Tuesday 2 March 2010

Terrorism & the Success of Stupidity




The Hon’ble Home Minister of India Shri Palaniappan Chidambaram has clearly stated that the recent Pune Blast at the German Bakery was not “Intelligence Failure”.

I agree, it was the Success of Stupidity, ignorance and cowardice; it was the hole-hearted, brain-dead act of imbeciles & anarchists, who have lost faith in themselves and their own belief systems.

Here are quotes from the four major religions of the world, that abominate violence –
1)     ChristianityThe Bible Says: Seek peace, and pursue it. (Proverbs 34:14) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9) Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.(Hebrews 12:14)

2)     IslamThe Quran Says: Making peace between people, is a virtue (2:224,). Making peace with an unbeliever is a mark of a true believer (25:63). Allah is the bringer of peace (59:23). Even the word “Islam” is related to (derived from, some say) the Arabic word for “peace” - “salaam”.

3)     HinduismThe Rig Veda Says: Let your aims be common, and your hearts of one accord, and all of you be of one mind, so you may live well together. The truth is One; the wise call it by many names. Kindled in various forms, the perennial flame is one; sprinkling the world with golden beams at dawn; painting the evening clouds with changing colors, the sun is one. One should perform karma with nonchalance without expecting the benefits because eventually one shall definitely get the fruits. He who gives liberally goes straight to the gods; on the high ridge of heaven, he stands exalted. (10.191)

4)     BuddhismThe Vinaya Pitaka Says: In due season will I speak, not out of season. In truth will I speak, not in falsehood. Gently will I speak, not harshly. To his profit will I speak, not to his loss. With kindly intent will I speak, not in anger.

Then, what incites these cowards to perform such horrifying acts is a lack of a belief in themselves and being Uneducated Illiterates of their Faith.

The only solution to these issues is educated literacy.

Providing people with an education is more than just teaching them to read and write, it is creating an individual who has independence of thought, a thirst for knowledge and the courage to question.

The Quest for Truth is the ultimate goal of education and ALL faiths – including Communism.

 I would like to end this post with a Prayer –

“God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
The courage to change the things that I can;
And the wisdom to know the difference.”

Amen/ Ameen/ Aum

Peace.





End Quote – “The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with, and even pay for, a good deal of rubbish.” - Justice Robert H. Jackson



1 comment:

  1. Knowing the difference

    By
    MUKULSHARMA

    ONE of the most-quoted among commonly-used non-formal prayers is the one attributed to the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. It goes, “God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other” (or in some versions, “…the wisdom to know the difference”).

    Its popularity derives from the fact that like all inspirational aphorisms, it appears to be so right while possessing that unruffled and dignified ‘wow!’ factor within which makes us instantly identify with its edifying purpose. But is it real communion? Let’s see.

    …grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed… Unfortunately, this requires a huge dollop of unflinching moral directive without which the ‘grace’ part can quickly degenerate into abject convenience and blind acceptance. What if a Gandhi thought that it was no use squeaking against thunder when he was thrown out of a whites-only train compartment? Or if Mandela decided not to languish in jail for 27 years and let the system as it existed in his country continue gracefully because some things were historically unalterable? Chances are, their acceptance of prevailing conditions — with or without the luxury of serenity — could have meant India not gaining independence and South Africa still under apartheid rule.

    …courage to change the things which should be changed…But do we always know what these things are? Or we only think we do? Despite slavery’s cultural and economic imperative, John Brown, the 19th-century American abolitionist, believed that the practice was a crime against humanity and took up arms — only to end up being hanged. Yet, get this, Abraham Lincoln called him a ‘misguided fanatic’. On the other hand, Hitler too must have had a lot of courage to take on the world because he believed some things were wrong and should be changed — namely, Germany had too little lebensraum and Jews needed to be exterminated.

    …the wisdom to know the difference… This is actually the clincher and should have come first as the above-mentioned examples demonstrate. That small, still voice inside that we believe balances our entire ethical fulcrum is actually no guarantee of some given innate wisdom we possess. Of course, it works but never without context, faith and a whole lot of nurturing.

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