Tough choices

We are being constantly admonished that taking the bitter pill of tougher laws alone can eradicate the plague of terrorism while there is ample evidence to the contrary. Curtailing the rights endowed by the constitution in the guise of strengthening the existing laws is self-immolation. Whether our Prime Minister can walk the tight rope of justice and fair play while fending off the constant clamour for stringent measures remains to be seen.

What is alarming however is the success with which the Bharatiya Janata Party has indoctrinated the visual media leaving no stone unturned in beguiling the general public. Refusal to kowtow to its narrow vision immediately brings forth the charge of minority appeasement and/or being unpatriotic in a manner quite reminiscent of the American President’s terror tactics.

In addition to simple but effective preventive measures like beefing up the intelligence apparatus, identifying and choking the source of funding for terrorist groups, and addressing the combination of social, political, and economic grievances that feed terrorism, it is my opinion that greater sensitivity is required when dealing with informers and witnesses in order to instill confidence and encourage more of them to come forward. (The recent episode of the young boy witness being whisked away in an aggressive manner is still etched in our minds.)

If indeed the scourge of terrorism is to be vanquished, it should be tackled effectively at the grassroots level. There exists the need for parents to instill Ahimsa as a life-skill and encourage it aggressively by exemplifying it with their lives. In every scripture, there are verses that call for moderation and peaceful coexistence. The choice of forgiveness in the face of injustice is a difficult one and I am not even qualified to make such a lofty suggestion but in the face of the endless cycle of violence that will consume and taint all that is sacred in life, there is no other option. Forgiveness does not necessarily mean forgetting or conceding victory to the aggressor but it is the decision to wrest control of the power that our tormentor still exercises on us when we allow negative thoughts to assail our minds. When we decide not to be hurt, we will not be and when we decide to be happy, we will be. After all, thought is the precursor to words and action and when thoughts are purified, all will fall into place.