It is difficult to believe in the virtue of discipline in this country. Not that all the inhabitants have scant regard for discipline or they don't know the necessity of maintaining a disciplined life. Nevertheless, a large number of people find it gainful of not being disciplined. Be it ordinary or great, a popular tendency is to go against norms and order as if this projects them as figures larger than life.
From private sphere to public place, a large section of people are eager to defend their narrow and self interests with indiscipline. They think that maintaining discipline is weakness. Instead, resorting to indiscipline or disorderliness would provide them some advantage. This kind of negative attitude towards discipline gradually makes it difficult to advance harmony in society and maintain the law and order.
Indiscipline encourages discourteous and insensitive behaviour towards others. Undisciplined people think that there is little need to care about those who are surrounding them. They also fail to learn or guide their children rightly. Undisciplined parents rather indirectly promote their children to become law-defying citizens in the long-run. That's why, a big number of students and youths have already turned reckless and crazy. They don't feel to maintain discipline in schools and colleges as well as other places. Some of them become unruly and ultimately criminal. Thus, society is bleeding.
Crazy behaviour of such people is widely visible in public spots like markets and roads. Motor-bikers have become the most vivid symbol of undisciplined people in this country. Any sensible man will be shocked and disappointed to see the unruliness of motorcyclists in Dhaka and other cities. Some of them are notorious also. Public buses are another example of indiscipline on roads. Footpaths occupied by makeshift shops, motorcycles and cars further expose the insensitivity to discipline. All these clearly show that there is a mind-set of 'do as one likes'.
It is saddening that over the years there develops a selective and systematic support to indiscipline. The powerful section of society and their loyalists make indiscipline a neo-normal for themselves. They have little respect for laws. Law enforcers have also become compromising with them. As a result, indiscipline has been proliferating in society.
Some argue that indiscipline is inherent in Bengali people and so it is very difficult to bring discipline in this country. This kind of argument is not well taken as many nations in this world also have left behind their traits of indiscipline. They, however, turned largely disciplined by law and education. They recognised the long-term and greater benefit of discipline and developed their life-styles accordingly.
People of Bangladesh are also not illiterate about discipline and there is no dearth of law to maintain discipline in common or public spheres. The problem lies with misplaced and selective enforcement of laws. Powerful law-breakers usually go unpunished while ordinary people face discriminatory penalty for being undisciplined. This creates an environment of disrespect for law and motivates ordinary people to take control of their activities whenever and wherever possible. The outcome is more indiscipline.
