Doctors, Lawyers and Policemen. All three of them are such important part of the society. Doctors take care of the health. Lawyers see to it that all disputes are settled and policemen maintain discipline. Well, atleast that’s what they are supposed to do.

We have always heard how the profession of doctors and lawyers (I must add teachers too) were called ‘noble professions’. They did not do it for money. They did it to serve the society. Monetary gains were secondary. People used to trust them. They were Demi-Gods if I were to exaggerate a bit. Policemen were supposed to be the protectors of the society. They were made to reassure us that there are trained people on our side to protect us from the bad guys.

What happened then?

Policemen are today seen with fear. I mean, for God’s sake, they are for our protection. You don’t need to be afraid of them if you haven’t done anything wrong. The sad fact is, we are afraid. It’s in our psyche. When we are children our parents threatened that they would take us to the police if we did not stop throwing a tantrum in a public place. The fear from the policeman is instilled in our childhood. The first time I read the Indian Evidence Act, I found out that if an accused confesses in police custody to the police officer then also this confession cannot be admitted as evidence in the court of law. I thought to myself, how can you trust someone with a gun and bullets and not trust him to record a confession honestly? I asked my professor. He explained patiently and tried clearing my doubts. He told me that this was done so that the police do not abuse their powers. I am still not totally sure about the reasons he gave. If you have any more convincing ones then please feel free to share them through comments.

Doctors were Gods. Their word on a patient’s condition was supreme. It was not to be disputed. They were the most trustworthy. Nowadays, people are talking about Ethics for doctors. I think that is a topic that need not be explained. If you state what all are the things that a doctor is not supposed to do, then it means that he is free to do all other things. I have heard of cases where doctors have put patients of ventilators after they are dead, just to make a quick buck for the hospital. I have seen them do totally useless tests on patients just so that they can charge the patient for that. I have seen them keep a patient in the hospital because they needed all beds to be full so that the hospital would not face a financial crunch. The cashless system of insurance is a boon for them. Poor insurance companies get ripped off gracefully. Actually, they are also not stupid, they will just increase the amount of premium they charge. Pretty easy for them.

Now comes the turn of lawyers. We recently had a seminar in my university and the topic of discussion was “Whether we should call it the legal profession or the legal industry?” I personally think that it has become an industry. All the legal deals are compared in terms of money. I know it’s a bit tough to digest but according to me the main aim of a majority of today’s lawyers/law students is just to earn money. I don’t blame them. The importance of money can be seen everywhere. I just want to ask them, do you still think it’s a noble profession?

Reasons?

I personally think that the only reason people have stopped trusting policemen is because they think they are corrupt and also that they might get them into trouble if they mess with them. Sadly, it is something true. Why are policemen corrupt? Except for a few greedy ones, most of them take bribes to make ends meet. They do it out of necessity. They get paid less than a sweeper in a government office and they have to risk their lives for that money. I wouldn’t do it if you ask me. Politicians want a raise. How about a little raise for the poor old policemen? If they get money through legitimate means than they will not go for illegitimate means.

The profession of doctors is almost sold on the streets. So many medical colleges have seats which are literally ‘sold’. No need for merit. No need for an certificates or even the will to serve the society. Just plain cash will do. Such people grow up to be doctors and then rip off poor people to earn it all back. They give some and take it all.

Lawyers are a different story. I am shocked why most people don’t trust lawyers. It’s not like we are weasels. We are normal people who know the law. It’s not such a big thing. I think I should not comment on the reputation that lawyers have in the society, if any. Credit cards are not issued to lawyers. No one messes with them even if the lawyer is at fault and is doing something wrong, because he is a lawyer. In the olden times, practising law was considered to be a great thing. It’s reputation decreased and in the middle, it became a stream which was chosen by people who could not go anywhere else. The trend is not changing. People are starting to respect lawyers again. It is the duty of the current lawyers/law students to show the world that we are here to serve the society and make a little bit of money during the process.

Disclaimer:

I am not against doctors, lawyers or policemen. Hell, I am going to be a lawyer myself. I respect all of them for what they do. Most of them are working on the right path. It’s just that some of the rotten ones spoil it for the majority. These are my personal views. I am in no way trying to look down at any profession. Please don’t mind.

All constructive suggestions are welcome. If your comment is derogatory, I will get an email about it but it will not come on this page. If your intention is to get the message across to me, then post away. :D

P.S. – I haven’t blogged for a while. I am suffering from a minor writer’s block. It shows in the post, doesn’t it?

On a lighter note, a lawyer quote:

99% of the lawyers, give the rest a bad name. :D

Cheers

Napster.