When human life is considered cheap

Human lives seem to have lost their sanctity in our society. Incidents that happen every day here remind us how cheap we consider lives of our own and others. The recent death of a man caused by a falling bearing pad from the metro rail in Dhaka, mirrors this grim reality. Otherwise, how could a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project have compromised on basic safety requirements, leading to loss of human life? The answer lies deep within our collective attitude towards life. As a society, we have not learned to give life its due value and to treat it as invaluable. We have normalised cruelty, tolerated negligence and accepted unnatural death as an inevitable byproduct of living in this society. Like charity, cruelty too begins at home. It starts in small acts like a person killing a stray animal, a parent punishing a child harshly at home, a teacher beating a student in class, a driver hitting a vehicle or a passerby on the street or a construction worker being ordered to take risks without safety gear. Each of these acts sows the seeds of cruelty in our mind on the one hand and creates acceptance that some lives matter less than others. This is why we accept preventable tragedies as fate. Though we get shocked or express outrage briefly for any such incident, we forget it and our sorrow evaporates shortly. Then we return to our routines and move on. In fact, we have built such a society where tragedy no longer disrupts life.

Lack of accountability is partially responsible for the situation. When a tragedy strikes, investigations are promised, probe bodies are formed, reports are written, but seemingly no lessons are learned from the mishap. Those responsible for any such incident seldom face consequences no matter whether it happened because of negligence, inefficiency or corruption. This impunity contributes to building our national psyche.

We follow Western societies for many things, but do not learn from them how to give life value. The value of life stands at the centre of governance and social ethics in Western societies. For instance, the European Union has abolished capital punishment across all its countries. Such a system can only function where people collectively respect life. Could we imagine such a system here in Bangladesh? No, we cannot. In our social reality, if people are given the assurance that manslaughter would not lead to capital punishment, many might take it as permission to kill.

The devaluation of life is not simply a legal or policy issue; it is a deep cultural issue. The problem is rooted in how we raise our children, how we behave in public and how we perceive power and responsibility. Reversal of this condition will not happen overnight. It will require conscious effort at every level--- from families to schools, from institutions to the state itself. But we must begin somewhere.

Families must be the first school of empathy. Children who grow up with kindness, respect, and emotional care are less likely to become cruel. Schools must teach not just literacy but humanity, empathy, civic responsibility and respect for others. Religious and community leaders can play a vital role too. Every faith teaches the sanctity of life. However, practices often contradict that teaching. We need religious sermons, campaigns, conversations and media interventions that remind us that protecting life is a moral duty. Institutions must be reformed. Safety audits, building standards, traffic law enforcement, labour protections, etc are necessary for saving lives. Above all, the state must set the tone. When laws are enforced properly, negligence or corruption is punished, and victims receive justice, people begin to understand that life matters.

We have not yet learned to give life the value it deserves. But it is not too late. The journey towards that understanding must begin now and everywhere --- in our homes, workplaces, classrooms and our state policies. We must keep in mind that every great social transformation begins with a shift in conscience. If we want to live in a society where negligence no longer kills, where one is no threat to others and where compassion guides conduct, we must first reclaim our sense of humanity.

rahmansrdk@gmail.com