6 November 2001, 12:13am IST
C Jayanthi.
From time immemorial, war and peace have been something that the human civilisation has had to grapple with. indians currently are hapless witnesses to the bombardments in afghanistan, and have to watch impotently as the scale of human suffering hits a new high each day and there is no visible end to the war in sight. this televised war so close to our borders makes it all the more real and horrific. hasn’t history taught us anything? after each major war, the hope that this would be the final one that shall bring peace to humanity has been the illusion that human beings have lived with. the qur’an has said, ‘‘who is more wicked than the man who in his ignorance invents a lie about god to mislead others? god does not guide the wrongdoers’’. we must, therefore, understand that no religion advocates war or harming of other human beings. yet, we find that in the name of religion the most heinous crimes are committed and justified. the bombing of the world trade center towers in the us, where thousands lost their lives is one such example. the bombing of afghanistan is the other unjustified crime committed in the current ‘war against terror’ where thousands of ordinary afghans who have nothing to do with either the taliban or its policies or terrorism at large are the worst hit. yet, we dare talk of human rights and condemn each other for atrocities while turning a blind eye to the ones that we ourselves commit. the late us president dwight d eisenhower once said, ‘‘the day will come when the people will make so insistent their demand that there be peace in the world that the governments will get out of the way and let them have peace’’. i wish we could all hear the echo of this long-forgotten voice. we would then find ourselves living in a far saner world. eisenhower has said in another instance, ‘‘whatever america hopes to bring to pass in this world must first come to pass in the heart of america’’. we can only hope that what comes to pass in the ‘heart of america’ is the mantra of peace. retaliatory strikes and knee-jerk reactions that lead to hatred for an impoverished and long-suffering nation does not augur well for a better world or a better tomorrow. afghanistan is lucky and perhaps it is ordained by god that it is a natural fortress, else today there may not have been one single, living soul in that country. despite the bombings and ensuing calamitous situation endured by the afghan people the end to war seems to be nowhere in sight. the war that was meant to end quickly has dragged on and, therefore, should be termed a failure. the us should move on to ‘plan b’ which should be a ‘plan to install peace’ in a beleaguered nation and the world. the west says that it is a ‘civilised’ world, then let’s see some civilised action. let’s see end to the suffering caused by needless war. saint tiruvalluvar has said, ‘‘great may be the wrong done to you; like many-tongued fire it may burn, but it is worthwhile yet to struggle and rein back one’s anger, if at all possible’’. if only america can rein back its anger and look at a long-term solution that goes beyond quick-fix bombardments. it shall then be viewed as a true superpower that is able to protect human beings rather than cause them harm. if the war continues, we shall have a country that is going to be a little better than a large-scale mortuary, more unrest in the rest of the world as this is being increasingly seen in the world as a war against islam, rather than a war against terror. fundamentalist voices are actually being seen now as rational voices. rabble-rousing seems to be the order of the day. if we look back in history, we can only question the relevance of war. ask the japanese about the ravages of world war ii, and they will let you know what they think of war and its consequences. from the ravages of war, japan became an economic superpower but never a military giant and the japanese benefited from it. they have understood war and stayed away from it. it kills people and it destroys nations. ask our army men who are posted at the borders and they will tell you that ‘‘war is notional’’ as people are dying everyday defending our borders at huge cost — there are more widows and orphans produced due to war than due to any other human or natural calamity. war is a state of mind. we have to wipe it out of our systems. it is only then that human progress will have any relevance for our future generations.
No comments:
Post a Comment