A couple took their children for excursion to an area bordering the forest. They camped there that night. However, at night the younger child, an infant, was found missing.
The couple raised an alarm and local people gathered. A frantic search was launched as it was felt that wolves from the forest might have taken away the child.
But the child was nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, someone in the crowd remarked, “It was such a heavy child. How could a wolf carry it away? The parents are lying. There is something fishy in all this.”
The crowd supported this view and decided that the parents had killed the infant. The couple was dragged to court and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Some years passed. A group of villagers who went hunting in the forest found the child’s dress there. They realised that the child was indeed carried away by wolves. The parents were soon released from prison and the court apologised to them. But the couple’s confidence, reputation and faith in humanity had already been lost. They could never hold their head up again.
There are many people in society who are the victims of slander and unfounded criticism. They lead an entire life hiding from the mainstream to avoid the false accusations.
In fact, public trial is the most dangerous pastime of a mob. Many people resort to criticising others whom they might have never met before.
Those who accuse a person of imaginary crimes and ostracise him or her may remember that the losses suffered by such an individual can never be redeemed.
But if you walk a mile in the shoes of people victimised, you may feel that they are saints.
Slander cannot be countered with counter-arguments. The best weapon against it is silence. When all the voices are against you, be silent and see the effect.
