This is a letter sent to a friend of mine by a man living in Bombay. Some of the content may offend some Americans on the board...Nick, I'm thinking of you...I'm not posting it to America-bash. I'm posting it as a pacifist who agrees with the last paragraph. It's just an opinion and it's not here to hurt anyone's feelings. Think it over.

 

Richard,

 

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Truth be told, we still feel extremely safe here in Bombay particularly and in India in general. Both my kids understand the randomness of violence as well as the fact that people do all kinds of things—none of us here really believe in the concept of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ so that helps. They’re dealing very well with the aftermath, as are we all.

 

What I fear more than anything else though is a place like the USA, built on racial genocide, domination, violence, ruthless extermination, aggressive competition...you get the picture. If I have an image of hell, the US is it. I would rather move my family to Afghanistan than anyplace USA. This is one of the things I can never wrap my mind around—how can a place like that exist in the world, and how can people there be so blind, blasé, ignorant of history and its lessons? And I’m not talking about Bush and his decisions—I believe he’s only a symbol of a larger, more endemic problem—the problem of domination.

 

If anything, I think I understand the terrorist mindset much better than that of an American military general. I can’t tell you how much I loathe any kind of military, police or armed organization—it represents everything that I think is wrong in human society. I frankly believe the only way to combat terrorism is through aggressive peace. No more violence, disarm totally, lay down all weapons—do to us what you will, we will not fight back, we will not retaliate, will not mirror your violence with our own. I’m not just saying this, I really believe only peace can bring about peace—and the means justifies the end.

 

Ashok

India's stance for their entire existence has been not to retaliate when there has been brutality invoked against its people - Gandhi is the prime example. We drove the British out by not fighting back. And won. I agree totally with Ashok's missive - peace is the only way out of all of this. What is retaliating (a la Dubya) going to do but cause more anger, more pain, more death?? Anyways, just my two cents.

That last paragraph.... Amen to it.

 

You'll always have foolish people who are mind fucked into a certain set thinking, and it is "WE MUST DEFEND OURSELVES. WE MUST BLOW THE SHIT OUT OF THEM BEFORE THEY BLOW THE SHIT OUT OF US."

 

 

Obviously got us really far, hasn't it? It's all reaaaaaaaaally working out nicely for everyone! Bombing the crap out of a place to make them de-arm, that's working wonderfully. I'm such a diehard pacifist, I can't even get myself into the mindset of some of these war mongering fools that I've seen. And oh they might say they're not war mongerers, they're just "concerned" and "patriotic". Yeah, ok. It's just gross to me. A bullet is worth more than a word in this world. We've lost our ability to rationalize... oh wait, ok. That's right, we're dealing with "irrational" people. Well honestly I think war is irrational. So being irrational towards irrational people.... it's all quite a double standard.

 

Then again, America is one huge double standard all the time. Built on it. Freedom for all (white men, land owners). Land of immigrants (keep them the hell out of MY neighborhood!). The world of free speech, religion, race... (slaughter the indians, throw rocks at the niggers).

 

God, I can see where the hate comes from. And I can see where the hate in this country towards others comes from as well. I, personally, share none of this hate. Because I know that I'm learning from history, that I'm not following a path of violence, etc etc. I hope that people who speak critically of America realize that there are those of us (in the minority) who want and need change.

India's reaction to the mumbai bombings.... is something to be admirmed.... people in the east are so much more peacful in the resolve of their problems... they seems to sway torwards reasoning before going off it like the west do