The moral responsibility of Bangladesh’s most brilliant minds

Illustration: TBS

In every era, the conscience of a nation rests on the shoulders of its brightest minds. Today, in Bangladesh, that conscience is trembling. The July 2024 uprising – still raw, still fresh – was not just a political shock; it was a moral earthquake.

For almost two decades, voices were silenced, freedom was caged, division was visible in every sphere. But in July 2024, young voices soared like thunder, tearing through the silence of fear – each word a flame, each chant a spark, igniting the dawn of revolution. Young voices were silenced, dreams dissolved in tear gas, and hope stained with blood.

Then, revolution came wrapped in sorrow – thousands of souls silenced too soon, falling like petals beneath a merciless sky. Their blood wrote the price of freedom and hope, fragile and flickering, could find its breath. Now, in the wake of those ashes, we must ask: How could cruelty unfold in a land known for kindness and empathy? Where were our intellectuals who were supposed to be the lighthouse during dark times? What do they owe to this land that bore them? The silence still holds the answers hostage.

The betrayal of silence is louder when it comes from those trained to speak truth. Intellectuals are not just thinkers; they are moral sentinels. When universities become islands of privilege rather than bridges to the people, they fail their purpose. A degree unaccompanied by public duty is nothing but an expensive silence.

You – the academic stars, brilliant minds, the scholarship-holders, the Olympiad winners – have earned your medals. But now is the time to earn your meaning. Dear superstars, Bangladesh needs your conscience, not just your brilliance.

Silence is no longer neutral

Bangladesh stands at a crossroads. When truth is censored, when power crushes dissent, when institutions bow to authoritarianism – this is not development, this is decay in disguise. Fascism does not announce its arrival with sirens. It tiptoes in through compromised values, unchallenged lies, and the apathy of the educated.

When intelligent minds stay silent, the unintelligent lead. When meritorious students chase foreign degrees but forget the cries of their own streets, the void they leave behind becomes a breeding ground for oppression. A nation that fails to protect its youth's voice is doomed to lose its future. But even worse is when that voice, equipped with knowledge and privilege, chooses not to speak.

July 2024: A wake-up call

The recent July uprising was more than a protest. It was a warning – that the distance between the people and the institutions that serve them has grown. For some, specific uniforms became a symbol of fear rather than safety. But it also reminded us that trust can be rebuilt – through the actions of officers who act with integrity, patience, and restraint.

Now that responsibility shifts to you.

You are not just scholarship recipients. You are future leaders, change makers, public servants or torchbearers who must carry the hopes of a more just and humane society. What you do from here will either restore faith or deepen fear. Choose to be remembered for bringing people closer to the law, not pushing them away.

Do not just glorify your CV

Bangladesh expects more from you than GPA-5s and Ivy League admissions. She needs your soul, your clarity, your courage. She does not only need your brilliance in labs and boardrooms; she needs your boldness in streets and decisions.

The cost of not loving your country is far greater than a missed opportunity – it is a missed destiny. When you isolate your success from the suffering of your people, your achievements lose their heartbeat. No foreign degree, no corporate badge, no elite lifestyle can fill the void left by a betrayed homeland.

Our communities are disintegrating. Families grow proud of a child's personal success, but who dares ask – what did that child do for the street vendor who funded his books? For the rickshaw puller who waited outside the coaching centre? For the girl next door who dropped out at 14?

Merit that fails to lift others is not a blessing – it is a burden masked as brilliance.

The illusion of individual success

We live in an age that worships wealth. But money, though necessary, is not the final measure of a fulfilled life. A million-dollar job cannot buy you a night of peaceful sleep. A luxury apartment cannot offer you the joy of a mother's smile or the pride of knowing your work changed a life.

Inner peace does not come from financial gain – it comes from harmony within yourself and your people. That peace grows when you lift someone from despair, when your knowledge educates the forgotten, when your hand wipes someone's tears. It is in the happiness you share, and the smile you inspire on another's face, That is the kind of happiness that lasts. That is the kind of success that matters.

What truly matters

In the race for more, do not forget what you already have. Gratefulness is not a seasonal emotion; it must be a daily practice. Begin each morning not just with ambition, but with humility. Be grateful for the eyes that let you see the world, the body that carries you through life without pain, the mind that still holds a conscience. These are blessings far greater than any medal or certificate.

Even in hardship, there is room for gratitude – for lessons learned, for strength discovered, for unseen protection. Be thankful for your parents who sacrificed in silence, for your family who stood by you, for your community that shaped you, and for a nation that still dreams despite its wounds.

Words build or break nations

In times of tension, our words become weapons – or bridges. We must remember that no intellect is great if it humiliates others. Respect is not a luxury, it is a duty. And respect begins with how we speak, how we listen, and how we treat those who may never sit in our classrooms or boardrooms; how we argue and refute claims. Every careless insult chips away at the dignity of our society; every word of encouragement builds it back.

In a divided society, our language must unite, not inflame. A truly educated person does not dominate with knowledge, they uplift with wisdom. Your sharpest skill should be empathy –  because the impact of your words may live long after your degree is forgotten.

The responsibilities you cannot ignore

You are more than your marksheet. You are the architects of tomorrow's Bangladesh. And we cannot afford another July 2024 – another blood-stained calendar that reminds us what happens when people forget their purpose.

Here is what we ask of you:

Stay awake: Read the Constitution. Understand your rights. Question power, not just in exams, but in life. Challenge power confidently, yet humbly. Please choose the battle you want to fight and win the battle before it is fought through discussion.

Serve your community: Mentor a child in your village or child of your domestic aide. Volunteer for civic causes. Bridge the digital and educational divide. Let your journey to earn begin with purpose, not pride. Even a small act – like gifting colour pencils or notebooks can brighten the path for a child who stands at the gate of a classroom they cannot yet enter.

Speak out: Use your voice, your pen, your platforms. Silence today buys tyranny tomorrow. When you speak, let it be the strength of your reasoning, not the loudness of your voice, that leads.

Be ethically alert: Never sell your soul for success. Corruption begins where conscience ends.

Lead with heart: Aspire to be not just employed, but useful. Seek a purpose that carries the hopes of many. Be kind. And let your true worth be measured by the lives you touch and the change you leave behind.

Build a Bangladesh you can be proud of

This country, with all its flaws and fires, is still your country. And she is beautiful – not in her perfection, but in her resilience. She fed you, schooled you, and raised you on the dreams of '71. Do not repay her with indifference.

History does not need spectators. It needs brave builders.

Let July 2024 not repeat itself. Let it remind you that silence is betrayal, and brilliance without compassion is a candle with no flame.

Rise – not just for yourself. Rise for your people. Rise for a Bangladesh that your children will thank you for. The time is not tomorrow. The time is now. And it begins – with you.

Sketch: TBS

Dr Chowdhury Saima Ferdous is a professor of International Business at the University of Dhaka.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.