There are several well-intentioned objectives that can’t be achieved with the help of laws alone. We all know, for instance, that spitting in public places is an evil. It smacks of bad manners. It also fouls our environment. Yet, many of us expel saliva from mouths as a matter of habit. The same is the case with smoking. It is another widespread habit to blow into a cigarette. There is a ban on it in public places. Still we find people merrily puffing at cigarettes. Only recently the administration of this district has reiterated the ban on obscene posters and defacement of walls. At times the judiciary has also emphasized the need for applying effective correctives.

There can’t be two opinions that sometimes posters of films in this city and elsewhere don’t conform to the accepted standards of morality and decency. An odd titillating scene in a movie may be blown out of proportions to attract the crowd. The idea is obviously to make the hearts beat faster enough for the gullible to form queues outside cinema halls. It may be aggressive marketing. The fact, however, is that it does not illuminate children in particular about the mystery of human body but casts a wicked erotic spell on them. A climate of expectation is raised that does not match the reality. Only recently we have seen in a town adjoining the national capital that a school boy has opened fire on his colleague killing him on the spot. The question is whether a ban on arms and ammunition can truly help. Parents have to get deeply involved to inculcate in children a sense of right and wrong. They can’t go their own way leaving children to fend for themselves especially during nights. Instead, they have to reinforce mutual bonds for the sake of collective welfare.

An efficient family and social response can better restore the balance around us. Laws can at best be catalysts in the process. The world is increasingly worried because of growing child abuse. The damage is done before the laws can intervene. It is, therefore, being considered necessary that senior members keep a discreet watch on activities in their household. They should be in a position to step in and pre-empt crimes against boys and girls and also help them regain their confidence against evil-doers. Dowry is another case in point where there is a mismatch between the law and society. Road rage is another emerging crime. We indulge in a misplaced exhibition of tempers in public as if we are muscleman fighting in a wrestling arena.

Why can’t we hold our nerves? Why does not the fear of law deter us from behaving like beasts? It is at this stage that our role as citizens assumes significance. We have to pause for a while and consider how serious and responsible we are while conducting ourselves in any situation. Laws alone cannot secure freedom of expression in order that every man presents his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.