Hi friends, this is my first review on a general topic..and I thought I will begin with a HOT one.. Terrorism, world peace, Uncle Laden and Aunty Sam..seem to be on every ones lips.. I mean I have the neighbourhood chai wallah (tea vendor)discussing terrorism and world politics with the dhobi (guy who washes and irons)... Who says this country is uneducated??
Now lets initiate the debate on world peace. Lets examine the root cause of the cross-fire ..A cause that seems to have been driving human evolution over the centuries and though ultimately self-destructive, still continues on...
Whenever a human being is confronted with something unknown, the typical reaction is one of FEAR.. Irrespective of race, colour, language or religion, this is the instinctive reaction.
And this fear shows 3 main faces....
a) Denial/Disbelief:
This is not possible. I have not seen this, no one has seen this, so you MUST be talking through your hat. I have never done it this way, hence my way is the BEST.
This creates a very cozy, snug Frogs World, where everyone follows only his view point and doesnt bother to absorb anything else. Now while this builds a cold aloof society, it doesnt translate into violence per say.
b) Anger:
I told you that my way is the only way..How dare you keep on saying something else...Shut up, SHUT UP, I say.
You see how the first response can easily build into the second. History is replete with examples of this happening. Jesus was crucified, Moses was driven away, Mohammad was born of the sword, Osho was ostracized, ....Many many more.
This blind belief in ones own reality to the violent exclusion of all the other religions around the world has lead to the present sorry state of affairs. It is but a continuation of the same energy that gave birth to the Holy Crusades of the Christians and the Jehad of the Muslims.
Every religion in the world becomes inclusive to some extent. Nowhere is there a complete, happy acceptance of everyones beliefs. That is why there often comes about a break-up of the original pure energy. It happened with Islam where Sufism returned to the original roots. It happened with Buddhism where Zen Buddhism recreates the path after Buddism became the worship of the Buddha. It will continue to happen unless each one of us individually stops, reviews him (her) self and consciously changes the way we respond to the unknown.
c) Mockery:
Though the least violent, this effectively sounds the death knell for anything new. The most famous example being when the Buddha was laughed at and mocked until he decided to leave India and proceed eastward (sigh...we never learn). This is one of the arts perfected by the Hindu religious being, (though nowadays anger and intolerance is also finding a greater following)
A combination of the above three is being practiced in varying degrees by all the powers that be.. When Britain encouraged the Partition (for their own selfish needs).. When America inflicted itself over Vietnam, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Cuba, et all...When China brutally massacred Tibet, Nepal, Burma, Hong Kong, When India tolerated and encouraged Ayodhya and now Gujarat, When Pakistan & Saudi Arabia fosters and funds Kashmiri militants and the jehadis... When smug religious evangelists deride all other religions....
None of them..nobody realises the Cause - And - Effect nature of the Universe. What goes round, comes round and we can see that even among the examples mentioned above.
As fas as I can see it...till this is properly understood by all of us, there is no way there can be world peace.
But hey..like I asked in the title, who decides world peace anyway.
For all of us, as long as there is peace around us, in our world, it is ok. But how many of us would like to leave those peaceful surroundings and actually work towards world peace. And those who do...Force their idea of world peace on an unwilling world..I dont know, I think there is a long way to go and probably a really big war and bloodshed will be the only way to create longer lasting peace (if anyone survives that is..:-)). Something like the Kurukshetra, which helped purify the earth for many centuries hence, eh??
Things seem to heading towards a crucial climax and its anyones guess which way the dice will fall....
Hope for the best and enjoy the shining sun and the blooming flowers. Mankinds stupidity in the end might result in its own annihilation.......But hey..each one has a choice to be happy or sad...Go one, make your choice and stick by it.
On that cheerful note :-))
Cheers and Happy Hunting....