. No. Not at all. But I want to drive a point thru this.
In the parking case, their was a traffic police booth just across the road where the society was located. They could have called them and locked our cars for unlawfull parking. Even if not that they could have called the traffic control room. But instead they chose the other way, the easy way of punishing us themselves so that they could vent their anger.
If you go through the newspapers you’ll see one or two cases daily of mob justice. Why is this trend increasing?? Why people want to take justice in their hands?? Some people may say that their’s no point in going legal as it takes a long time for a verdict in our country. But these incidents can be witnessed across the world. Places where the justice system is as fast as fast food service.
I think people have a feeling that if sombedy does something wrong then you also do wrong to the person, which in turn will give a lesson to them and we can feel like “gods” who gave back justice to them. As time passes people have become impatient day by day and can not bear the fact of somebody doing smallest wrong to them, like nudging their cars at the red lights, somebody pointing fingers to them, somebody shouting at them without respect, somebody just staring at them, and so on.
People in general are filled with justice not being metted out properly in this world. They’re seeing the wicked prosper, they are seeing the businessman doing wrong prosper, people cheating and yet making it big, succesful people doing anything to earn money and possesions. This is what we see across our world and that’s filling the people with lack of justice in this world and that’s why one chance they get, they don’t miss that opportunity.
The bible says when prophet Jeremiah asked God,
“Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?”
God answers,
“They will sow wheat but reap thorns; they will wear themselves out but gain nothing. So bear the shame of your harvest because of the LORD’s fierce anger.”
Two thousand years ago a similar incident happend at the cross of Calvary when an innocent man, sinless man bore the wrath of mob justice. The mob shouted “Crucify”, “crucify”. But their was a bigger purpose of the creator in that. He was crucified and died on the cross so that we can be saved. We can be saved from the justice of God and not of any human being. When He rose again on the third day it was a promise that we’ve died to sin and now we will live with him in eternity.
The God who created us has also created a perfect justice system in place so that everybody can be saved from His anger. He’s also creatd a system in this world also for doing something wrong in the land where you live.
Jesus said, if somebody slaps you on one cheek then show him the other also. He wanted that we should not take justice in our hands and slap them back, but rather leave the justice to God and He being a just God will take care of the rest.
The justice system of our land is made by people whom God created and that’s His way of maintaining law and order in the land. If we don’t respect the law then we’re not respecting Him directly. Think of Christ who being innonecent took the cross to save us, how much we should do???
God bless
Note: At any point of time I’m not advocating the wrong things sighted in the examples above. Whatever is wrong is wrong and it affects peoples lives drastically.
July 15th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Well collaged instances. Good one bro.
Now day’s people don’t wait for the justice. They do what is right in their own eyes. Blame it on the prolonged, corrupt, hassled judicial system or what not. They have lost their faith. In the classic bollywood days, when the villain is in the verge to be killed by the hero the clichés dialogue was “Bhaiya, Kanun ko apne hath me math lo” (don’t take law in your own hands). And in the end when the credentials for the movie are shown, the villain is either seen in the court or in jail. A true, happy ending! Justice was never in the hands of a single individual, it was a law to be followed by everyone. When the law is the broken, the culprit is brought before the judicial system, to exhibit justice and maintain the law and the order. Have you ever wondered why order is required? So that it’s true in everyone’s eye.
When mob becomes a justice, I wonder what measuring rod we will use to evaluate everyone with. How will the law and the order be maintained?
July 16th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
This kind of behaviour is also sometimes called ‘Herd Mentality’ derived from the animal behaviour of running away as a group from the predator. Each animal tries to get to the centre of the group to protect itself from the predator. Although they look like a group but each is motivated by its selfish desire to protect its own self. And that is why they all try to get away from the edge and come to the centre of the group.
We have seen such acts in our modern society quite often, especially the incidences in Mumbai when a woman was molested by a mob. Often it become difficult to pin down the perpetrator of such crimes because they take the advantage that a crowd offers of being lost inside it. Such acts prompt a man to let go off his rational behaviour to lend himself to his baser animal instincts.
But the author mentioned about Jesus who was also subject to such mob behaviour. But that was not the only incidence but everyday we are becoming a part of this world which is acting like a mob against God by propagting ideas and philosphies under the disguise of freedom and choice. But we all know in our hearts that it is our selfish desire to protect our hurting consciences which continuously holds us guilty for giving in to the baser animal like insticts of our body and mind. Talk about gay rights, abortions, divorce rates or addictions we have covered them as just normal human behaviour when they all are giving in to our hearts desires.
But the Bible says that Jesus before whom our hearts will be laid bare one day and on that day we face him eye to eye. Just me and him. There will be no mob to hide inside. Matthew 25 says quotes Jesus on the subject of his second coming when he says “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”
July 16th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
I dealt with something similar about an year back…
http://www.gracejunction.com/blog/herds-of-the-concrete-jungle/
July 29th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Nice one, I completely agree with Santosh. If we something illegal happening around us, it is our duty to bring it to the attention of the authorities and nothing more. Taking the law into one’s own hands is deplorable.