YES, DISCRETION IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR.
Like others, I too did not leave home yesterday. Yes, our TV
was on right from 7 am till late in the night!
It is really unusual
in our house. We watch less TV, a few programmes here and there. In fact, there
was a time, we managed without a TV for close to ten years!
Life went on
smoothly…
We did not miss
anything!
So, yesterday, when
our TV was on, and we were glued to the live telecast, like that, I found it quite
unbelievable!
Well, this Post is
not going to be about our addiction to TV or sensational news or about
Balasaheb Thackrey. Even if I write a word on him, it might seem an overdose…
So much is said, written and shown about him. I think, that’s enough.
Some days ago (on 2nd
November), I had written about Balasaheb in my Post – ‘The Lion And The Sunset’.
I had written in that Post, that, though, like so many, I too did not like or
approve his kind of Politics, I had admired the Man for so many things. My
Post, therefore, was a tribute to this one-of-a-kind leader.
As the sun set, last evening, and as the flames of funeral
pyre went up against the backdrop of Vedic chants and a stunned silence… I
really prayed in my heart, that nothing should go wrong… the sea of humanity
should peacefully disperse… that our city be not burdened with more trauma…
Emotions were high,
but suppressed…
Just a small
stone-pelting incident or a provoking word from someone was enough to unleash
something sinister, catastrophic!
Scenes from two great
movies – incidentally both with historic significance of epic proportion –
flashed before my mind.
The first one from
Sir Attenborough’s famous ‘Gandhi’. The partition scene. Lakhs of displaced
Hindus are shown heading towards India
from Pakistan.
Just a stone-throw way, equally large number of uprooted Muslims are shown
heading towards Pakistan
from India.
Small babies, old and sick, men and women… all struck with grief, hopelessness
and anger…
And, then, the feared
thing happens: Suddenly a young-man takes a few step forward, picks a stone and
hurls it on the other side… venting out all his frustration and pain.
That was enough… Just
one stone!
The next thing that
you see is better not described here!
The second one from
the Hollywood movie on Second World-War – ‘Pearl Harbor’. Japan has just destroyed the Pearl
Harbor, something, which no one else could ever dare even in his
wildest imagination! Scores of American warships are destroyed, hundreds of its
naval men… all in a single blow, all before the Super Power could even blink!
And, there is this scene.
The Japanese Military chiefs have gathered to take stock of the situation…
There is a sense of jubilation… great victory-pride… and, just then you hear one
of their chiefs reminding the rest, this: “My friends, I hope, we have not
woken up the sleeping giant!”
Till ‘Pearl Harbor’
happened, America
was unwilling to get dragged into the Second World-War. Now, Japan had woken
up the sleeping giant!
What happened after
that – in Hiroshima and Nagasaki – I do not have to describe!
They say, “Discretion is the best part of valor.” When
emotions run high, it is dangerous to decide. The best decision, in such times,
is to exercise restraint… Say nothing provocative, nothing hurting or loose.
Last few days,
particularly yesterday, hundreds of people were writing on their FB posts
things, which, I silently feared might invite them trouble. I was thinking
aloud: Why express your strong opinions – mind you very, very provocative – in
times like this? Can’t you hold back your views, at least for a couple of days?
What do you achieve by saying something, inviting a few likes and a dozen
exactly polarized comments? Why spread ‘hate’, now? Why, when you know that the
giant is sleeping?
And, this morning,
when I read about a mob incident in Thane (provoked by such a post by a young-girl
– the niece of a well-known doctor whose hospital bore the brunt of the
3000-odd angry mob!), I really turned numb!
Who will tell our young-ones to think a thousand times
before they write something loose, irresponsible and provocative like this one?
Who will tell them to
conserve their energy and strength – which gushes out of their belly all in the
name of Freedom of Speech – for something more worthwhile than this?
Frankly, I find no
difference between the two: the people who write loosely like this on open and
public mediums like FB and the people who ransack.
Both come from the
same ‘mob-mentality’!
I always advice every
one – I mean ‘all’ -
who post on FB, Twitter
or any such free and open mediums:
“Please be discrete…
before you repent!
And, before your ‘foolish acts’
invite trouble for others
around you.”
Probably, Alexander
Pope’s famous lines befit this close:
“Fools rush in
(dare) where Angels fear to tread.”
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pics.: MLR
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Kamal