Its a long way to the top….

I’ve been longing to write this since quite some days now. The latest terrorist act, that everyone has been talking about, happened on 26th November 2008. I was no more or no less annoyed by the incident, than any other ordinary Indian, in any ordinary household. But it wasn’t until about a week back, that I actually felt the real shock value and the intended setback that we ought to derive from this aweful act of terrorism. These attacks, indeed, have a long lasting effect on the lives of more than just a few targeted. Its amazing how our lives are intertwined and how we are so dependent on so many people around us, that there is hardly a point in time, where we actually acknowledge this fact. In that sense, there always is someone, within atmost six degrees of seperation, whose loss can, in one way or another, can be traced as our loss too. If one observes, he’ll find quite an amount of people cursing the terrorists for what they do, asking them-damning questions(which are infact, rhetorical, contrary to their beliefs), like “What could have anyone possibly gained by mercilessly killing the innocent?”. These questions, infact, do not hold in the current frame of reference, i.e. the self-proclaimed “jihadi” propagandists. Their sole aim is aimless destruction, and they are aware of the fact. Their acts, in reality, are not expected to fetch any returns for any existing bodies or individuals. They are just supposed to plant the seeds of fear and terror in the minds of the common men. In that regard, I would say that they have been more than just successful. I, for one, would undoubtedly think twice over before venturing out of my hostel or home, fearing there might just be another bomb out there waiting to be detonated.
There have been terrorist activities throughout the globe, throughout the span of time, but not in the quantity and in the frequency that it has been happening in our country. This should lead us to introspect the policies within. As a matter of fact, there hardly is anything that the common man could have done, or can do in a situation like the one today.
Now, this might seem to be the most strongly and bitterly worded part of the whole article, but as a matter of fact, I am not able to remind myself of ONE thing about the country that I live in, that I can really be proud of. You can go ahead ranting the song of “Cultural and traditional diversities” etc. but stuff like these can be rebuted too. Other countries have cultures too, which cant be labelled as “non-existent” just because they are nothing like the culture here. That would, infact, be rather opposing to the very sense of the word. My comments section would be open to your rebuttals, if you manage to find me a field where we lead the world.
As much as this essay wasn’t meant to be anti-patriotic, it remains for a fact that we have a long way to go before we can de-tag ourselves as a third-world country, and be able to be counted amongst the world leaders. Till that time, the only way to nirvana for the Indians would be to put on our thinking caps; the statement being said in the most subjective sense as one can imagine. Self help is the best way of rising above the others.
THINK….