People who do not question are easily governed. Yet, in much of our society, a culture of silence endures — a silence that begins at home, deepens through fear and matures into collective inaction. Even as children are taught about equality and justice in textbooks, they are simultaneously conditioned to obey without question. When a child challenges a parent or teacher, they are told to stay quiet — reminded that questioning elders is disrespectful. This early silencing of curiosity discourages independent thought and breeds submission, which later becomes a lifelong habit.

Children are naturally inquisitive. They ask about everything — life, truth and morality. As they grow, their curiosity turns toward their surroundings: they ask why electricity is stolen through kunda connections, why their parents bribe the gas meter reader, or why politicians disappear after elections. These innocent questions often embarrass adults, who respond with shallow reasoning or anger — silencing the child to hide their own helplessness or complicity.

In many Pakistani households, curiosity is mistaken for defiance. Parents, shaped by generations of social conditioning, fear that a questioning child might grow disobedient. But this suppression is the first step in perpetuating a society already weakened by corruption, nepotism and injustice.

Children learn more from what they see than what they are told. When they watch their parents offer bribes or dump garbage on the street without guilt, they internalise........

© The Express Tribune