SHUN VIOLENCE
From Sampath’s Desk:
Violence is the end result springing up from an upsurge of complex
emotional turbulence and ruffled mind of a person precipitated by feelings of disappointment,
frustration and/or desperation; maybe due to negative factors like neglect by
family/society, hatred, jealousy, highhandedness, greed, sadistic pleasure
to ransack others’ rights - person, and property - etc. Violence begets
violence in an endless spiral, promoting and advancing animosity and hostility and
perpetuating ill-will, revenge and other wicked/evil acts. Violence seeks
to impose fetters, enforce diktats and inflict punishment on others on
perceived wrong notions backed by malevolent motives. Violence is indulged in
by a person knowing full well that what he does is wrong, immoral, unethical,
illegal, unlawful unjustifiable and punishable. The perpetrator indulges in
mindless violence without bothering to weigh the pros and cons. It is easy to
pick holes in others without reason or justification.
Education is the best vaccine and elixir against violence. In a
world climate of hatred and violence, the need for peace to be taught in
classrooms is the first and best step. Peace education gives you elbow space,
lessons and tools to understand that our lives are enriched only when we learn
to celebrate and not merely tolerate differences and diversities. Pluralistic
society is like a wholesome human being with different organs. It can also be
likened to - a tree with different branches, flowers with different colours and
fragrance, garlands woven with different flowers, fruits with different tastes,
different coloured kittens of a cat, and the like. Educational institutions are
factories where the commodity of humanism or humaneness is manufactured and
inculcated in students in the formative stages of their life, who are the future
citizens in the offing. Although variety is spice of life, let us not use the
natural differences to enmesh and embroil ourselves into conflicts and set
ourselves at loggerheads against one another.
All have born with same instincts. Only trouble-mongers cut wedges
and divide people on irrational denominations. It is easy to preach rubbish and
create rift. But it takes a strong conviction to unite people and keep the
flock together. Racial, religious, linguistic, communal and/or regional differences need
not be blown out of proportion. There are so many positive factors for unity
and amity.
Mahatma Gandhi’s message is universal, timeless, and as fresh as it
was when he delivered it during his lifetime. Albert Einstein eulogizing Gandhiji quoted thus, “Generations
to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood
walked upon this earth preaching non-violence and peace to flourish.”
Terrorists must understand that they have absolutely no right to
kill either themselves acting as ‘suicide-bombers’ or kill others, because
every living-being is the creation of God, who alone can deal with them. Everyone should realize
that when soft options are available to resolve differences, there is no necessity
for resorting to hard ones. Remember, how precious are human lives and how the medical fraternity sweats it out to save lives of ailing people? Real bravery
is not in taking revenge but forgiving. Remember, to err is human and forgive
is divine. ‘An eye for an eye’ will make the whole world blind! Whatever is
achieved by violence would only be transitory and would not last long.
If God is one and ubiquitous, where then is the scope for branding
any religion as superior or inferior, which wrong notion in most cases gives
scope for animosity, wrangling and possible conflicts.
What we need today are borderless states and more ‘all-faiths-prayer-halls’ like the
Lotus Temple in Delhi and meditation halls as on the Swami Vivekananda’s rock,
off the coast of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. These are symbols of peace, amity
and brotherhood having no religious stamp.
Let us not allow the human intellect to fall prey to fissiparous
tendencies. Let everyone burnish his/her intellect towards creative,
constructive and courteous dispositions to control culpable emotive surge. And
that is the path to the ‘peace highway’!
Let us not shed one another's blood, but shed our sweat
together to make the world a paradise of amity and altruism. Where differences
have led to estrangement, the use of violence estranges us further, digs the
ditches deeper. If alive today, Gandhiji, proponent of non-violence, would have
liked to see the spiritual depths in the peoples of different religions and
regions harnessed into a transforming energy for everlasting peace in the
strife torn world. The composite culture of India is a powerful refutation of
dangerous divisive theories. It has an insulating effect against clash of
civilizations, ideological conflicts and ominous dispensations. Let us all remain unscathed from the adverse
influence of divisive forces, consolidate the gains achieved so far and bring
about a world order sans all evils. India, as a cultural citadel, can carve a
niche in the galaxy of nations to be emulated by others.
(R.SAMPATH)
4/11/2020
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