Religion and Violence

Ok, that last cliché was a really bad way to end the last blog. Now for some serious musings.

I’ve often wondered why there are people in this world who indulge in violence and terrorism as part of their lives. Isn’t a peaceful existence the desire of every intelligent being? If not, is the destruction of life such a head rush, that people are willing to sacrifice their own life to do it? Why do people join terrorist groups, what would be the driving force behind such a life-altering decision?

I found a very convincing explanation in an author’s writings, which I quote below, ad verbatim.

"The psyche of the broad masses is accessible only to what is strong and uncompromising. Like a woman whose inner sensibilities are not so much under the sway of abstract reasoning but are always subject to the influence of a vague emotional longing for the strength that completes her being, and who would rather bow to the strong man than dominate the weakling – in like manner the masses of the people prefer the ruler to the suppliant and are filled with a stronger sense of mental security by a teaching that brooks no rival than by a teaching which offers them a liberal choice. They have very little idea of how to make such a choice and thus they are prone to feel that they have been abandoned. They feel very little shame at being terrorized intellectually and they are scarcely conscious of the fact that their freedom as human beings is impudently abused; and thus they have not the slightest suspicion of the intrinsic fallacy of the whole doctrine. They only see the ruthless force and brutality of its determined utterances, to which they always submit."

How true! And what better doctrine to capture the ruthlessness than religion! What essentially exists as a guiding principle and philosophy for life becomes a weapon to be manipulated and twisted to suit one’s own destructive intentions. We see it everywhere: Children being recruited into Madraasas to become suicide bombers; communal riots destroying India; Israel (enough said?); hate crimes across the globe. That’s all it takes, a firm and unyielding principle. The author of the above piece was Hitler, a master of manipulation, one who recognized this and used it to his utmost advantage.

Can man’s intelligence see through any of this meaningless carnage perpetrated around the world? Someday, I hope, every individual will see the light. Until then, we wait and watch. What else can we do?

Don’t know if I offended anybody by this blog. The only reason I write this is because I believe the day will come when the world will rise above the predicament it is hurtling towards. Some revolution will break the mould, and it will be soon enough. Maybe in my lifetime, I sit and wonder…