There’s something strange and peculiar happening in our country: Many have given up their freedoms, just for the sake of a narrow narrative, a narrative being repeated that their religion is being robbed from under their feet.
And since the subject of feet has crept in, even if it came in as an oft expressed idiom, let me continue with a fictitious story about feet itself:
Once upon a time, in a bustling city, there lived a young professional named Pinky. She was known for her impeccable sense of style and love for high-end fashion. Pinky's shoe collection was the envy of her friends, with designer heels and trendy flats that made her feel confident and glamorous.
One day, Pinky spotted a pair of sleek, black stilettos that she just had to have. It was terribly tight, but Pinky convinced herself that they would stretch with time. After all, she had worn similar shoes before, and they had eventually moulded to her feet.
At first, Pinky wore the stilettos only for special occasions, but soon she found herself wearing them to work and social events. She loved the way they made her feel – powerful, sophisticated, and put-together.
However, as the days turned into weeks, Pinky began to notice a nagging pain in her toes and feet. At first, she dismissed it as a minor discomfort, but soon the pain became more persistent and severe. She started to feel a burning sensation in her toes, and her feet would ache for hours after removing the shoes.
Despite the pain, Pinky was reluctant to give up her beloved stilettos. She tried to convince herself that the discomfort was a small price to pay for looking and feeling great. But as the pain worsened, Pinky realized that she had made a grave mistake.
One day, Pinky visited a podiatrist, who delivered some disturbing news: her tight-fitting shoes had caused permanent damage to her toes and feet. The constant pressure had led to nerve damage, and Pinky would likely experience chronic pain and discomfort for the rest of her life.
Pinky was devastated. She had sacrificed her comfort and well-being for the sake of fashion, and now she was paying the price. She vowed to prioritize her health and comfort from then on, and to never again wear shoes that caused her harm
Well, like I mentioned at the beginning, Pinky’s is but a fictitious tale, but the shoes we as a nation are trying to fit into, which are the fears and apprehensions about ‘love-jihad’ and ‘conversions’, and other tight fitting, narrow beliefs, with which we are losing the ability to focus on the erosion of healthy freedoms; slowly being taken away.
Like Pinky realised albeit a little late, let us throw away our tight-fitting narrow ideology, and instead see the big picture of a secular, democratic nation, which is slowly and steadily fading away.
Throw away your tight fitting shoes, dear people before permanent nerve damage takes place...!
Robert Clements is a newspaper columnist and author. He blogs at www.bobsbanter.com and can be reached at bobsbanter@gmail.com
