Perplexed

I am perplexed today because of the recent turmoil at JNU and the assassination of the Iranian general Qasem Suleimani. JNU has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. Students of JNU are increasingly getting vocal about political issues. Do students of a subsidised institute have a right to protest? Of course they do! One may disagree about political views and leanings. This is the foundation of any democracy. If political debate and disagreement is to be suppressed, how different are we from the fundamentalist countries? India continues to be and still prides itself to be a democratic nation. We cannot allow democracy to trampled upon this way. In these intolerant times one is forced to take sides. Middle of the road or being neutral does not work. Everyone has an opinion because of social media. Social media distorts a persons views completely as these days hardly anyone thinks. Our thoughts and opinions are largely a manifestation of what he see and hear. No one bothers to cross check or verify. In these incendiary days one needs to be particularly careful and fearful. Gone are the good old days. People have lost sense of proportion, common decency, manners, respect and chivalry as we as a society are getting more and more opinionated and partisan. I do not remember such uncertainty in my 47 years.

It is said that US President Trump's assassination of the Iranian General may lead to World War III. It may or it may not. Iran will bide its time and strike when the US would be vulnerable. Laden has shown what a group of determined terrorists is capable of doing. The world has changed. The ways of terrorising citizens too has changed. Nuclear, cyber, digital.... there are so many new ways. My opinions are not fully formed as whatever information I have is half baked but I am aghast at what lies ahead.

This is not the first or the last time that the leader of a major power has used the defence forces to attack on foreign soil. Many previous US Presidents have done this. So that Trump has done is not without precedent. His megalomanic desire to stay in power for another 4 years may put the entire world in turmoil.

I am perplexed as I cannot decide what position to take. Will the future of our next generation play out the way we hope it would? How will they shield themselves from such an onslaught?

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