I know this statement is quite bold but I think this is true in most circumstances in Bangladesh. Few days ago I had to cross a road. Normally in a developed country people use zebra crossing or where needed they use over bridge but we are not that dumb!! Who obeys the rule ha? we care about our time! We need short cut! At that time most of the people were crossing the road directly without using over bridge (there were no zebra crossing at that place). Now what I am saying is that I had two options one break the rule and directly cross the road or obey the rules and use over bridge.
Since I had two options I used the second option. I used over bridge. Honestly speaking I felt awful and great at the same time. I felt bad not because it took me more time, I felt bad because other people are getting more advantages and some may laugh at me thinking how silly I am, he is and idiot! On the contrary, I felt good because I knew that I have obeyed a rule even if most of the people are not following it.
This is same for most of the thing in Bangladesh. A very ubiquitous phenomenon is when comes to civic sense. When you see that people throw trash here and there but you are trying to throw it in the right place, you will subconsciously think that you are a dumb. Those people are getting rid of those trash instantly and you are a person who is doing all the tedious work!
Another example I can give, in Bangladesh if you don’t give bribe then it’s your problem. If you want to be a good citizen and don’t wan’t to break the law by giving bribe then you are fucked. Even if you are the rightworthy person or you deserve the thing, still you have to give bribe. You must give bribe. Don’t give me wrong I am not saying this is about 100% percent of the time. But majority of the time this is true. In many places you have to disobey the law!
Last thing to mention, honestly speaking I am not a person who follows the rules all the time. I try my best but sometimes I feel kind of… an outlier. Then why I am writing this? I am writing this because from this day I will try my best to obey the rules. I won’t trow trash expect the right place even if the trash is very small or all the people are throwing here and there. I will try to avoid plastic bag as much as possible, gonna take care of my environment and so on. I will try me best.