| "A leading Pakistani human rights activist may help | | | | death sentence violence? |
| save the lives of 17 Indians, who have been | | | | Man is the only animal with the ability to think. And |
| sentenced to death in March for allegedly killing a | | | | what is a thought? All thoughts are based on |
| Pakistani national in Sharjah" | | | | preconceived values and every value, every sense of |
| I saw this news item in today's paper. The foremost | | | | good and bad, right and wrong are given to us by |
| thing I noticed was that it is a Pakistani National who | | | | the society in which we live. That makes a thought |
| is trying to save the lives of Indians. In these days of | | | | limited in perceptibility, given senses, given ideas and |
| extreme hatred going practically unchecked between | | | | ideals, without any creation, is it not? A thought is |
| the two neighbor countries,- India and Pakistan - this | | | | not separate from me or the mind. Thought is me. |
| news gave me a very pleasant feeling. Compassion is | | | | Thought is mind. Have you ever noticed whenever |
| no-body's personal property. Compassion transcends | | | | you are in deep thought there does not exist either |
| all social, economic, racial, religious and national | | | | 'me' or the 'mind'? It is only after you come out of |
| barriers. This is an example, - a human rights activists | | | | that thought you come to know of your existence. |
| is trying to save the lives of 17 convicted murderers | | | | Thought creates 'me'. It is not 'me' and 'my mind'. |
| belonging to his nation's enemy country. My due | | | | Both 'me' and the 'mind' are one and the same. In |
| thanks also goes to the Shariah legal system in this | | | | actuality, to say 'me' and 'my mind' is absurd. |
| particular case, which gives a last chance to the | | | | Mind is always fearful because it is the fear that |
| sentenced convict after trial to survive. This law | | | | creates thought. Animals do not know if there is a |
| bestows total power in the aggrieved person to | | | | tomorrow. They do not know what is death. Their |
| pardon the perpetrator of the heinous crime and the | | | | only concern is survival in the present. It is only the |
| pardon is total, - the convict walks straight from the | | | | thinking mind that creates tomorrow, future and |
| prison into the free world without having to undergo | | | | death on the basis of memories of yesterday and |
| a reduced sentence. Now the Pakistani activist is | | | | the past. This very process of storing experiences |
| arranging US $ 54,000/- as compensation to the | | | | and memories creates a past. This past gives a |
| family in Pakistan, of the murdered person. This | | | | different meaning to survival, which is in the backdrop |
| compensation is called as "blood money" in local | | | | of fear of death and that creates the necessity for |
| parlance by the people who are conversant in Shariah | | | | security. Naturally, fear of death and sense of |
| Law. Ansar Burney, the gentleman who is going to | | | | security cause greed - the tendency to acquire more |
| pay the 'blood money' is still to surpass certain | | | | than necessary. Society gives more value to people |
| national and international legal hurdles, the paper says. | | | | who have more. This process of created values of |
| But it seems he is going to be successful in his | | | | human life is bound to imbibe violence. More the |
| mission as there are such precedences. Kudos to the | | | | greed the more violence. |
| lion hearted activist. | | | | If you keenly observe, there is fear at the root of |
| I wonder if violence is not one of the basic instincts | | | | every violent act, be it simple fight leading to murder |
| of human being. Only man among the entire living | | | | or war between nations. The accompanying rape, |
| species indulges in violence and killing without any | | | | loot and murder are all results of greed or envy. I |
| benefit. All other animal species resort into violence | | | | think there is no escape from this situation, because |
| either for self protection or its prey. I don't want to | | | | almost all the religions are born with the purpose of |
| go into searching the reasons anthropologically or | | | | changing the world into a peaceful living place. In my |
| scientifically. On the other hand I am trying to analyze | | | | opinion, they have all failed. On the other hand |
| human nature spiritually. I feel fear is the guiding | | | | modern day violence are almost all based on religious |
| force making greed, envy and jealousy at the root | | | | fundamentalism. |
| of all uncalled for violence. And, what about | | | | I don't think I have the ability to suggest any remedy |
| punishments under any national criminal penal code? | | | | to this seriously and fast deteriorating social system. |
| The legalized punishment for a crime is always in the | | | | But for sure, if this situation is allowed to continue |
| form of either revenge or a form of violence. Is not | | | | doom's day is not very far! |