I AM A JAMMUITE: When Conscience Clashes With Law

Anil Kumar Sharma

“Oh, what have I been narrated by society.”

We live in a world governed by laws, framed by intellectuals, stamped with authority, and imposed on everyone as if they were sacred texts. We call them laws of the land and we follow them because we must. But who speaks for the inner voice of the individual who lives under the weight of these rules and the will of the majority.

Again and again, conscience is overruled by law. In courtrooms and offices, in institutions and boardrooms, innocence and guilt are not decided by truth alone, but by evidence that can be shaped, twisted, or even manufactured. The might of power often writes the script of justice. Individuals, companies, institutions, and even nations have vanished from history not always because they were wrong, but because power decided they should be erased.

Our conscience, the very force by which we truly live, remains the most suppressed voice in societies ruled by statutes and regulations.

How different the world would be if we listened to conscience as carefully as we listen to arguments, propaganda, and noise. We respond instantly to our bosses, political masters, and social hierarchies. Yet we hesitate when our own conviction calls.

We live in an age of endless information and constant commentary. And still, deep down, we are afraid.

We are afraid of silence.
We are afraid of missing out.
We are afraid for our careers and ambitions.
We are afraid of being labelled difficult, disloyal, or troublesome for saying this is against my conscience.

So, we choose misery over authenticity. We suffer quietly instead of choosing ourselves. We avoid asking the hardest questions. What do I really believe. What is truly right. What should I really respond to.

At the core of almost every great religion lies the same message.

• Stand with truth, even when it is uncomfortable.
• ⁠Do not discriminate by birth, caste, creed, or wealth.
• Give every human being a fair chance.
• Show compassion to the weak and humility in strength.
• Do to others what you would want done to you.
• Serve honestly, speak truthfully, and act justly.

These are not rules. They are appeals to conscience.

Yet we have taken these teachings and twisted them to suit our interests. We preach selectively. We interpret cleverly. We enforce conveniently. Religion becomes a tool of control instead of a guide to moral courage.

The real hope lies in enlightenment in its simplest sense. The ability to read, to think, to question, and to decide. The day people are truly educated not just literate but aware, they will find the courage to stand with what is true, not merely what is permitted.

Before we preach.
Before we judge.
Before we enforce.
There is one step we keep avoiding.

Ask your conscience.

Ask it quietly. Ask it honestly. Ask it without fear of what the answer may cost you. Only then can we begin to understand humanity and the life we are building.

Andiyon se kamzor vriksh to girte hain, par jine gyan aur conscience ki jad hoti hai, ve sthir rehte hain.

(Weak trees fall in the storm.
Those rooted in wisdom and conscience stand firm.)

In the end, a just society cannot be built on law alone. Laws must have a soul. That soul is conscience. When law and conscience walk together, we get justice. When they separate, we get only control.

(STRAIGHT TALK COMMUNICATIONS EXCLUSIVE)