The truth is that institutions are important foundations of any society. But it is also correct to say that the prophets of every society are the watchdogs of its institutions. When the institutions lose their way and ignore their own reasons for existence, they become the problem rather than the solution to social ills. When governments balance their military budgets on the backs of women and children, unwittingly, perhaps, but truly nevertheless, they themselves become the oppressors of an unwary population. Then it is the prophet’s responsibility to sound the alarm.
