Unless you were hiding under a rock, you probably heard about the series of bombings in Mumbai, India. Events surrounding it and following it have been so expected that it hardly qualifies as an 'event'. No, I am not trying to be cynical. But everything about it is so gut-wrenchingly familiar that people are almost used to it.
This type of attack goes back to at least 1993 when more than a dozen bombs rocked the city - in the Bombay stock exchange, even. What happened? The city dusted itself off and life moved on. The stock markets rallied. The people stepped back on those Crowded (yes, crowded with a capital 'C') trains to chase their hopes and dreams.
This time around as well, the city that is always in a hurry, will wipes off its tears and go back to business as usual in a day or two.
The Indian government will make the usual statements. Mumbai police will detain hundreds and arrest a few. Some will face justice. But the real murderers? I wouldn't bet on them being caught. After all, Dawood Ibrahim, the mastermind behind the '93 attacks, enjoys Pakistani patronage even today.
Terrorists do the same thing over and over again. The government reacts the same way over and over again. Nothing unfamiliar. No events here.
But look at Israel. Today, we heard about their strikes on Lebanon. After a few strikes, Beirut's airport resembled the surface of moon- all three runways rendered inoperable. Why all the bombing? Hezbollah militants who are holed up in Lebanon apparently kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others. Then came the no-nonsense reaction from Israel.
Look at India and her response to all the militants holed up in Pakistan. You have to wonder, will India shed its path of remarkable restraint?
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It is very tragic and horrible that innocent people were killed in Mumbai. However, the pursuit of peace is imperative for all the people of the world and, in this situation, it is imperative socially for Pakistan and India. Terrorists want to creat anarchy to be truly disruptive. They invite revenge, because that is more disruptive. Revenge rarely kills those who actually committed the terrorism. Even if revenge does kill those who are guilty, it stirs up more trouble. The truth is always clouded in these situations. The terrorists are trying to disrupt the peace process. We must all acknowledge our role in creating the MONSTERS in this world who commit these horrors. We are responsbile. Revenge is never a courageous choice. Restraint takes courage and is ultimately more productive. Arun Gandhi has said, "Nonviolence is about personal attitudes, about becoming the change we wish to see in the world. Because, a nation's collective attitude is based on the attitude of the individual. Nonviolence is about building positive relationships with all human beings - relationships that are based on love, compassion, respect, understanding and appreciation. Nonviolence is also about not judging people as we perceive them to be - that is, a murderer is not born a murderer; a terrorist is not born a terrorist." People become murderers, robbers, because of how they are treated by other human beings. It is very hard not to take revenge. It is very hard to move from anger to a compassionate act that may truly help rid the world of terrorism. We must do that which is hard and difficult. We must love those who we too often choose to hate. They are not separate from us. They are us---we are all one. We are all connected. Peace is the responsiblity of each of us.
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