As I write this, I am trying to come to terms with the recent CBI revelation that a student of grade 11 of a reputed school ended up slitting the throat of a 7-year old of the same school simply because he wanted the upcoming examination to be stalled! As the truth comes to light after a series of investigations, my heart saddens at the whole episode.
A tender life lost! A youth staring blankly at a gloomy future as a juvenile convict. One set of parents scarred for life by the loss of their little bud. Another set of parents left to battle with the stigma of a ‘murderer son’ – faced with the dilemma whether to be with their son at this tough time and to face the wrath of the society or turn cold towards their son for his heinous crime.
Some of us would be quick to comment – ‘What a depraved mind the teenager had!’, ‘This shows how poor his upbringing might have been!’, ‘He ought to be given a really strong sentence’, ‘Speaks of the times we are living in’, ‘How unsafe the world has become!’ and the like.
Before getting started with the business of shaking our heads in despair and pooling together this and other such incidents happening around the world, lets remember that human depravity has been an age-old phenomenon. Right from the time man fell in sin, there has been no turning back. Human fallenness raises its ugly head every now and then breeding unhappiness, uncertainty and distrust.
A quick scan of world history over the civilizations would give us ample to ponder about in this regard. So, no, its not simply that the digital generation has its mind tweaked to sheer perversion. Only that people have increasingly developed an attitude of ‘fearlessness’. Fearless to commit errors of omission and commission without a care for the consequences.
Well, a sure cure to the moral turpitude of mankind is to live in the fear of an Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient God all the days of one’s life. It is also essential to expand our latitude of acceptance and understanding for the people around us. Even if a child is not able to perform well, even if a person gets laid off his/her job, even if the yearly yield shows a downward arrow, the person in question should be able to run to the comforting arms of his/her loved ones and not scheme for alternatives.
How open are we to seek help before resigning from the bleak situation before us? How alert are we to observe and attend to the signs of distress in the people around us? How accommodating are we to allow people to grow and develop amidst their mountain and valley life experiences, rather than pushing them to perform?
These indeed are questions that we ought to ask ourselves!
Candles Online 