Who said we are in the 21st century? Who said we are more civilized than the medieval era of brutality? If we look at the violent incidents of the past year in different parts of the world, they would tell a tale of manmade calamities affecting lives of millions which in itself is evidence of a global village full of primitive inhabitants and leaders for whom the progress of the civilization seems regressive. In the name of religion, violence is found in so many countries! The jihad is more visible around the world now than even 10 years ago. This affects not only the people of diverse faiths, but also the people belonging to the same religion. In Pakistan the breeding ground of jihadists the fanatics tried to silence the teenager Malala Yousufzai, who represents a ray if hope. Apart from daily killings in different parts of the country, attack on health workers and journalists are the last opportunities for a society to think seriously! The entire West Asia is up in lames for freedom in one hand and also churning into more rigid system of theocracy, which includes Egypt. In Syria, hundreds are dying every day. No one knows whether Arab Spring means the victory of real democracy or reverting to theocracies. No one can guarantee the safety of ‘liberated’ Iraqis or Afghans and even the US consulate! On the other hand, the killing spree of the US soldier in Afghanistan raise the question – while the man is guilty of a heinous crime – what was the cause of his acting this way? Why did the shooting in an US Army training camp in Fort Hood happen? What psychology and ideology of destruction is guiding them? The shooting spree in Newtown, Connecticut, has raised many known questions. Should there be more guns in the world in the hands of ordinary citizens in the name of selfdefence or even for the right to overthrow if the government turns tyrannical (this is part of US Constitution)? Why ordinary citizens should take guns to protect themselves, then what is police and military doing? While these are very important questions, the other key question has to do with how our societies deal with mentally unstable people. Forget about underdeveloped nations, in developed nations there is not comprehensive plan to deal with this crisis. It is not just those who are clinically sick in mind, but those who are selfcentered violent lots otherwise, who are ready to be trigger happy without any notice – how do we deal with so many of them around the world, many living in our neighborhoods? As urbanization and industrialization increases, stress spurts – malnutrition, diseases, discrimination, mistreatment, divorces, single parenthood, exclusivist religious beliefs, racism all adds up to foment the revenge within. Society cannot just blame the weapons, but the perpetrators’ state of mind which is in a way relection of the society itself! The education systems around the world need to be reevaluated – are they creating enlightened citizens or robots? Do they have an ethical and value system compatible to modern societies? “Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have illed the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now? But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the deathknell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.” (Closing remarks of Swami Vivekananda on September 11, 1893, at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago). We wish all our readers, subscribers, patrons, supporters a happy and prosperous 2013. Let this be a year of progress.
