Lack of Knowledge can be harmful

Despising instruction can cause harm

There is no denying the fact that Knowledge is a Divine gift and is meant to give understanding and instruction to mankind. Lack of knowledge and Education is not only disadvantageous but it also has the potential to either ruin or kill people. A lot of times, people either become victims or victimize others due to these essential components. It has been witnessed that a lot of people take advantage of others considering it a trivial offence. One must realize that every action has a reaction and whatever a man sows he also reaps. It is therefore essential to impart knowledge to everyone and educate them, including those who already have it and those who are without it. It is true that rules and regulations are meant to organize individuals and to keep them together as communities, societies and nations. In the absence of rules, regulations and laws life will certainly become miserable for everyone. Unfortunately, a lot of people in our society only consider rules and regulations as restrictions without realizing their benefits. There are some who take pride in breaking traffic rules considering it a minor offence without realizing that their folly can cause major accidents.

It has been witnessed that courtesy and polite behavior seems to be eroding in today’s society. Today, most people have this mistaken idea that evading ‘open conflict whenever possible’ indicates weakness. Human knowledge is not perfect therefore there is nothing wrong in listening to others. Unfortunately, most people think that they are right all the time therefore they do not want to hear what others have to say.  It is generally believed that sometimes people who behave in impolite manners are ignorant of how their actions are viewed by others. Some people cut lines in banks, shops and other public places while others park in no parking zones under the pretext that this is Pakistan.

The recent Bahawalpur oil tanker incident that caused at least 153 deaths can be seen as an example of lack of knowledge, ignorance and education.  According to the initial reports, the truck driver had lost control and resultantly the truck veered off the road. Many car drivers and motorcyclists from nearby villages rushed to the scene to collect oil despite warnings issued by the security officials. While large numbers of people were still close to the truck, it suddenly exploded and the blaze engulfed 75 motorcycles and six automobiles. According to CNN.com the National Highway and Motorway Police had advised people to stay away from the wrecked truck but their advice was ignored. One reason speculated for the explosion so far is that a lot of people were smoking cigarettes and using mobile phones at the same time to inform their relatives about the oil spillage. Furthermore, the truck was fitted with batteries which might have sparked the flame. The actual cause of explosion still remains a mystery yet there is no justification for smoking cigarettes and using mobile phones near a large pool of spilt oil.  Had large numbers of people not gathered near the truck, precious loss of human life could have been avoided? 

One cannot ignore the fact that poverty is one of the biggest problems that our country is currently facing. No adequate measures have been taken so far to remove poverty. Rural development has never been considered a matter of paramount importance therefore a lot of people living in the rural areas are without the basic facilities of life. One may assume that the nearby villagers thought that the oil tanker spillage was a’ blessing in disguise’ for them. They were by no means willing to miss the opportunity of collecting a few pints of free petrol despite being warned to stay away from the tanker by the officials. Unfortunately, that short-lived joy ended with a horrific explosion killing so many lives. Collecting a few liters of petrol while risking one’s own life seems unreasonable and shows how our society at large avoids harkening to instruction, wisdom and lack of education. All three play a vital role in such horrific incidents which need to be taken into account and administered immediately.

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