Pahalgam Attack and the death of humanity

From last few years, I have started considering myself as an humanist and individualist. Since then, I have been shaping my belief system. I want to look above the fictions which divide us from each other. That comes with its own struggles. When I get the challenges, I struggle to process them. I find them inferior and stupid. I get that not everyone thinks the same way I do. Most people have buried themselves neck deep in the peat of fictions, and they can’t get out of it. They have blindfolded themselves and they can’t see the reality that lies beneath the layers of division.

But my view of humanity forces me to see humans as humans; and it has developed so far that I donn’t realize that people can be crazy about their fictions sometimes.

I found out about the Pahalgam attack through a Whatsapp status on Thursday morning. I didn’t learn the details then, and I was happy enough to let it go but the curiosity got the better of me. I was horrified to know that they shot tourists. It wasn’t until the evening when I got the information about the shooters asking the people’s religion before shooting them. My instant reaction was of disappointment.

I suddenly became aware of the reactions that this would get from the citizens. It will become an issue of Hindu vs Muslim. I assumed to the horrors that this will bring the riots to the roads. I was petrified. I was very disappointed, disappointed in the humans I stand for. It felt to me like a parent, who convinces everyone in the society that their child has changed for the good, and again he does something to bring shame to their name. I was that disappointed.

The other side bewildered me with their actions. Not only were they spitting hatred to Muslims but they were accusing the local Kashmiri people of supporting the terrorists. It’s a good thing that I stay away from social media, but my efforts only go to a certain extent. What I saw there made me drop all my conventions and almost got me to hate humans with all my will. Instead of showing sympathies to the victims, instead of uniting against terrorism, instead of questioning security, we all seemed to just focus of one thing that they asked to recite a verse to identify their religion.

I couldn’t digest the fact that humans can just go and kill other humans. We are not talking about treachery, or lying for selfishness or anything like that, we are talking about murder. To end a human’s life, to erase them from earth, it should take a lot of courage and a hell of motivation behind it. One can’t just wake up and decide to kill.

I talked to one of my Kashmiri friend. I don’t know if I was flowing in the river of judgement or I was just as the angry parent demanding an explanation. I asked her for the justification, and I instantly regretted it. She broke down in front me. She said that she was tired of people accusing the Kashmiris for everything that happens badly. She was already shocked and devastated about the attack and she didn’t at all expect me to ask such questions. It was one of the most life changing moments for me.

The social media does bring out the shiny side of the moon as well. I saw a number of people coming out to support Muslims and local Kasmiri people. The stories of locals helping the injured tourists came out. Some people, in a very hushed and small voice, were putting questions to the government. It did bring the silver lining in the dark cloud.

But, the horror doesn’t end here. People, left and right alike, have got a feeling and revenge is best served cold. People want an all out war with Pakistan. People hate Pakistan, their soldiers and their people. War benefits no one. What would an agenda of such war be? What would India do if they win the war? Invade Pakistan and take over it? Will that be justified? Will the killings of other innocent soldiers be justified over the killings of innocent soldiers. Is the citizens of Pakistan who will suffer from drought and flood over Indus valley treaty justified? Their officials may or may not support an act of cowardice and those who suffer are the people of home ground.

The geopolitics is shit. Officials are shit. Fuck democracy and fuck geopolitics. It pisses me off that I can not do anything about it. I am just so sad and so disappointed in all of humanity. But I can’t stop believing in the human cause. That would make the same as them. Even if I have to die alone, I will die with a moral high ground over myself. Humanity has died and we are mourning over its death.

The thumbnail image is one of Picasso’s anti-war arts. It shows US army murdering South Korean citizens. It was the closest I could find which describes the current situations. A war may look like it’s between two armies, but it’s really between two nations, and every citizen of those nations is involved. Let’s nor promote war, let’s promote peace!