Silent murmurs longing for answers

K Shiva Singh *

We have seen enough violence, destructions, emotional turmoil today due to misunderstandings and dissatisfactions that had been buried in our hearts and minds for long but common masses are paying the price dearly, the price no doubt beyond repair for years to come and even impossible for some till their death unless we choose the path of forgive, forget and reconciliation. Nothing is too late.

Ask an innocent parent, their mental trauma owing to unbearable loss of their loved one before their time. Every moment of the day from dawn through dusk, feel the pain of those parents in their heart remembering every moves and emotions those noble souls had performed or expressed till their lives were snatched mercilessly. Ask a daily bread earner who looks after a family what his or her status now.

Touch the hand of a helpless mother who just had a new born on her lap, feel the pain she endured, the pain and anxiety she endured thinking about the future of that innocent soul who just opened eyes into this world in relief camps, the only sin being the infant born in this world ?

Does our religion and our Lord preach what we committed today, will He forgive us for such a heinous crime against humanity forget about religions and politics for a moment.

Then, ask innocent age-old fathers and mothers who had entered their phases of dying years, feel their pain, the questions in their heart what hope and prospect will they be able to leave behind for their younger generations and will they be able to die peacefully ?

Well, a big no I guess and what right do we have to inflict such pain and sorrow in them even after sacrificing their whole life looking for our well-being in their old age ?

Ask young students, the pain and anxiety they might be feeling, imagining what their future might hold in today’s competitive world beyond our borders. “What is our crime, why are we being made to endure these disadvantages?” Perhaps, a question hard to answer except bowing our head with eyes down in shame.

Ask a shopkeeper, daily wage earners, young entrepreneurs, vegetable sellers, every individual affected by this violence, should they get this gift of insecurities, inconveniences, losses for our petty greed and unholy misdeeds.

Time for retrospection is never late, what happened cannot be rewinded like some movies. Burying hatred and soothing the minds of those displaced families and individuals irrespective of their religion and caste would only heal the wounds and a true respect to those souls whose lives have been snatched by one of us out of anger, uncontrolled emotions at that moment out of anger, a true CONFESSION to the LORD or GOD of the crime we have committed deliberately.

So, each one of us now should calm our minds down, heart and set an example and bridge the gap to narrow our hatred, insecurities, disbeliefs. Let’s create an atmosphere to return those displaced families and individuals and let them return to their home with dignity and respect.

Let someone amongst us garner enough courage and belief to carry a message of peace and reconciliation to opposite camps, and please let us welcome in our camp too any individual or group from opposite sides carry message of peace. Let’s us start it today on the ground before it’s too late rather than preaching here or there for peace.

There would be many wanting to risk their life and putting future of their kids at stake to bring back those brotherhood and peace again if each and every individual or organization from both parties allowed them.

First noble step would be starting to bring back one, two, three, or few members from each community back to their previous, respective places and pledges to protect them by each community and we can see a positive change in few days. First, we need to create harmony, belief, security for them to return.

Last but not the least, life is too short to waste for each of us. Put your hand in your heart and ask yourself “should our innocent kids carry on this legacy of hatred and enmity through their generations to come” just because of us. Let’s reconcile now, rather this very moment to bring back those lost trust and brotherhood.