The word "terrorism" is familiar to us all. Growing up, we’ve seen or heard it in newspapers, history books, on television, in speeches, or during conversations. Naturally, we may have formed an image—people in dark clothes committing violent acts to instill fear. But is that all? Does terrorism exist only in physical form? Is it mainly carried out by extremist Islamic groups? And more importantly, can we do something to stop it? Let's find out.
Let’s get this straight: in today's world, terrorism is everywhere. In the Indian context, it’s on every street, so to speak. It occurs every second, when someone speaks ill of another based on prejudiced views of them or their community, when thoughts turn to violence, when people threaten others online because it's easily accessible, or when we stay silent because the crime doesn't directly involve us. The state of terror is left in every victim of such terrorist activities. It isn’t only carried out by 'extremist Islamic' groups but also by laymen, politicians, celebrities, and others. In this society, children grow up seeing this and begin to normalize it, while those who disagree are labeled outcasts or anti-nationalists.
"But dear writer, they are not causing harm to them directly, so how can you link it with such a bizarre concept?"
Yes, I heard you—just like everyone does. They hear things, they hear them a thousand times, and they believe it. Later, they start disliking them, and there you have the story of Jojo Rabbit, a film that portrays how a young boy gets manipulated into thinking Jews are monsters. He resented Jews because everyone did. That's a classic recipe of hate & war.
The glorification of superiority in society leads to a fatal destiny—polarization. Having diverse opinions isn't bad; well, I think it's rather great. However, a society shouldn't be divided on topics that make it one, like peace, equality, and freedom. If that happens, a citizen should be aware that the primary beneficiary (and probably the only) will be people in power, and there will be no harm inflicted upon them. Most politicians and crony capitalist billionaires love conflict; it's an opportunity to exploit people.
The people terrorize each other by asserting the superiority of one's religion, gender, caste, status, bloodline, history, or identity—and forget that they are terrorizing the present and future. The extremist groups—be it ISI, RSS, Abhinav Bharat, Bodu Bala Sena, Boko Haram, Bajrang Dal, Al-Shabaab, AOG—and unfortunately, the list goes on. From attacking people's minds to attacking people's bodies and later becoming the reason why people dislike their group and attack them—this unloads a vicious cycle of violence and fear.
To end this ages-old cycle of blood and tears, we need to learn to unlearn. If, growing up, you were told that your ancestors were tortured by their bloodline, instead of continuing it, end it. Ask yourself, "Is giving peace a chance that bad?" Hate can end if you want it to. Guard your brain with flower fences against soft terrorism's potential blast in your very publicly available brain. It's okay to make mistakes, but to never make it right isn't.
“Imagine people living life in peace.” — A fellow dreamer, John Lennon.