Amir Iqbal Khan
At the heart of every community, nation and society regardless of faith, language, or geography lies the common man. By and large, the average citizen is a decent, noble person. They do not look for trouble, they look for tranquillity. Their ultimate goal is simply to keep their children safe and to ensure the next generation gets a better throw of the dice in life than they did. This universal dream, however, can only bear fruit when peace and order prevail. When stability reigns, ordinary lives flourish.
Yet, within every group, there exists a fringe element, a small but toxic minority whose lifeblood is hatred and whose very breath is poison. These individuals are cut from a different cloth. They thrive on conflict because animosity is their currency, their influence lasts only as long as society remains fractured. If harmony takes root and life runs smoothly, they are effectively put out of business. In short, their vested interests are diametrically opposed to the well being of the common man.
The tragedy is that while these agents of discord are few and far between, they speak with a megaphone. They kick up a storm and hog the spotlight, creating the illusion that they represent the masses. But appearance is not reality. The average citizen wants no part in wars, conflicts or curfews. They do not want to see homes going up in smoke. They simply want to live in safety and maintain good neighbourly relations.
Alarmingly, this radical fringe hijacks the narrative, masquerading as the true representatives of the people. They exploit the quiet nature of the working class. Because the ordinary person chooses to steer clear of trouble, these loud self-appointed leaders claim to speak on their behalf. In reality, the masses are not standing with them, they are merely keeping their heads down. Unfortunately, this silence is consistently misrepresented.
There is a glaring misconception in our society that the quiet reserve of a good person is a sign of weakness or capitulation. It is not. Those who seek to sow seeds of unrest, drive a wedge between communities and tear the nation apart are small in number. However, they make up for their lack of numbers with sheer volume. They shout down the reasonable majority, attempting to drown out the voice of sanity so they can achieve their own malicious ends.
Consider the honest labourer who toils from dawn to dusk just to put food on the table. Exhausted by the day’s grind, they sleep soundly at night, free from malice. They have no time for conspiracy theories nor do they buy into sedition wrapped in the flag of country or religion. They are too busy fighting the daily battle for livelihood to get bogged down by manufactured hatred.
Yet, opportunistic and selfish elements continuously look for ways to exploit the vulnerabilities of the working class. They mistake the common man’s preoccupation with survival for submission, turning their silence into a weapon. It is time society recognizes that this silence is not consent. It is the quiet dignity of a majority that values peace over profit.
