I can’t count the number of times I’ve been told as a child to speak against evil, to always embrace the truth, to have courage to voice out my opinions against the rampant oppression in the society. My education has taught me that I am a free individual, free to express my thoughts, free to speak out for and against my surroundings. Freedom of speech, I’ve been told, is my right. But now I wonder. I mean, the worst that could happen if I point out a flaw in the government’s policies, I many end up behind the bars. Or if I exercise my right to information, the least that could happen is have my face blackened in public, and be whipped—a beautiful public spectacle, a free show, very rare then, but quite common now. There was a time when we studied world peace, where we were instructed that the objective of the subject was to instil a feeling of international solidarity, to make us realize that no matter what, all people of all races are equal. That we must try our best to be diplomatic and rational about global issues, which may ideally prevent wars. But now, my country wants me to follow its example of giving the cold shoulder to my neighbor. As a sign of patriotism, the idea of today states that in order to show my loyalty to my nation, I must acknowledge and applause when my countrymen fling ink and blacken the faces of writers from the neighboring country who hold book releases in my land. What’s the big deal, right? After all, throwing ink is only one form of protest. Even if it is the same as an elementary schooler splashing juice on his classmate during a fight. The lesson of the day is—be juvenile, throw reasoning out the window.
