We know that for some people, life is a daily struggle - from the people forced to sleep on the street in our own communities, to people living without enough water or food in areas of major towns and cities. Most of us can barely imagine the reality of living in that way. So we are little aware that there is something wrong with our society that needs fixing. This fixing can be achieved through social justice. But unfortunately, influential classes among us, do not view social justice with equality and dignity of human beings around them, rather they are tended towards maintaining status quo with their sway over rest of the members of the society. This influential and privileged class is a stumbling block in bringing justice to the society whereby everyone can live an honourable life; have easy access to basic needs; have his/her self-respect, dignity and privacy well secured along with equal opportunities of employment.

Unfortunately, the class culture has made us hostage of our perceived status while in reality we do not have any status other than that of a human being. The glaring example of this assertion can be seen in this plight as the most important people do not have after their retirement or removal from influential positions; they are suddenly turned into non-entity in the mainstream affairs as soon as they are sidelined from the important worldly positions. Yet, we are not ready to mend ways in our lives no matter how large a burden of reading books and moral lessons is on our back and no matter how many moral sermons we give from our great public offices or positions. In practice we want to maintain status quo with class culture and want to see us and our children where we are and the poor, the deprived, the ignorant and their children, where they are. This all selfish approach stops us from acting for a welfare society with just distribution of resources and wealth; this stops us to act and use our positions to create a just society where everyone has access to justice; this stops us from doing positive efforts to create an educated and poverty free society.

This apathy in our society has reduced us to merely some living creatures always vying for eating and clothing and not living a life befitting to a normal human-being which our Creator has chosen us for this worldly life.

ABDUL SAMAD CHANNA,

Karachi, May 3.