“Pigs do not know they stink,” Manju, my friend, messaged me after reading my article, Wrestling with the Pigs. The benign comment almost exonerated pigs from culpability for the stink. The thought, she said, was brought up by her husband when they sat down to discuss my blog. He had read somewhere that “pigs do not know that they stink.” They are a kind couple. It would have been easy for them to be considerate and pardon pigs as a class for “they (pigs) know not what they do.”
I was, however, elated on two counts. The first, another article of mine, had found space in an intellectual discussion. It felt good. The second, I detected something profound in her statement. It raised two socially relevant questions. How would pigs know they stink? What would happen if pigs knew they stank?
How would pigs know they stink? There could be two ways. Either the pig itself realises that it stinks, or another pig calls it out. Both can happen only if pigs themselves can identify individual odours and differentiate between the good, bad, and unbearable. Armed with that knowledge, a pig has to realise that there is an odour and it stinks. They also have to accept that their odour is considered offensive and not appreciated by others. Wallowing in mud and filth comes naturally to them. Even if they are hosed down, they will return to dirt without remorse because they have nowhere else to go. They have reconciled themselves to the fact, stink or not, they are condemned to live in filth with no hope of redemption. However, they do not come up to us on purpose to cause discomfort. It is we who go near them and complain about their stink.
But we humans are not in as condemnable a state as them. We know what is offensive and what is not. Each society has evolved its own set of rights and wrongs, acceptable and unacceptable. Yet many among us, born and brought up amidst the sense of right and wrong, without a second thought, step beyond legal, moral, and ethical boundaries. The society accepts it with silent indifference, and people with legal or moral authority choose to turn a blind eye. In the times that we now live in, most of us do not care or dare to call out someone unless the act committed directly and adversely affects us. Even when it is committed against us, we prefer to let it go. We tend to look at the drudgery and penalty associated with calling out the act or fighting it out, and opt to accept suffering in silence. Many of the problems prevailing today in society can be attributed directly to this fear of calling out people, even when both the perpetrators and their victims know what is wrong. Worse, we willingly participate in perpetuating it by becoming party to it or abetting its accomplishment in silence.
Corruption is a typical example. Everyone knows it exists. Everyone knows it is wrong, but most of us willingly become party to it to get things done, even when what we ask is our rightful due. We have become accustomed to being bullied, and many among us do not hesitate to perpetuate what we preach as wrong. Rarely does anybody call them out, and in most cases, we all want to get over it and pay up, even if we do not like to. Substance abuse amongst youngsters would not happen without parents first hiding what they discover, and then suffering in silence, between bouts of denial. People who become habitual in breaking the law come to that state because someone with moral and emotional authority and the liability to call out the deviant fails in their obligations. We, the public, tend to evaluate the risk and penalty of speaking out against the possible payoff from abetting and choose silence.
What would happen if pigs knew they stank? Let us apply this thought only to the world of pigs. We will consciously keep humans out of this part.
If the pigs knew that they stank and felt that they would be better off without the stink, or even better, they wanted to emit a fragrance, it would mean they had achieved awareness of the self. They would want to change. If they are given a choice and the means to pursue it, they would try and keep themselves cleaner than they do now and ask those in charge of society for a better environment to live in. This noble and ubiquitous thought is also the prescription to salvation or nirvana. Those with an eye for commerce can easily spot endless business opportunities to cash in on. In the physical plane, there would be products and processes on sale, one outbidding the other with the promise of expanding scopes and fairytale outcomes. In the spiritual plane, in their quest to become fragrant entities from within, they could become religious and flock to those who promise fragrance of the soul and a fantabulous afterlife. Imagine a pig all bathed, beautiful and smelling good.
If pigs lived in a hierarchical society (like we humans do), then there would certainly be a prescribed order of odours. Those with the more offensive odour would be placed low in the hierarchy of pigs. There would be many shades of odour, defining many societal classes, and there could even be classes within each class, all dictated by the accident called birth.
What would happen if others do not want pigs to change? Consider the situation when pigs, with no option left, decide to weaponise their offensive odour! It is a whole new world of possibilities out there.
I have put across some of my thoughts. There could be much more. I leave it to your imagination.
Now, honestly have you forced yourself into silence when you really wanted to respond differently?
What do you say? Please add your thoughts in the comment section.
PS: The picture here has been generated by Grok
Well said sir.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much
DeleteHuman nature is where uniqueness coexists with selfishness — suggesting that morality isn’t innate but often situational.
ReplyDeleteEvil often thrives not because it is powerful, but because it goes unchallenged. Human beings, though born unique, are also born selfish. Even our responses to injustice are filtered through personal motives, perceived merits, or a sense of obligation. We rarely act out of pure moral impulse; instead, we calculate gain, loss, or convenience before taking a stand.
Still, silence is not always a weakness. It can serve as a deliberate weapon — a boundary against those who seek to exploit, provoke, or manipulate. One cannot always reform others, but one can choose distance and discernment. Avoidance, guided by wisdom rather than fear, becomes a form of strength.
True recognition does not come from being harmless, but from standing up against harm.
A meat dish without chili, tea without sugar, and a vegetable dish without salt — each feels incomplete. Taste is not born from one flavor alone but from the harmony of contrasts. Spice gives warmth, sweetness gives comfort, and salt gives life to all things.
Just as in food, life too needs its balance — a touch of struggle to value peace, a hint of sorrow to savor joy, and moments of silence to appreciate sound. What makes something truly beautiful is not perfection, but the blend of opposites that bring out its depth.
Let us only pray that we do not encounter too many stinking pigs along the way.
Jagajeeve, Pala
It takes all sorts of people to make this world. But it takes just one to change it. A few tread alone against all odds and a few reign on many a silent.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the thoughtful comment
True...it took one TN Seshan as the Election commnr to change the perception about Election commn. He didn't chose to be silent
DeleteGood This evening Sir.
ReplyDeleteIt is a brilliant and thought-provoking piece — the metaphor of pigs not knowing they stink is both clever and unsettling, making readers pause to reflect on self-awareness, morality, and society’s tendency to ignore its own flaws. I really liked how sir connected the idea of ignorance to human behavior, showing how awareness can be both liberating and uncomfortable. The writing is sharp, reflective, and layered with meaning, pushing us to question how often we live with our own “stink” without realizing it. A powerful reminder that real change begins with honest recognition.
Major problem facing immigrants - that you stink differently - that you speak differently - you perceive others around you differently - etc.
ReplyDeleteNot to be called out, they hang-on together - complaining about the host country, its society and its culture - rather than amalgamating with those who offered you refuge.
With this comes up various religious and cultural organisations to cater for the similar stinking pigs - who flock together.
Now they want to establish a hierarchy as to who sinks better and the groups splinters - for who stinks the best.
The host country does not want the pigs out of their stinking sties. Hence, they authorise building of their community centres and places of worship. Tall statues are a must - each competing with another. The pigs take pride in maintaining their cultural identity and the host society does not want amalgamation - else they feel threatened.
Thus, the pigs remain pigs - with the same odour - and in their sties - each stie competing with the other pig's - and the game goes on - and the hosts benefit.
Dear sir,
ReplyDeleteYou have a certain flair and a gift of the gab with the language. The literal, figurative and metaphorical meanings that can be drawn from certain phrases, makes the language rich and interesting to the readers. Another marvellous piece of writing. Kudos to you . And thank you for your efforts and contributions towards enriching our lives.
So well presented an interesting theme...I am imagining the situation when pigs start weapinising their stink...it opens up a new world of possibilities and interesting too at that
ReplyDelete