The events of the past few days have left us all reeling to say the least. Overthrowing a dictator whose regime inflicted unspeakable horror and atrocities on its fellow countrymen was no mean feat, and credit goes to the brave students and the people of Bangladesh. Yet again, we have proven that together, we are invincible. Our greatest strength is our collective resilience; the determination to defend our rights against all odds is deeply embedded in our shared identity as Bangladeshis.
What a joyous and momentous occasion this victory has been for us! And as history has shown time and again, great triumph is accompanied by greater challenges. The fall of this regime has exposed an entirely different side of our society and collective consciousness that was better left hidden. At the risk of sounding Dickensian, it is but the best of times and the worst of times. A frenzied mob rampaged the prime minister's residence, viciously grabbing and looting whatever they could get their hands on. Next, her sister's and senior advisor's private residences were targeted in a calculated manner where further looting and theft continued. Shaky video footages revealed greedy faces of evidently educated and well-off members of an obviously higher income bracket grabbing personal effects from these residences, clawing and snatching at their heart's content, filling up their expensive SUVs and cars with their looted items. Their eyes aglow with pure, unadulterated greed, these people stole expensive items from these houses, all the while jeering and chanting that these enemies of the state had it coming. An image of a woman grabbing her loot while the advisor's house burns in the background stands out among the rest. Is this what our newly gained independence stands for? Is this what the young protestors gave their lives for?
Surely not. And yet here we are.
Gordon Gekko, the ruthless fictional financier, famously remarked that greed is good. It sure is, when one is greedy for success gained through hard work, dedication etc. Greed is necessary too, for great strides to be made. But greed is dangerous, deadly even, when it comes at the expense of morality. Our society has witnessed absolute power in the hands of corrupt politicians since its inception some five decades ago. Dynastic politics has operated and thrived in Bangladesh. These families have leveraged their political power for their own benefit, widening the glaring gap between the rich and the poor. That one percent has lived a life beyond the ordinary folk' wildest imagination. Their greed and hunger for power and wealth was boundless; it is a fact well acknowledged. But this begets the question; what is greed for the goose, is surely greed for the gander too?
In an event of lawlessness, wrong is still wrong. Just like two wrongs don't make one right, stealing is stealing, even if it's from a corrupt politician's residence. And where are we heading towards, as a society, if our seemingly educated, well-bred citizens are displaying such sheer lack of morality and logic in trying times? In 14th century Florence, some monks burned down all items of luxury that corrupted one's mind, body and soul. Famously termed as the bonfire of the vanities, our collective conscience as a nation requires purge of a similar nature to truly rebuild our country from the ground up.
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