Not a day passes without any or many of the foregoing events occurring around us. Why discuss about the world? Let’s talk about our very own country: the 1993 blasts in Mumbai, the riots in Gujarat, the attack on Parliament, the Kargil war, the Akshardham temple incident, the recent assaults on Christians all over the country, the serial blasts in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Malegaon and now in Agartala and the terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir which doesn’t seem to end. If this is the scenario in our country then across the world there are thousands of such disturbing events occurring at this very moment which are changing the course of history.

Take the wars being fought between many countries in quest of power and conquest, the Israel-Palestine conflict which ceases to end, the Vietnam war, America waging a war against an unprepared, helpless and defenceless country like Iraq and Afghanistan, the bomb blasts in London, Turkey, Bali, 9/11, etc

Just glance through the newspapers and in every page you’ll see that one family has lost its precious member or even all of them; one woman is widowed, one child is orphaned, one woman’s life is ruined by a depraved pervert, one innocent man is forced to take up the wrong path because of injustice meted out to him and one decision affects and governs the lives of millions….our fate hangs in a balance…it can swing either way.

Is this what sums up our very sense of being? That we live to breathe, eat, see and move? Have we desensitized ourselves to one of our five basic senses, which is to feel? Are we not compelled to act upon on the events taking place in the world we live in? Or are we living in a world of pretence and oblivion?

The three pillars of democracy, namely, the legislature, executive and judiciary may be rightly balanced by the fourth pillar which is the media that acts as a watchdog in the functioning of a democracy. But how would we define our line of duty? Are we just mute spectators in this whole show? Or can we do something about it?

It’s time we became more aware of what’s happening around us and acted upon it. It’s time we raised our voices when our brethren are harmed. It’s time we ensured that miscarriage of injustice doesn’t take place because in the process one innocent man may become a hard core criminal. It’s time we became more alert and took cognizance of what is happening around us to prevent mishap or mayhem taking place in our neighbourhood. And it’s time we stood up to face the truth.

I remember my dad reading out a quote from the spiritual guru Deepak Chopra’s article which holds relevance in today’s tumultuous times, if not always; though I do not remember the exact words I’ll reproduce the essence of it. It says, that if your neighbour is in trouble and you are able to sleep, the next time it’s your turn.

 

After all it is a question worth pondering upon. What are we going to offer the generations to come by way of legacy? Is it a war-ravaged, destroyed world torn apart by violence and hatred where brethren are out to kill each other? Or is it just a hope of finding the never-never land? Is this the beginning of an end or is it the end of a new beginning?

It is you,we and I, who have to find answers today….before it is too late. Let me boost you with a powerful dialogue from a recent Hollywood blockbuster which was about one masked man unleashing terror and an ordinary man who wears the mask to fight this terror.