Right or wrong?

This morning I was intrigued by a conversation between my mother and a distant uncle who lives in one of the mountain villages, up north of India. He is a college professor. The uncle was sharing the latest grapevine in the village about a man who brings young girls from Delhi and “sells” them to families who are looking for brides. He put the entire process as “rehabilitation” of destitute women. I gave this man a piece of my mind. My anger was not about the fact that this was a case of human trafficking (I know there are plenty such cases thriving in cities, towns and villages) but on the naked truth that this man was well-educated, respected in the society he lived and yet he was so unmindful about the entire situation. My words fell on deaf ears and the uncle ended the call saying “Yaha ye sab chalta hai. Saalon se dekh rai hai. Kisi becahri ka ghar he toh bas raha hai” (all this happens here and we have observed this for years. After all a poor woman is getting settled).

I felt disappointed and confused at the same time. Is education in itself not enough to give people the sanity to distinguish between right and wrong? Or is it the exposure or experiences we have in life that matter? Do we start accepting beliefs, however morally or scientifically wrong, as truth when we live with them for years? I don’t know how else I could have made the man understand that buying (literally) a human like a material good is not rehabilitation but a crime.

Do you know a better way to put across your thoughts in such a situation? Have you experienced something like this in your life? Please share your views with me here or on my Facebook page. Help me find an answer to this question.