A few days ago, a highly anticipated boxing match between two celebrities ended in a dramatic fashion. One of the fighters suffered a decisive loss, but what caught my attention was his young son’s reaction. Unable to bear the sight of his father’s defeat, the child broke into tears a scene that was both poignant and unsettling. Though everything about the moment seemed normal, I couldn’t shake off an odd feeling about it. I pondered over it for two days, analyzing it from every angle, yet something still felt out of place.
Then, a story shared by my housemate surfaced in my memory. He once told me how his father had been brutally beaten in front of his family. When his young daughter asked, “Who was that man?” he chose not to reveal his humiliation. Instead, he calmly responded, “It was my jin I got after so many years of hard work( Jin is supernatural in islamic theology and Arabic folklore )that took the form of a human being.” That moment was not just an act of evasion but a display of wisdom. He refused to let his children see him as weak, knowing that their security and trust in him depended on his perceived strength.
This realization connected the dots for me. A father who appears weak in front of his children risks losing their trust, making them feel vulnerable and unstable. Children look up to their parents as their first line of defense against the world. If that pillar of security crumbles, they grow up with fear, uncertainty, and a lack of confidence in authority.
But this idea extends far beyond a father’s roleit mirrors the larger dysfunction in society. Walk through the streets, observe the world around you, and you will see the same dynamic playing out. The powerful devour the weak, and the law, meant to protect all, bends only to serve those with influence. In societies where justice is selective, where the rich operate above the law while the poor are left defenseless, chaos takes root. Without fairness and accountability, the weak are perpetually preyed upon, and social stability deteriorates into misery.
THE ROLE OF LAW IN SOCIETY
Laws are the backbone of any civilization. They establish order, ensure justice, and maintain a balance where no individual or group has unchecked power. When laws are applied fairly, they provide a sense of security, allowing citizens to trust in the system rather than resorting to personal means of survival.
However, in societies where laws are inconsistently enforced, corruption thrives, injustice prevails, and despair replaces hope. The consequences of an unlawful society are devastating:
- Loss of Trust in Institutions; When people see that justice is only for the privileged, they lose faith in the government, police, and judiciary.
- Increase in Crime and Violence; If the law does not protect the weak, they become easy targets, leading to a rise in crime as individuals seek their own means of defense.
- Widening Class Divide; The rich become untouchable while the poor sink further into helplessness, creating a fractured and resentful society.
- Social Unrest and Revolt; Without justice, anger simmers beneath the surface until it erupts into protests, riots, or even revolution.A society without law is like a body without immunityvulnerable to external attacks and internal collapse. Justice should never be a privilege of the elite but a right for all. If the legal system fails to uphold fairness,the foundations of civilization weaken, and anarchy takes over.
The lesson from the father who hid his pain from his daughter is simple: strength is necessary to instill confidence and security. Just as a child needs a strong father, society needs strong and just laws. Without them, chaos reigns, and suffering becomes inevitable. It is not wealth or power that makes a nation strongit is the unwavering application of justice that truly sustains a society.
