Right Now in Mumbai '10 …
Even though I meant to write about events from 2001, how can I not react to the present, it is after all the present which compels me to write here and after quite a few days of thought, I am now compelled to interrupt the Melbourne journal with an incoherent rant!
“The times…” they change but who changes them if not people themselves, people change and with them their ‘times’; theatres of conflict may change but conflict itself remains continuous!
There’s always someone with an issue against someone else. Someone who wants the power of authority to Live and let die.
‘The world’ – if at all there exists a general term for the people of this planet – gives an impression that it’s getting together to talk, and when there is nothing specific to talk about, the point of conversation generally is … the Weather. The World discusses the ‘weather’ a lot these days! Coincidental?
A feeling of governments’ reaching out while the people they govern choose to huddle searching for comfort and ‘peace’.
And ‘Peace’ itself, ready for sale.
I am typing these words from Mumbai, the Indian city otherwise known for it’s cosmopolitan nature is proving to be just the contrary. Issues of ‘where are you from?’ abound. ‘outsiders’ threaten a certain section of self appointed moralists and cultural crusaders it seems!
Very simply put, their refrain, “this is ‘my’ home, go away!” Seems out of a kindergarten class fight? But add to it the possibility of violent reactions and weapons and there’s no comparison left with the innocence of the class-fight anymore, only a stage set for bloodied chaos.
Whether on this blog, I write of Srinagar, Melbourne or Mumbai, the conflicts might be different but stemming of a similar substance generated through a combination of insecurity, ignorance, intolerance and ‘hate’ of course.
Should this spirit of intolerance within ‘the world’ then be attributed towards the ‘times’. Intolerant, insecure, uncertain times? Times of fear? Times that seem to be racing against ‘time’ itself....
It should be back to the Melbourne journal after this, straight to an event that conveyed this feeling of insecurity, the need to huddle...
Even though I meant to write about events from 2001, how can I not react to the present, it is after all the present which compels me to write here and after quite a few days of thought, I am now compelled to interrupt the Melbourne journal with an incoherent rant!
“The times…” they change but who changes them if not people themselves, people change and with them their ‘times’; theatres of conflict may change but conflict itself remains continuous!
There’s always someone with an issue against someone else. Someone who wants the power of authority to Live and let die.
‘The world’ – if at all there exists a general term for the people of this planet – gives an impression that it’s getting together to talk, and when there is nothing specific to talk about, the point of conversation generally is … the Weather. The World discusses the ‘weather’ a lot these days! Coincidental?
A feeling of governments’ reaching out while the people they govern choose to huddle searching for comfort and ‘peace’.
And ‘Peace’ itself, ready for sale.
I am typing these words from Mumbai, the Indian city otherwise known for it’s cosmopolitan nature is proving to be just the contrary. Issues of ‘where are you from?’ abound. ‘outsiders’ threaten a certain section of self appointed moralists and cultural crusaders it seems!
Very simply put, their refrain, “this is ‘my’ home, go away!” Seems out of a kindergarten class fight? But add to it the possibility of violent reactions and weapons and there’s no comparison left with the innocence of the class-fight anymore, only a stage set for bloodied chaos.
Whether on this blog, I write of Srinagar, Melbourne or Mumbai, the conflicts might be different but stemming of a similar substance generated through a combination of insecurity, ignorance, intolerance and ‘hate’ of course.
Should this spirit of intolerance within ‘the world’ then be attributed towards the ‘times’. Intolerant, insecure, uncertain times? Times of fear? Times that seem to be racing against ‘time’ itself....
It should be back to the Melbourne journal after this, straight to an event that conveyed this feeling of insecurity, the need to huddle...
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