Virginia Shooting (Continued)

I noticed in The Hindu that the list of innocent victims in the brutal Virginia Tech shooting included Professor G.V. Lokanathan, a faculty member of Indian origin.

It is sickening to watch unnecessary violence. This is the time for all of us mourn for the victims and think of ways to prevent or minimize this kind of tragedies. I believe that violence erupts when someone feels (correctly or incorrectly) that the world is unfair to them.

To ensure peace, first of all, I think that we must shun first hand violence. Violence can be in many forms - unwarranted attacks, hazing, verbal abuse, etc. There is no need to use force unless our backs are against the walls and our lives are genuinely threatened. Even in this situation, only aggressive defense (to control the offender) with reluctance is justified. Sure, the world we live in is not ideal to make this possible always, but we must try.

The second thing is, we must shun second hand violence. That is, we should not offer our support to people who believe that aggression is the quick fix for the problems in the world ("be reasonable, do it my way" attitude). As you may have guessed, like many opponents of Iraq war, I am building a case against unjust wars and preemptive strikes at this moment of reflection. Unnatural loss of life in any part of the globe is unnecessary. Logic for supporting diplomatic efforts for resolution of wars is simple - we can gather more flies with sugar than with vinegar.

I am thinking of the lives of people in Iraq, who are caught in an unjust war. Iraq is about the size of California. We must realize that ten times as many people as in Virginia Tech shooting are dying EVERYDAY in Iraq, for the past FEW YEARS! We all are mourning today for the wrongful death of 33 innocent people. Let us just try to imagine how hard it would be for the innocent Iraqis to deal with their situation - death and violence every where, no food, no water, no shelter, no electricity, extreme heat, uncertainty, fear.... Just because a human being is on the other side of an arbitrary line, his life need not suddenly become unimportant and insignificant.

Sure, there are radicals who resort to violence to promote their cause. I agree that they must be restrained and punished swiftly. I do not support any one who resorts to violence unnecessarily. But we (the people) are getting impatient and are resorting to violence without fully exhausting peaceful alternatives. I hope that we all would grow up soon.

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but a means by which we arrive at that goal. - Martin Luther King Jr.