A history of violence

By Zohra Javed for TwoCircles.net,

Something happened a couple of days ago, and the developments since have taken me on a whirlwind tour of not just the past, but the present and a peep into the future too. Let me talk from the past first.

Sample this:

Children in the primary section of a prestigious school fight over something that is of course as trivial as a mosquito leg on the vast horizon. But for the "warring" camps it is a matter of "honour", so the fight continues and ends with one boy hitting the other. The fight ends in tears.

Next day the boy's (who had been hit) elder sister (who is a chirpy tomboy, a year or so older to her sweet, peace-loving brother) goes and gives a piece of her mind to the boy who "dared" to fight with her brother. The matter ends in friendly smiles.

Another incident from the past that comes to mind makes me smile whenever I think of it.

My younger son and his friend fought over something in school. His friend hit him. The fight ended. At home he related his tale of "woe" to one of our grandmotherly neighbour, who asked him why he had not hit the boy back. My son innocently said, "Dadi Begum! That boy has an elder brother".

Dadi Begum said, "You too have an elder brother, touchwood!"

My son tells her that his elder brother had not gone to school that day and may be they'll see "tomorrow."

The incident has always come to mind as a melodious memory because that "tomorrow" never came.

Fast forward to the present.

A ten year old boy is hit by a twelve year old one so badly that the ten-year-old ends up with a ruptured ear drum. The parents of the ten-year-old are obviously upset. The least they want is an honest apology from the erring boy. But nothing worthwhile happens. The twelve-year-old comes from an influential wealthy family who has the strings of some of the puppets in their hands.

The episode turns sour for the ten-year-old, more so for his parents who are depressed to see the inability of the school authorities in bringing to book the erring boy in any possible real sense, obviously because of his "influential" family.

I am not saying this is the first time such things have happened. What I am trying to put forth is a fear of the deterioration of human morals and values, where violence has deplorably come to stay as a medium of expressing disagreement. "Might is right" was never more pronounced. Have we become more intolerant or is it actually the way it has always been?

Just a fleeting look in the past, through history or through literature, or just about anything else shows that violence has been glorified and sells like hot cakes in all civilisations. We have made killing a part of society either by sheer acceptance (self defence etc.) or by sheer delay in the meting out of justice, or glorifying violence (for the country, for the family name et al).

Connecting the above-mentioned incidents with larger and more serious scene of violence and crime may seem an over-reaction. But come to think of it, today's children are tomorrow's adults, and before we know the time to pass on the reigns to them will be here. From the earliest memories some will have a sense of insecurity while some others are pampered into believing that they can get away with murder. That makes the divide of the haves and have-nots much wider. And war becomes a noble expression of patriotism and religiosity. One can kill fellow human beings in the name of religion and country and hope to achieve great honour and awards in here and hereafter. So is killing and violence sacred?

Have a heart and think what it means for the dear ones of a soldier or the victim of a blast. Isn't this realisation that they are never going to see one of their dearest person, devastating? Believe me time is also not the proverbial healer that it is made out to be, it only helps in sheilding the pain...

So the question that often nags the mind is: Is there a solution? There has to be one, because every problem has a solution. But it has to be brought about and everyone must accept it as a solution. In this context there is a warning already in place. It says:
"Fear leaders and those prepared die for truth, for as a rule they make others die with them, often before them, and at times even instead of them."

I think two things can be very easily and universally done:

First is to accept that violence under any pretext is wrong, wrong...and nothing but wrong.

This should be followed by strongly inculcating non-violent behaviour in the children from the very beginning. In a civilised world, there can be no place for such pre-historic sadistic barbarism. Period.