Until you learn self-worth and find beauty in the things you already have, you are always going to be terrorized by the moral police. You must know that you are somebody who is truly valuable, correct? It does not matter how you look, act, or think, or what others think of you. Your parents should have taught this to you at a young age, but I guess they didn’t, so let me spell it out for you. These moral cops can be anyone, from family to unknown acquaintances. My male friend came to my house to assist me on a writing project, just because I stay alone and am single. The agony aunts who always sit in the corridors gossiping with each other were not only curious to know who that guy was, but they were silently gossiping about all kinds of imaginary stuff. My friend is a smoker. He just finished smoking and entered the lift. All the aunts were staring at him as if he were some dreaded criminal. Well! We single girls have no right to invite anyone to our home because society thinks it immoral to be at home with someone of the opposite sex.
Our society right now is in a phase of transition. India is transitioning from a web of traditional values to a more liberal value system. There are patrons on both sides, and the general plebe population has an apathy for change. Young rebels would shun the traditional values and adopt the newer, more convenient values, and the old sentinels would try to uphold the traditional system. I don’t see anything inherently faulty with this except the fact that people tend to become hypocritical.
Moral policing, anytime, anywhere, is wrong; it is repulsive and obnoxious. It is a set of self-styled cops trying to impose their own drive on others. It happens whenever religious forces try to impose their will on society because they claim that they do not answer to the law but only to some god that they find acquiescent. Taking charge of your thoughts, especially when it’s an emotional state about yourself, can be one of the toughest things to do when you don’t feel confident. Sometimes you criticize yourself and feel shy around others when you can’t find ways to feel comfortable in your own skin, rather than embracing yourself for who you are. But why put yourself through that kind of stress when you’re already perfect?as
India is at a very crucial stage of its growth now; young generations are finally freeing themselves from the clutches of age-old traditions and orthodoxy. Politicians have been an integral part of the whole “moral policing” drive that has been predominant in our country for quite some time now. Their aim is to prevent a person from doing anything that is against our so-called ‘sanskaar’. There have been innumerable cases of politicians, especially those belonging to the right wing, who have publicly made comments that suggest hostility towards people who they think are immoral.
We, being independent and self-made individuals, should stop seeking validation from irrelevant people. Are you a perfectionist? There is no harm in living the life you want and deciding for yourselves; whatever the outcome, just face it. We are going to make mistakes. If other people think they can change you to get you to act in a certain way, well, that is an example of the other person making a serious mistake. Thank them for their opinion, and then move on; associate with people who can love you for who you are.
When you use force, violence, or try to make someone feel bad about themselves using your own morals, you are guilty of moral policing. What is right according to you or for you is not necessarily right for someone else. Hence, we should abstain from forcing anyone to agree to our or society’s terms of what is acceptable and what isn’t.
We should build our self-worth. Become Self-Aware. This won’t happen overnight. Become aware of who you really are. Be willing to see the good, the bad, and the ugly—your strengths and weaknesses—and don’t judge, but accept them. People come and go; no one is permanent in your life, but it’s only you who can be with yourself until your last breath. Many lives are unnecessarily ruined in the name of dos and don’ts.
We are all allowed to make mistakes. Instead of punishing yourself, brush it off and make fun of your actions whenever you can. The more easy-going you are with yourself, the better you may feel. Be kind to yourself. Do nice things for yourself. Be compassionate when you make a mistake and tell yourself, “It’s okay.’ Let others love you. When people see this person who is comfortable in their own skin (you), then they are going to want what you have. Surround yourself with positive people. While not everyone is perfect, surrounding yourself with people who put you down or are constantly negative won’t help with your self-esteem.
We should stop worrying about what other people think about us. If you place too much value on what others think of you, you will feel more uncomfortable with who you are. As you work to develop self-worth and self-love, you will find you can let others’ opinions go. You’re using too much of your precious energy worrying about how others view you. Just be yourself, and the right people will be attracted to you for the right reasons. One of the defining characteristics of fascism is its unqualified contempt and hatred of free thought and liberalism. In moral policing, we see the same trend.
