Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the
loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism – how
passionately I hate them!
- Albert
Einstein
It’s depressing to belong to a land that refuses to accommodate reason.
We
abuse liberties by dishonoring, discounting, discriminating, discrediting,
disregarding, disrupting, disgracing, distressing, and disfiguring the lives of
the weaker sections of society.
We
abuse our votes by electing corrupt politicians who ignore their duties, time
and again, by failing to provide the most essential amenities of life like
food, health and education. We revel in the bastardization of democracy, a
concept plagued by swarms of thugs, moochers and parasites. We dive into the
flytrap because we love to be manipulated. We adamantly refuse to see the
bigger picture, which is the future of our children, because we are easily led
by worthless temptations.
We
abuse natural resources by littering, polluting and looting the environment. We
take the present for granted but we fail to realize that it’s just a matter of
time.
We
abuse the spirit of our constitution and the strong fabric on which our country
is based on. We build boundaries around our inflated egos and we fail to
understand the underlying concept behind principles like brotherhood,
secularism and tolerance.
We
abuse harmony by disrespecting the sensitivities of other communities and
cultures. On the other extreme, we give in to excesses in the name of
festivals, we abuse morality in the name of faith, and we abuse God in the name
of religion.
We
shamelessly steal the honor (and the basic right to live) of a gender that is
worthy of love, independence and self-respect. We resort to unspeakable
atrocities on women to make up for our own weaknesses, fears, and shortcomings.
In
spite of such failures and personal shortcomings, we wear a mask of
self-righteousness and we thrive in a world of hypocrisy. We are fed by
sensationalism and we run away from the truth. We are fervently moved and
stirred by cries of jingoistic ideologies, or by insignificant incidents of
carelessly handled national symbols, or by slightly altered (but barely
noticeable) tunes of national anthems & national songs.
Before
the sun hopelessly sets on us forever, let's commit ourselves to care for a
stronger conscience as much as we pretend to care for our country. Let's commit
ourselves to our duties as a member of our immediate environment before
marching forward as a citizen of the country.
