Time for good people to join hands

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By Dr. Basit Chaudhari

The cataclysmic events of recent times changed our peaceful and tranquil world in a span of a few dramatic and nightmarish moments. Suddenly the world became divided into two groups: one committed to destroy and create terrorism, and the other to reconstruct and create peace and tranquility. Suddenly the distinction between evil and good became apparent. Those who are responsible for the death and destruction of innocent lives must be sought out, duly punished and rooted out so that such criminal acts of barbarism and atrocity must not happen again. How we implement it would be a daunting task, but the hurdle is surmountable.

No sane individual, no matter what might be his ethnic background or religious affiliation, would condone such an act of massive destruction and loss of lives of so many innocent human beings. Those who are responsible for this heinous crime against humanity deserve every punishment. They have done the greatest disservice to their avowed religion and have brought shame and embarrassment to their fellow beings who belong to the same religion but uphold the true meanings and essence of doctrine and teaching of their religion.

Those who commit acts of terrorism in the name of religion are criminals. They must be weeded out. They are a source of shame to their religion and perpetrators of crimes against humanity. Their existence is a threat not only to humanity, but to their own religion, because they have distorted the meanings of true doctrine to serve their own hideous, abominable and despicable purpose to exterminate innocent lives. There is no religion which condones the extermination of innocent lives.

Who are these people who feed on such an utter hatred and fanaticism that they are ready and willing to lose their own lives provided they are successful in leaving human carnage. They must be mad or sick people who have been brainwashed by a twisted and totally erroneous doctrine. They are not martyrs. They are the most hideous and despicable criminals who target innocent lives. Those who believe in holy war, or jihad, must understand that the greatest jihad is the creation of peace, justice, tranquility and freedom. Those who want to wage a jihad must create brilliant minds that have been nurtured on the premise of mutual understanding and respect, tolerance, sincerity, freedom and true knowledge of the human spirit and its goals and aspirations.

We have a right and choice to have some religious affiliation and to practice it in a peaceful and acceptable manner, but we do not have the right or choice to destroy innocent lives. To create doom and destruction are abominable and despicable acts.

What is the purpose of life, and what is ultimate truth? Perhaps the answers are simple to those complicated questions. We are destined to serve humankind and God, and the ultimate truth is God. Service to humankind and service to God are intertwined to find ultimate truth. The glorious principle is that the debt which we owe to God is payable to mankind. A life of virtue, honest intention, dedication, devotion, kindness, magnanimity and the noble spirit of giving rather than grabbing appear to fascinate the forces of nature which appear to align behind the man who has patterned his life on an eclectic mold and on these principles.

Anyone who carries a particular religious affiliation but has the grace, dignity and tolerance to see the beauty of other doctrines and eclectic capability to accept the good thing in that doctrine is a noble individual. One does not have to renounce one's own affiliation in this noble endeavor but should have the capacity to absorb and imbibe whatever is good and lofty in real meanings. This is how spiritual evolution occurs when hearts open up and minds begin to perceive and appreciate that order is better than chaos, creation better than destruction, gentleness preferable to roughness and violence, forgiveness to vendetta, knowledge to ignorance.

The recent extraordinarily horrendous events have given a shattering blow to our morale, and we seem to have a great and deep sense of loss because of the recurring flashbacks which seem to leave an indelible mark on our psyche. No one can blame us for revenge and retribution. However, we must not be guided by the forces of blind revenge. Our steps should be well-measured and well-calculated. Our target must be well-defined, accurate and pinpointed. Then we must remain totally unrelenting until the evil forces of terrorism are wiped out forever. Perhaps this is the time when all good people should join hands to conquer this hideous and most evil enemy.

There are some places on this planet where children are taught utter hatred and revenge. Perhaps it is time to teach their teachers that their teaching is totally against the spirit and essence of their own religion. By twisting and distorting the philosophy and teaching of their own religion, they are doing the greatest disservice to mankind and their religion. Perhaps we can pause, think and ponder and try to understand and rectify this pathological aberration. Our spirit of freedom, liberty, enlightenment, justice and sense of mentioning should have global dimension to root out the foundation of this pathological anomaly and abominable indoctrination which is simply based on hatred, revenge and vendetta and mushrooming in the form of this hideous and monstrous terrorism.

A new wave of enlightenment, truth and knowledge must be allowed to prevail so that even the terrorists or their surrogate masters realize that their activities not only are abominable, sinful and despicable, but also totally wasteful of their energy and resources and absolutely counterproductive. Perhaps their resources and energies could be spent producing brilliant minds, scientists, thinkers, philosophers, statesmen and capable leaders who can represent their cause with utmost eloquence rather than butchering and maiming innocent people.

Dr. Basit Chaudhari is a Cape Girardeau neurologist who writes a monthly editorial for the Cape Girardeau County Area Medical Society.