The recent disturbing Mumbai events have questioned me just as the previous hateful and terror driven events across the world with this simple one - isn't humanity the only religion ? I mean sure we can all be Hindu's or Muslims, Christians or Sikhs, Jews or Buddhists...but dont they all hold identical values and try to spread the same message in different ways ? Are some of us really that stupid as not to see this ? It is incredibly cowardly to use religion as a means to unite with an aim to cause such harm. All through history across the globe we have seen that if there existed real agenda based on grief and injustice, it has only been solved by peaceful means, like the Indian fight for freedom. It has never made any sense to a lot of people to use violence as a means to get peace. I am not saying that there should not be the presence of armies or weapons right now, for purely tactical reasons and just for the time being (of course a weapon free world is the ideal and the eternal optimist in me believes very strongly that this would be a reality someday) . Just like most of us, I feel that you cannot 'win' a war against anything... you stand a better chance of bringing about change if you understand it and try to resolve the core insecurities.
I know some of you are probably saying that for those who did not lose anyone dear to them, its easy to sit on a chair and blabber about a weapon free world. For those of you, please see any interview of Mrs.Kia Scherr, the brave woman who lost her husband and daughter in Mumbai 26/11. Her amazing faith in humanity and strength to forgive might change your opinion.
The current US President elect Mr.Obama faced a lot of flack during his campaign when he said that he was willing to talk to anyone to bring about change and peace. Critics said that it was naive and that it was dangerous for the US head of state to meet without preconditions. Agreed. But honestly, do you really think that its going to work? I mean, how can you resolve any conflict if you don't at least try to start a dialogue ? And what confidence do you project when you have ridiculous preconditions (or conditions that seem ridiculous to the other side at least) ?
I could be wrong, but I tend to believe that maybe the pent up frustration, irritation, failure in the view of the world and a lack of a sense of purpose in some people is taken advantage of by extremists and by using religion as a means to unite, they are misled and made to believe that the atrocities that they might commit are in fact not sins because its a religious cause. Isn't this the common thread across all communal rifts across all religions ? We think we can forgive ourselves if the cause is just in the view of the religion we are following. And then again, isn't humanity the only religion...or should it not be ? if only it were that simple to understand and practice...
