“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they don’t want to hear” - George Orwell

COMMENT | My friend Andy bought a variety of halal mooncakes for his colleagues a few years ago, attempting to make acquaintances at his new workplace. His Muslim colleagues not only rejected the mooncakes, but also accused him of not understanding the Malaysian culture.

Andy was offended by his colleagues’ reactions. His colleagues, on the other hand, were offended by Andy’s lack of ‘respect.’

It is quite easy to offend people these days. Everyone has something they’re sensitive about, and when they come across it, they get upset. It could be religion, cultural norms, social ethics, or something they greatly believe in.

Then again, sometimes people also tend to get upset over the dumbest things – like the tone of someone’s voice, their accent, their attire, the smell of their perfume or something they saw on social media.

When people get upset, they instantly assume malice and take personal offence. They think the world is out to get them. They assume that there is some conspiracy against them.

The problem is that we humans are inherently...