By Robert Clements
NEET Justice and Our Mercy..! The pictures were heartbreaking.
Young boys and girls stood outside NEET examination centres with tears streaming down their faces. Some stared helplessly at locked gates. Others pleaded with folded hands. Parents argued, begged, explained and pointed to their watches as if somehow time itself would take pity on them and move backwards.
But the gates remained shut. On one side stood students carrying years of dreams in their hands. On the other side stood a rule. And the rule won.
I looked at one photograph for a long time. A young girl sat on the pavement, her face buried in her hands. Beside her sat her father. Not speaking. Not protesting. Just sitting quietly, staring at the ground. It was the look of a man who had tried his best and failed. There is something particularly painful about watching a father suffer because his child is suffering.
Reports said one student had been delayed because a political rally had brought traffic to a standstill. Another because her father’s motorcycle got a puncture on the way to the centre. Then rain joined the drama, as if the heavens themselves wanted to test the family further.
There may have been many such stories. Some genuine. Some exaggerated. Some perhaps invented. But that is not really the point. The point is that once the clock crossed a certain minute, every story ceased to matter.
The gate closed. The examination began. The dream ended. Justice had been served. Or had it?
Many years ago I heard somebody explain the difference between justice and mercy in a way I never forgot. Justice is getting exactly what you deserve. Mercy is getting a little better than what you deserve.
Suppose your child breaks an expensive vase while playing cricket in the living room. Justice says punish him because he disobeyed instructions. Mercy says punish him if necessary, but first look at the frightened face standing before you.
Justice looks at the act. Mercy looks at the person. Justice asks, “What happened?” Mercy asks, “Why did it happen?” Society needs both. Without justice there is chaos. Without mercy there is cruelty.
The trouble begins when we become so obsessed with rules that we forget why the rules were created in the first place. Rules are meant to serve people. People are not meant to serve rules. Imagine if every parent applied only justice. Every late return home would attract punishment. Every mistake would be recorded. Every failure would be remembered. Children would grow up terrified.
Imagine if every husband and wife applied only justice. The first argument would become a court case. The second would become an appeal. The third would become a divorce.
Relationships survive because mercy walks hand in hand with justice. And then imagine if God dealt with us only through justice. I suspect most of us would not survive a single day.
Every one of us has been late. Every one of us has failed. Every one of us has made mistakes. Every one of us has depended at some point on somebody else’s mercy. The irony in this entire episode is that the nation itself has recently shown enormous mercy.
Let us not forget the controversies surrounding previous NEET examinations. There were allegations. Investigations. Court cases. Accusations of irregularities. Questions about fairness. Questions about administration. Questions about accountability. Confidence in the system was shaken.
Yet what happened? Did the nation erupt into chaos? Did citizens demand that every official responsible be removed immediately? Did people march through the streets demanding revenge?
No. The country showed remarkable restraint. People were angry, yes. Concerned, certainly. But they also exercised patience.
In many ways, they extended mercy to institutions that had stumbled. If an entire nation can show mercy to a system that makes mistakes, can the same system not occasionally show mercy to a child delayed by circumstances beyond his or her control?
I am not suggesting that gates should remain open indefinitely. I am not arguing for disorder. I am not saying every excuse should be accepted. Discipline matters. Timeliness matters. Rules matter. But somewhere inside every rule book there should be a small page reserved for humanity.
A doctor knows medicine heals. But compassion heals faster. A teacher knows discipline improves performance. But encouragement improves confidence. A police officer knows enforcement creates order. But discretion creates respect. An administrator should know that rules create systems. Mercy creates trust. And trust is far more valuable than fear.
When people see compassion, they cooperate willingly. When they see only rigid authority, they comply reluctantly. The greatest institutions in the world are not remembered because they enforced rules perfectly. They are remembered because they knew when to apply wisdom.
Anybody can close a gate. Wisdom lies in knowing when it should remain open for two more minutes. As I looked at those photographs of disappointed students, I wondered what lesson they had learned that day. Was it punctuality? Perhaps. Was it discipline? Possibly.
But I fear many learned something else.
That systems can sometimes become so efficient at enforcing rules that they forget the human beings standing before them. That would be a tragedy. Because while justice is necessary, mercy is what gives justice a heart. And perhaps that is the lesson not just for examination authorities but for all of us.
In our homes. In our offices. In our schools. In our courts. In our friendships. And in our everyday dealings with people who stumble. Apply justice when needed. But leave room for mercy. Because justice may satisfy the law. Mercy heals the soul.
And a society that remembers mercy will always be stronger than one that remembers only rules…!
