Incidents of brutality, nay savagery, have become so rampant in society that there is no peace of mind left for the law abiding citizen. Taking the law into ones own hands that these daily occurrences exemplify takes on an alarmingly ominous colour when they are committed in broad daylight in the full glare of the public and, indeed, in the presence of the police, the custodians of the law; or worse still, by the police themselves. The two incidents - the lashing to death of two brothers, done by common citizens in Sialkot, and hanging their dead bodies for the people to see; and the equally perturbing news from Bahawalpur where the police baton charged and snatched the veils of female medical students - whatever the alleged 'crime of the victims - are a cause of serious concern. The intelligentsia and sensitive sections of society must reflect on the root cause of such a trend and how to reverse it. Thanks to an independent, fearless judiciary, the Sialkot crime is being investigated by a former judge of the Lahore High Court. These acts of brutality do not even spare the weak and the defenceless. Child molestation frequently ending in murder; domestic violence by the burning and killing of women or what has come to be known as honour killing; eliminating opponents by staged police encounters; deaths in custody; torture and deaths in private jails maintained by the powerful and even police officials; murders in robberies at the slightest resistance; the loss of life in common brawls that the elders would, in the past, intervene to arrange peaceful reconciliation - violence in every form is an indication of a disturbed society. Certain instigating factors of this criminal tendency could be easily identified. The leadership and the so-called elites assumption that they are a law unto themselves, never totally absent from the country, has now taken on the shape of open defiance of the law. If they are supposed to set an example for the rest of the citizenry, they must bear their share of responsibility. Besides, the impact of the pressures of modern life stands accentuated by the neglect of the man in the street by those elected to run the affairs of the state; for they are charged with the obligation of framing policies, issuing guidelines and creating conditions that could make life easier and bearable. Their race to enrich themselves at the cost of developing the land for the rest to benefit; and failure to meet the essential needs of life of the people, like goods of daily use, health, education and shelter, through cheap and affordable prices; inability to provide security to life and property have all driven the people to be living constantly on the edge, where exasperation with the demands of life turns into violence. It is a moment of reflection for the leadership to see where the country is heading and for the people to see what savages they are turning into.