A Fondness for Killing!!!

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday expressed deep regret for the deaths of civilians in U.S.-led air strikes in Afghanistan this week and promised to try to avoid these in future.

"We deeply, deeply regret that loss," Clinton said as she opened three-way talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

Is that it? Is that what all those lives lost in the great Afghan land deserve. I agree it’s a war zone, but killing hundreds of civilians does not in any way justify US’s war on terror. OK, my post today is not to rant about USA or Terrorism, but to deeply understand the affinity that we Humans have for killing. Let me start off by drawing some parallels between civilian behavior in my home land, India.

India is a land of paradoxes. Sure we are peace loving civilized people, but on the other hand we had a mass of people branded Chaandaals. Even in modern times we hear about Narabali (human sacrifice). This is not sacrifice. People kill some body's child in the hope of getting something for themselves. Most barbaric and selfish. This happens only in India. We have traditions of learning, selflessness and general well being. We need to inculcate it. It is delusion to think that we are great. The concept of humanism can be found among us, but it is not essentially ours. We can burn or bury our daughters. We are brutal more than many societies.

Last week in Madhya Pradesh dacoits burnt a dozen villagers to death, because they suspected them of being police informers. In another incident in Jharkhand, villagers lynched four suspects to death and burnt another eight alive. They suspected them to be part of a gang of dacoits come to loot them. In Meerut, citizens in one poor locality brutally killed over a dozen stray dogs, because they had been attacking the local children. In Assam an MLA poaching in Kaziranga national sanctuary told the guards that an MLA is a king and needs nobody's permission to hunt, or words to that effect.

All these incidents force you to accept the shocking fact that we are actually a fairly violent species, notwithstanding all our boasts about being the world's most tolerant Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam ( the world is my family ) rationalists with a golden heart . Our assumption has simply been that we, the Indian people are basically live and let live types because we had figured out, ages ago that violence doesn't pay and that love conquers all . But are the above incidents a proof of rational behavior? What if, despite our claims to rationality, when push comes to shove, we are not all that reluctant to abandon rules, side step the law, and begin playing revenge games? We do it either verbally (like Varun Gandhi or Muthalik or Thakre) or physically, like the men in Chambal who had, a few decades ago, blinded a group of thieves by pouring acid in their eyes.

It would be too deterministic to say that we are wired for violence genetically. But both archaeological evidence and common myths show that both men and women , ever since they turned from prey to predators, have largely preferred fighting wars and attacking each other for acquiring power ; instead of sitting down and discussing things out rationally and amicably .

Question arises , if state sponsored violence in India is put on hold for reasons ranging from political to ideological , will individual and culture specific violence begin to replace it ? As states that cushioned capitalism's excesses for some two centuries collapse, democracy that dominates our era is beginning to fray too. In the age of diminishing resources and shrinking families will democratic states begin to be replaced with old empires repackaged, with politically correct labels of course .

The more I read of violence in India the more I believe it is only about survival and power. Both issues are two sides of the same coin which are intensified on a daily basis due to over population leading to more and more lack of space or opportunities or both. Two dogs are loving and loyal along with being territorial - a whole pack will turn territorial in a desperate way if they feel their area is being encroached upon. They will attack and mob out of sheer fear of losing their territory. The less space people have to live the more they will compete. Where space is not the problem - opportunity is. Space to grow mentally and emotionally is as frustrating as lack of space to sleep and even think. I believe culture is a process. It defines and is formed from the mental, economical, psychological state of the society. I know many may differ that the definition of culture is not just 'studied behavior patterns' as is with animals. But I do believe that when humans by and large are oblivious to issues of over population, how are they any different from the two rats in a cage who finally multiply to two dozen in the same cage and due to lack of space show anti social behavior patterns.