K.V. Seetharamaiah
Fear is both a boon and bane. Fear has many facets. Fear can be out of respect to divinities, parents, elders, learned persons, teachers etc. And fear can be for imminent threat from hostile persons or wild animals. Fear out of respect takes a person to highest pedestal.
Fearlessness is good for adventure and bad for misadventure.
Success is adventurous and failure is misadventurous. Adventure or misadventure is always associated with risk. Successful completion of attaining the intended goal is adventure.
“Fear has a large shadow, but he himself is small”, Ruth Gendler, Artist and Writer, says. If we salute our duty, we have nothing to fear but if we pollute our duty, fear encircles us. This is what former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam says. Not everything can be achieved without facing risks. Terrorists strike terror and then run away.
They run away fearing for life. They do not fight in the open. Their attack is mostly on unarmed people.
They execute their plan fearlessly and run away fearfully. It is for this reason, though the terrorists successfully play havoc and kill the civilians and armymen, they are called cowards.
A number of terrorists who have successfully executed their plan to kill the innocent civilians and armymen have been killed. Thanks to the bravery of the armymen.
Killer terrorists are cowards because they cannot face security forces. Persons dying at the hands of terrorists are praised for their bravery and their death is described as martyrdom because they fight for the country and do not fear to be in the open unlike terrorists.
The fearlessness of terrorists does not command respect whereas the fearlessness of the security forces deserves respect. The nation remembers both coward terrorists and brave security forces.
Scamsters work for personal gains without a sense of fear, shame and guilt. Probability of being caught in due course of time for their misdeeds does not instil fear among scamsters and fraudsters.
Benefits are taken through unfair means hoping that they would not be caught and hoping that even if the arms of law catch them, by the time the case is disposed of, either they will be no more or even if the punishment to undergo jail sentence is awarded for the rest of life, they will be happy that they are in the evening of their life and their life-term sentence would not be too long before they undergo punishment.
Inordinate delay in the justice delivery system has been emboldening the persons to go for wrongdoings. Fearlessness to indulge in criminal activities is the outcome of the delayed delivery of justice.
Delayed delivery of justice is boon to the litigant standing on the wrong side and bane to the litigant standing on the right side. Persons seeking justice in the court of law are quailed at the thought of delayed delivery of justice.
Even right person fears to approach the court. Waiting for justice for an indefinite length of time is dreadful. Benjamin Franklin, American Polymath says that laws too gentle are seldom obeyed; too severe are seldom executed. This shows that gentle laws are not feared. Too severe laws are no threat since their implementation is rare. Examinees indulge in copying and other malpractices. Fearlessness to indulge in unfair practice by the examinees is bane if they are caught and debarred. Fools only make attempt to get through the examinations through unfair methods. It is well said “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”. An officer or any other employee who does not feel sense of shame and guilt does not fear to stretch out his arms for bribe. This is shameful fearlessness. Famous Kannada poet Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre says, “He does not fear death”. Asked how it is possible that he does not fear death, he said “Because death does not come when I am alive and I will not be alive when death comes”. An army of lions commanded by a deer is never feared about than an army of deer commanded by a lion. The message is clear that the leadership from the position of strength can only instil fear among the followers. A man who lies will be in the grip of fear whereas a man who says truth does not have anything to fear about. Truth is God. Lie is demon. Truth is exact correspondence with reality, says Paramahansa. Chanakya advises “As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it”.
Thomas Jefferson says “When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty”. Tax terrorism is one of the strongest weapons that the government at centre or governments at states wield. It is well said “Tax is fine for doing right and fine is tax for doing wrong”.
Both tax and fine cut into the pockets of people. High dosage of tax triggers fear among people leading for tax evasion. Moderate tax structure can do away with fear of people.
Herbert Hoover, American politician and humanitarian, wants the budget balanced not by more taxes but by reduction of follies.
Budget should allay the fear of imposition of hefty indirect taxes. Tax relief must be given every year because the prices of essential commodities and services will not be the same in the subsequent years. Raise in cost of goods and services in subsequent years without a corresponding tax relief means raise in tax rate without showing it to be so. It can be called passive shoot-up of tax rates. Even a lion is not free from fear because “he has to defend himself against the flies,” a German proverb says. It is well said “Fear is an important human emotion that can help protect you and prepare you for action”.
Fear is like fire. Fire can be used both for lighting and burning.
