RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGE V/S DUTY AND FAVOUR: DEGRADATION OF CIVIC SOCIETY

I had surgery on my left elbow a few days ago. I was not asleep for the surgery; just my whole left arm was anaesthetised by injecting drugs around the nerves in the armpit.  The surgeon and all the staff were nice and very helpful. At the end of the surgery, one of the nurses telephoned my wife who came and brought me home. This was a government hospital and I did not have to pay for the treatment. 

I just thought how different it would have been if I were in India. Even in a private hospital, one would have needed some extra favour from a minister or a senior civil servant to get half the care.

I am one of those people who feel awkward receiving extra privilege. It does not mean I do not like it or I do not appreciate it. Is this dichotomy peculiar to me or is it quite common? Or bluntly put, am I a hypocrite? To some people the feeling of entitlement to privilege comes naturally, just like breathing, and just like breathing, it does become essential to their existence. I know a colleague of mine who will always look for someone in authority who knows him at the airport even if the check-in counter is not very busy. I on the other hand will not like to jump the queue unless, and here is the hypocrite bit, the queue is chaotic and/or the person behind the counter is a complete dork.  Getting a good service from an airline, if you have paid your dues, is your right. There should not be a need to use someone’s favour to get what is yours by right. I feel similar principle should apply in any other civil environment.

There is another evolutionary reason for not using favours. The people who use privilege are usually influential in society. If they use their rights instead of privilege, the whole institutional machinery will improve and all the members of the society will benefit. On the other hand, if they use their privilege to get what the institute should provide them as its duty, the whole system is gradually downgraded to the detriment of the whole society.  If people use their privilege where they should use their rights, the institutions learn not to provide the services as their duty but as a favour and then because of this shift people need to use privilege more often.  It becomes a viscous circle.

The word privilege is derived from Latin privilegium; from privus meaning private and leg meaning law. In a feudal society may be, but in a democratic society there should be no need for it.

 I do avail and provide privileges. However when I have to do it for something which one should get it by right, I do feel a bit diminished.