Values are important in life. They give a sense of direction to our lives. Though there cannot be a universal agreement on all the values, still there can be a consensus over some values which are common to humanity. Respect for human rights in one such area of consensus. Right to an environment free from communal tension is one of our basic human rights. From this emerges the value of secularism.


The value of secularism is at the core of the constitution of the Indian state. India and Pakistan got divided on communal lines. While Pakistan chose to be a theocratic state, India chose to be a secular polity. Any threat to secularism is a direct threat to our Indian identity.

The recent incident of Varun Gandhi's hate speech is very unfortunate. Leaders are supposed to guide the nation's future, but if leaders like Varun Gandhi lead us, there is no future!

At times I wonder how a person can be communal. How can a person be hated on the basis of his birth? How can there be such a loss of human reasonability? Wasn't it the faith in human reason that inspired renaissance?

Now, the fundamental question is...
Who is to be blamed?
Why do such incidences keep taking place?
When will it stop?

In answer to these questions, various explanations are forwarded. I too have my own explanation.

I think the answer to the first question is...People of India are to be blamed! Divisive leaders exist because we do not vote them out of power. In fact, we do not vote at all! We want that the system should be cleaned up but we do not want our hands to get dirty. We are actually a part of the problem.

Now, coming to the second question..why do these incidences keep taking place?
Simply because we keep tolerating them! We have a high degree of tolerance...We can tolerate a very high amount of nonsense.

So, now, going to the third question...when will it stop?
Is the answer to the question that difficult...?




Comments
on Apr 04, 2009

You can't take the animal out of the human so quickly. Millions of years of survival, thought process, and plain old habit are coded into our very DNA. It will take a long time to remove, and plenty of patience.

on Apr 06, 2009

yes.. you have a valid point..but if we accept this explanation as a fact..the problem will never have a solution..our acceptence justifies our non reactionary attitude..even when the situation demands strong reaction!