A little break..

It's been quite some time since I posted something here, and it's going to be longer before I do. I've got something in mind to write about, though... it's like a diary entry, only a lot deeper. So stay tuned; I'll be back soon.
(once again doing what I said I would be, in my first post in this blog - talking to myself :P)

The buck stops...where?

Two shocking incidents on opposite sides of the globe. One, a brutal gang rape and murder of a young girl in Delhi; the other, murder of 20 kids and seven adults in Connecticut. Different methods, yet the common strand of inhuman violence links the two. Both of them have sparked countless protests and debates, calling for "change". Yet, what exactly is to be changed? Who is to be blamed?

Let's talk about the Delhi incident first. In the past few days, hundreds of people gathered in Delhi and other cities, clamoring against toothless laws, inept police, a misplaced mindset of the society that assumes men "superior" to women, and so on. Every one of these points has their own merits. Some even went a step further and proclaimed that it was the girl who was responsible for the crime. Now that's like saying if you have a car and someone steals it, it's you who are at fault because you bought the car; and not the fault of the person who stole it. That, of course, doesn't make any sense.

Coming back to the question, I'm positive that 95% of us men in India are the kind of those who'd NEVER rape a woman. It's the remaining 5% that cause all the trouble. So, the big issue here isn't the "general psyche of Indian men". You can't point out 5% of the group and say there's something wrong with the entire male Indian mindset. Neither can you blame the so-called modern culture shown in movies and songs. If you look at the lyrics common among American rappers, you'll find those much much worse - yet a rape doesn't happen every 22 minutes in the USA, unlike here. It's not like men in India are born "evil" and those in the West are all decent. The main difference is: a deterrent.

The 5% of men in question here are plain psychopaths. Their brains are wired in a way as to display their masculinity and vent their desires in a manner that is anti-social, and has no absolutely no care for the feelings of another person. Such men can be found in many places. However, they actually bring their flawed mentality to a conclusion only in cases where they have no fear of the repercussions that may follow. Ask any convicted rapist - all of them will say that they believed they could get away scot-free from the crime. They believed they would never get caught. They believed that there was no one to stop them. And indeed, it is THIS that is to be really blamed here. The absence of stringent security. I know that it's not possible for there to be a policeman at every corner of the street - but at least we can have security cameras. And we can have laws - very strict laws - that invoke a sense of deep fear among those psychopaths.

However, we can't simply rest in comfort by putting all the blame on weak laws and inadequate security. Why haven't these laws and security measures come into place even after 65 years of independence? Who is responsible for these? Our politicians, of course. And if we keep voting for the kind of politicians who either do not change anything or worse, are themselves convicted of rape, then even all of us - indirectly - are to be blamed. I've turned 18 last month, and together with most of my friends, I'm definitely going to vote next year, keeping in mind the character of the candidate we're voting for. Let's hope we make a difference this time.

Coming to the second part - the slaughter of 27 people in an elementary school in Connecticut, USA. Personally, I was shocked by this news as two of my cousin sisters are elementary school students in Connecticut (thankfully, they go to a different school; they're fine). And as sympathy and mourning poured in from across the world, there was another strong feeling prevalent in the air.

Hatred.

A quick Facebook search with the killer's name, Adam Lanza, would reveal that. Hundreds of people, in different pages, all asserting "Adam Lanza should rot in hell", "I Hate Adam Lanza" and other rhetorics that are best not repeated here. Yes it's true, we're all justified in hating him for having snapped the life out of 20 little innocent kids, but does he really deserved to be solely blamed for his actions?

Almost every news agency that reported the tragedy has also reported that the killer in question was a 20-year old extremely lonely and intelligent guy who had no friends at all. According to the head of security at his school, Adam was "a very scared young boy, who was very nervous around people he could trust or he refused to speak with", and "a loner". This, as psychiatrists say, is a clear indication of Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism - which is an in-born genetic condition in almost all cases. Couple it with the fact that his parents divorced in 2008 - obviously not an emotionally pleasant situation for any child, let alone an autistic one.

You see it there. Adam's father was a successful finance executive at GE, and his mother was a teacher in the school where the massacre happened. Neither of them, evidently, had much time to take care of their psychologically disabled child. If they had been more caring towards their son, could the tragedy have been averted? Yes, I think so.

Besides this, Adam's mother was also an avid gun enthusiast and according to news reports, regularly used to take her son to shooting sessions. This probably could've been another factor in his actions - which in turn, has sparked furious debates over the arms trade system in the United States.

It is widely known that possessing a gun is very easy in the US. A large number of people have been demanding, especially after this incident, that the laws have to be changed. Mass shooting has occurred many times in the past too - and considering the fact that such incidents can be brought down to a large extent - if not eliminated completely - if gun control measures are put into force, it does make sense to partly blame the laws for such repeated instances. However, guns don't kill people; people kill people. And therefore, in my opinion, what really ought to be blamed here are not the laws; but the trend in modern society which is rapidly shifting towards isolation between parents and child, and consequently the care that children need is desperately lacking - especially those who suffer from a psychological disability.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, said Mahatma Gandhi. Today, we see it happening.

This post was adjudged the winner of the contest Who is to be blamed? on WriteUpCafe.com

It's 2013!

Hello, friends. Long time. It's the 14th day of 2013. And to tell you the truth, I've got absolutely NOTHING to write about. I know, a lot of people have been writing about their new year resolutions, what they want to change, what new things they'd like to see.... and so on (you know it anyway; you've probably already read those). And me? Well.. I've NEVER made a new year resolution. Not once in all my life. Why? Well, here's reason #1: Nothing has really ever struck my mind to make a new year resolution on. (not that I think I'm perfect; there are too many imperfections in me to start from, sigh...:( [Hey, I've got an idea for my first resolution! "Stop being too melodramatic and exaggerating." :P ]

So, coming back to the topic of resolutions, 99% of people (okay I don't literally mean ninety-nine.. I'm just exaggerating <ahem>) making new year resolutions also add that they aren't very hopeful of keeping them throughout the year. And 100% of people (I mean literally, this time) don't keep them throughout the year. (If you have ever managed to keep one yourself, kindly leave a comment here. I'll add your name to the 'People who inspire me' list on my Facebook profile). So, reason #2 for not making a resolution: The probability of me keeping my resolution is very low, going by results of public experience.. therefore, making a resolution is absolutely pointless.

And the third reason for me not making a new year resolution: "Why?". No, I mean seriously. Why force yourselves (or at least try to force yourselves) to do something for 365 days in the future? I mean, do you really know what is going to happen in the next 365 days? Or even tomorrow? Or even the next hour? No, right? Then how can you decide what to do without even knowing what you'll have to face? It's like, you're going to an exam, and you have already rehearsed ten answers that you're going to write. That's okay if you already know the question paper beforehand... but otherwise, you prepare for everything, read the questions in the exam-hall, and then write the answers you need to. So yeah. reason #3 for not making a resolution: It's foolish to do so. (and yeah, THIS is my answer to all of you out there who have been bragging about your resolutions)

And guess what? I've ACTUALLY managed to write something! 44 minutes ago (when I started writing this) I wasn't expecting I'd be able to write so much.. and now, I have this entire mass of text staring at me from my computer screen. That reminds me of a quote: "Don't think it can't happen, because it can." -Paulo Coelho

How true. (okay that doesn't mean you think you're Superman and you can fly, and jump out of the window... everything comes with a 'conditions apply' tag)

Which reminds me of another one-liner: "The ability to quote is a servicable substitute for wit." -Somerset Maugham

Touché.