Violence and its Reasons
Uploaded by suchaita tenneti on Jun 01, 2002
Violence-the very word describes terror and the use of threat or aggression against an individual or society as a whole. Indeed violence is the most terrible and dominating of all social evils in today's word. Making use of violence to achieve one's means means departing from all the morals and virtues that humanity has bestowed upon us. But, unfortunately, violence has been so frequently used that we have begun to take it for granted-the sight of a sick or dying person doesn't move us in the least. Evidently we are becoming the slaves of violence.
But why do people resort to violence? The answer is quite simple. In a country, like India, with a population of more than a billion, poverty, unemployment and starvation have become common problems for the people. How is a family expected to survive without food, money and shelter? Does it not torment them to watch their children starve and die in their arms? But, Alas, there is no ear to perceive their cries of desperation. Thus, it is the poor who resort to violence such as murder and robbery to fulfil their needs.
Racial discrimination is another major reason for violence. The so-called 'terrorism' is spreading at an alarming rate around the world. There are basically two kinds of terrorists-one kind who revolt for political or social reforms in their country and another kind who use religion as the cause of violence. Terrorists murder, bomb and use other such violent means to achieve their goals. The Muslims call such acts as 'Jihad' or 'Holy War.' They believe that anyone who isn't a follower of Islam is to be killed. Similar acts of violence can be seen in Gujarat, where a conflict between Hindus and Muslims has been going on for a while now. The worst part of such wars is that people who are responsible for horrific massacres are applauded and regarded as heroes. When a 14-year-old Jewish boy bombed a Syrian tank in 1948 and killed hundreds, he was hailed as a "true patriot." This approval encourages other children to perform such deeds, increasing violence dramatically.
The television and movies are responsible for fantasizing violence. They make a murder seem like a miracle and death like a blessing. Some young viewers are deeply influenced by the violence shown on television and are induced to commit such crimes. Students carrying weapons in schools and killing classmates...