VIOLENCE – A NEVER ENDING MALAISE

 

VIOLENCE – A NEVER ENDING MALAISE

Violence is willful use of force with an intention to inflict pain and discomfort on the victim thus throwing all tenets of moral courage and moral turpitude to winds besides violence born out of greed for material prosperity (by any means), an insatiable over-ambition for power and pelf.

Humans have evolved since stone-age but the violence has overtaken evolution in humans. Violence has made inroads in our psyche, impacting us physically and psychologically.

It has also been observed that an honest person while on the pursuit of truth has to face violence from the adversaries. Violence results when inherent goodness of man is overshadowed by evil forces, cowardice and morality take back seat. In fact sanity and understanding are hugely needed virtues in today’s chaotic world.

We can witness on the social media the incidents where hit and run incidences or indiscriminate shooting incidents by the school children resulting in killing and still more violence.

In fact a silliest and inconsequential alleged cause could snowball into a huge conflagration.   Answering violence with more violence is uncalled for and needs to be condoned rather than given more air.

We are dismayed at the insecurity that a normal person feels while walking on the busiest streets. Law breakers get away with impunity even after committing heinous crimes in broad day light with everybody watching but alas none comes to the rescue of the victim!

The malady of violence has seeped into our younger lots. Society has become more violent today than ever. Reason could be any for the violence for spewing hatred; the common man becomes a fodder of violence that prevails.

Actually more reliance on material possessions have made us selfish, insensitive bereft of any pity, compassion, love and affection. Exploitations in various forms are practiced in all walks of life. Humane considerations and emotions have taken a back seat in this rate race of one-upmanship for power and pulf. Although rationalism has been given more credence soft emotions do not find place in the scheme of things.

RELIGION & VIOLENCE

It may sound rather strange, but it is a fact that amongst the causes of violence, religion based violence has the dubious distinction of leading the causes. It should never be forgotten that religion and spirituality are the binding forces which unite us with our Creator. Different religions are different means to reach to our destination – our Lord but when people interpret religious scriptures suiting their narrow ends then there is violence and bad feeling amongst people. If wisdom prevails, no religion worth its name professes violence to reach to our Bhagwan.

All the religious philosophers, scriptures and religious preacher have emphatically stressed that all the religions have the same goal but may be different methods of doing so but is this being followed threadbare?

RELIGIONS & VIOLENCE

To top it all, surprisingly, people fight in the name of religion. It is their woeful reflection of their lack of understanding of religions which preach us to have compassion and understanding for others. It should never be forgotten that religions are the pathways to our Creator. All the creations are the embodiments / manifestation of God. If we love God then we’ve to love His creations.

COLLECTIVE VIOLENCE / OVER-AMBITIOUS NATIONS & VIOLENCE

Amongst many nations there is a prevalent lust for more power, sphere of influence, hedgemonistic approach, will to subjugate the smaller nations to prove supremacy. For achieving these goals, the nations remain at the logger heads with each other bringing about deaths and destruction.

Then nuclear weapons in the hands of some nations have become such a destructive agent. If these weapons fall in wrong hands (terrorist etc), then, God be our savior? Having suffered so much in World Wars I & II, besides regional wars ,we seem to have learnt no lessons at all. Recent terrorist attacks on the life and property in different cities around the world has taken huge toll already and is still woefully taking. When this mayhem and violence will stop, there is no ray of hope!

YOUNG MINDS & VIOLENCE

Reasons may be; not giving quality time to the children because of their pre-occupations with jobs, more exposure to internet etc that these children who should have been given value education know more about how to download contents like use of profane/slang language, criminal activities shown etc by these the impressionable minds are adversely affected. Whatever they see in their downloads from net, they want to experiment what they see in the downloads! Yet we accept all these things in a spirit of resignation. It should never be forgotten that violence makes residency in the hearts and minds of the people. A slightest provocation may trigger violence.

A few days back, two children in the age groups of 9 – 10 years of age assaulted a young man of 23 years of age with a broken beer bottle and slit his throat. He bled to his death on the pavement itself. There was none to carry this hapless victim to hospital! So insensitive, we’ve grown. A fight on a most trivial matter could result in murders when situation goes out of control.

SEXUAL RELATED VIOLENCE

Without regard to any relationship, when we resort to a forcible sexual act or A forcible sexual act or immoral sexual comment, or resort to unethical and unnatural advances towards somebody without somebody’s consent, it is termed as sexual violence. The violence related to sex, using force by any person regardless of relationship to the victim. It may be sexual sexual violence against spouse as a matter of right. It has been experienced that it has negative long term and short term implications on the victims. This is an atrocious violence leading to psychological and physical consequences. We have many cases of sexual violence and are taken in the category of domestic violence. Prevalent customs too are responsible where men are considered entitled to sex with the partner with or without her consent. Then there are cases of child abuse.
We know the case of Aruna Shanbaug, a nurse in Mumbai who was assaulted by a ward boy 42 years back. She remained in coma for about 42 years. She was nursed and fed by others at Parel’s KEM Hospital. She dies a few days back after remaining in vegetative state.

Interpersonal violence : Family violence. In interpersonal violence. Treatment that we give to our partner, treatment during and at the time of delivery to the spouse, sexual abuse etc. The household remains in turmoil till such time peace prevails between the couples. If peace is absent, then not only the couple but also children suffer the consequences of this discord.

SELF DIRECTED VIOLENCE

Though causes of self-inflicted violence in the form of suicide or even thought of committing it falls under the category of violence yet these do not stand moral or ethical standpoint. For example, people know smoking is harmful or becoming addicted to drugs, drinking and excessive of it leads to dangerous physical and psychological consequences. Thus self inflicted injury by any intent or action is violence.

VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN AND ELDERLY

Child abuse is said to have happened when the parents due to their acts of omissions and commissions cause injury, death or emotional These violence are in the form of exploitation of children, neglecting their upbringing, bodily or sexual abuse etc. causing physical and mental consequences to the children. In our neighbourhood or locality, we must have seen such cases.

Those who had looked after their children well; spending their resources (both physical and financial) sometimes are not cared for by those who ought to look after them while they’ve able to do so. These hapless people are subjected to physical violence, verbal aggression and neglected totally.  So much so is the neglect and maltreatment that these elderly people are subjected to that they pray to the Creator for their deaths.

I have myself observed how an old mother was left in a single room at her oldage with nobody to look after and that too with multiple infirmities. Two sons were financially good but they specially purchased a house in another locality and kept their aged mother there – just to fend for herself. She lead a pathetic life. For others everyday begins with a hope but her day began with age related problems – aches, difficulty in making her own meals etc. What a wretched life! After suffering silently, she left that lonely house even to her permanent abode.  

Reasons for violence may be due to corruption in high place and politics, lack of accountability, differences due to caste, creed, colour, regionalism, religious fundamentalism, terrorism etc but the consequences of all these are disastrous. We unleash animal instinct and harm others on one pretext or other; which for God sake should stop and sanity should prevail.