Forgive and Forget

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

   -- M. K. Gandhi   

On the day of Gandhi Jayanti, I am going to touch a very sensitive topic that is happening in today's world. The topic that I am going to write on is a derivative of what Gandhi Ji had once said, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

As I mentioned earlier the topic can have various opinions and I am only presenting one of my personal opinions in this Blog.

There have been widespread riots all across the the Middle East and South Asia, all for one reason, an offending film created by a rather unknown director from the United States of America. This film was created by Basseley Nakoula a.k.a. Sam Bacile. This man had a past criminal record of "Bank Fraud"[source: Washington Post] and has been arrested in the USA. The film is an amateur one with dubbed voices (here is another tale: The crew has taken Nakoula to court because they were told that they were doing an ancient film and that the film has been made Anti-Islamic through dubbing of voices).

The video was uploaded to the popular Video Sharing Website YouTube in July but late in September an Egyptian Television Channel made the blunder of showing a translated clip to the public.

There were widespread protests all across the Middle-East and South Asia and unfortunately in some places the protests turned violent. Insulting one's religion is equivalent to hurting one's sentiments and I believe that the protestors had every reason to express their sorrow but not violently. Gandhi Ji has shown us how non-violence can leave the opposition battered. An entire army, armed to the teeth, couldn't do anything to him as he had the Power of Peace, Non-Violence and Support of Masses.

The violence spread from Egypt to the Gulf Nations. The "Arab Spring" had just ended and another spark lit the fire in these nations. This time the target was not Government buildings but it was the United States Embassy in all these nations. There were several injuries and also death of a American Diplomat. Here I want to ask, "What is the Consul's fault if a lunatic creates a hate film?" These killings were senseless and didn't yield anything positive. In today's world the Internet is a source of libraries of information, but it also contains loads of senseless stuff uploaded by attention seeking people.

Wonderful messages sent out by Women in Pakistan.... It says that the film-maker doesn't have any religion and that he is violating peace.

All that was needed to be done was to ignore that video, consider it as one of the senseless videos on the internet and let it go. There was no need to burn things down to protest against an unknown man who had misguided himself.

The protest soon spread to Pakistan, India and Indonesia. Though protests here were restricted to slogans and peaceful gatherings, in some places they did turn violent and led to Police clashes.

Peaceful Protests in Thailand

Millions gathered in Russia to peacefully protest against the film and the Russian Government banned the film without hesitation. This was the solution in many countries like Brazil and Indonesia.

Some may declare this deed as unforgivable but as Gandhi Ji said, if we have the power to forgive and forget, we have a strong heart. If we follow Gandhi Ji's principles in today's world then we can have a safer and better world to live in.

Friends, always remember:

Forgive and Forget.

If you have any complaints or suggestions regarind the contents of this post, please contact Vihar Patel, vikoopat@gmail.com

A New Beginning

When I was little I thought in a different way

I used to think the world was gay

But as I grew old I got to know the world was cold

Everything started to become clear

As we all were surrounded by fear

There is no peace around us

Everything just seems to turn into a fuss

I don’t understand how guns promote peace?

They promote war and say the least

Equality is the way to go

But prejudice is all we know

 

Peace will create a new beginning

And in the end we’ll be winning

No more hiding and no more fear

We have the good days back here

You want to know how?

It’ll be starting right now.

Zehwa Yusufzai,
The International School, Karachi, Pakistan.

Success Story: Ivory Coast

In the July of 2007, the President of Ivory Coast, Mr. Laurent Gbagbo made his first visit to the rebel stronghold of Bouake as there had been a peace deal 5 months ago allowing the reunification of North and South Ivory Coast. He solemnly took an oath in front of the Ivorian flag along with Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, who until a few months ago controlled the town as the leader of the Rebels. Both of them set the rebel weapons on fire as a symbol of brotherhood and reunion. 

Weapons being burnt down publicly.
Content from BBC News

 “By setting fire to these guns which were the seeds of destruction, we are marking the end of the war,” Soro said. He told the Prime Minister that his coming to Bouake meant that Ivory Coast was one again.

They were joined by Diplomats from South Africa, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Niger and Ghana. The Diplomats were surrounding the pile of weapons as a torch was passed on until Gbagbo who set the weapons on fire. He declared, "Dear People of Ivory Coast, the war is over!"

For years Ivory Coast had been divided into two warring states, with a rebel control of North while the Government holding the South. The war had erupted in 2002 but the peace deal signed in March made Soro the Prime Minister and rebels lay down theirs guns.

There were 9000 U.N. troops in the buffer zone that divides the country but since the peace deal, the buffer zone is being dismantled.

Today Ivory Coast is the largest exporter of Cocoa and the Most Cosmopolitan country in the region.

This is one of the many success stories that have proven that Understanding is what brings Peace.

War is the weapon of the weak.

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War Doesn't Bring Peace, Understanding Does

"Peace cannot be achieved through violence; it can only be attained through understanding."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

People keep really high hopes to achieve peace for themselves. But, ironically, the efforts they make to achieve it, is through violence. Two completely opposing ideas, one used to attain the other. But does that peace even make sense?

So instead of “War For Peace”, why don’t people try a new idea? Something like “Understanding For Peace”, doesn’t it sound more sensible and meaningful?

For example, even when it is a small conflict among a group of people, they turn to face against each other. This is just like adding oil to the already burning fire. Why not face in the same direction and look at the solution that the conflict can have? That’s what understanding is. And that is just a miniscule, yet effectively taken step towards peace.

So why aren’t these small ideas used in World Peace? To achieve Peace on a larger scale, wouldn’t it be more sensible to look in the same direction for all rather than turning against each other? Wouldn’t it be effective if two conflicting groups come together to sort out their issues for peace rather than to fight for it?

I leave it to you to decide.

-Maitrayi Subhedar
Podar International School
AS Level (Science)

Shout Out! "We All Want Peace"

There’s something we should do That’s not been done Something we can win That’s not been won Something we can SHOUT OUT To end all their barbarous war games We all Want Peace the wars were uncivil More lives can be saved all we have to do is just be brave, Something we can shout out, We want to gain peace, and we want to gain it right now Talking is Free Something we can ask, Before it’s blown Something we can grow and make this world a better place Peace is all we ask It’s not a big task Believe me It’s easy. Nikita  S. Dewani Podar International School (AS-LEVEL) (science)

Let’s Go Beyond Simply Imagining

“Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people living life in peace”

John Lennon.

As John Lennon stated in his iconic song “Imagine”, striving for world peace is something which is not the domain of dreamers and idealists but can be a goal grounded in reality, if everyone contributes and plays his or her role. He himself clarified that the time may never come when the world has no separate countries or religions, but there can come a time when no country or religion will claim to be the most superior and all human conflicts are resolved.  I think when the issue of peace is brought up in the context of South Asia, the conflict between India and Pakistan comes to the fore. I certainly do not want to look back at the events which have led to such a tense situation, rather to simply state that it is the events that take place from today onward which will either cause war or peace. By war I am referring not only to a military conflict, but the conflicts often highlighted by historians, such as the overemphasis cultural and religious differences. I have often wondered how our countries could have fought over such issues when neither of the two can claim to be even remotely homogeneous in either cultural or religious terms.  That said, Pakistan and India share more history and culture with each other than they do with any other state- so logically, they should be each other’s strongest allies! We cannot wait for our governments to remove the barriers between Indians and Pakistanis; they can remove visa and trade restrictions (which they are currently doing) but long held misconceptions and prejudices can only be successfully removed via human contact. So let us go beyond simply imagining peace and work towards it by increasing the interaction the citizens of our countries have with each other. I think it would be fitting to end my piece with the chorus of “Imagine”:

“You, you may say

I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one”

Salahuddin Uqaili, DP-1

The International School, Karachi, Pakistan,

TIS, DP-1

Peace?

What is peace? The world seems to have deranged definitions of one simple word.  Everybody idly supports the idea of a  ‘global village’; organizations have tried, failed and sustained the overall idea of ‘peace’. But, do we really work hard enough to maintain peace, tranquility and prosperity around the world? Is it something we all live by? Or is it something that is just ‘supposed to be there’?

Honestly, clear your mind and look around you. Before considering the entire world per se, shouldn’t all of us be looking at our lives? Do we have peace there?

It’s an easy word to throw around and take for granted (just like everything else) but if it isn’t implemented at ground level, how can we expect the entire world to be ‘tranquil’?
Before we claim to have reached the stars of world peace, we should gather all the stardust on the way and work on maintaining peace in ourselves and in relationships with the people around us.

Maybe then we can consider the world being peaceful. 

Tanisha Gandhi,
Podar International School,

IBDP-1

Yeh Zameen, Aasmaan [Poem in Hindi]

Yahin Kahin Bane Thhe Insaan Issi Zameen Pe,

Khho Chukki Ab Unki Parchayi Hi Unse,

Laal Rang Baha Paani Se Kuch Zyada,

Aadhi Dharti Bachchi Hai, Nigal Gaye Aadha.

Kuch Naya Karte Hain Aaj,

Kuch Khaas, Ummeed Se Zyada,

Khatam Kare Yeh Jung,

Rangoon Se Bhare, Yeh Zameen, Aasmaan Humara.

-Gaurav Ahuja (AS Commerce)

Let Us Not Face Each Other, Let Us Walk In One Direction

If you take an eye for an eye the entire world will be blind.
-Mahatma Gandhi


 War and fighting have become a major part of today’s world but what good has it ever done? The World War-I caused relations between countries to worsen, World War–II had made further damages; people were killed, countries were destroyed and it was the reason the cold war started and that led to even more destruction. Instead if we could all come together would it not be a happier place?

President Reagan and President Gorbachev Declaring End of Cold War.
[Courtesy: Washington Post]

India has had an ongoing conflict between Hindus and Muslims for years. There has been bloodshed, tears, separation of families and death of loved ones. Innocent people have been affected by all this, with no fault of their own  and they have been scarred for life. In a country where there is so much to live for, people are killing each other? India has always been a country of diversity. Various cultures and traditions all put together, everyone celebrating each other’s festivals and living together. Then why this need for proving someone superior?

All Religions talk about Peace. It is time we follow it.

 
When there is ‘Ram’ in Ramzan and ‘Ali’ in Diwali,
where is the humanity we are taught?

It’s not only in India; there are conflicts and wars all over the world. It’s time a message of peace is put forward. We need to learn to live together with prosperity for a better future. Hatred causes war, and war causes damage. But love trumps hatred and love brings us together and makes us one.
We Are One.

-Parmi Shah,
Podar International School (A-level)

Poems Often Describe What The Poet Dreams For...

Peaceful Meanderings

Peace is like this poem no doubt

It’s hard to write harder to describe

There’s no need for words to fight, push or shout

Since they all come together – we are all just one tribe, one family.

-Surya Rai, IBDP 1

Speak, strike, redress,

Let’s start afresh.

In order to get out of this mess,

We should start giving it our best.

-Krish Shah, IBDP 1

It is here to give hope

Hope for a better future

It is here to bring joy

The joy of life

And it is here to shine light

In the darkest corner

If only we give it a chance 

Here’s to peace

- Ranak Singh, IBDP 2

Peace is the illusion reality strives to be.

– Advait Desai, IBDP 2

It fits with green

Fits with inner

The world does not go any dimmer

Name’s peace.

- Piyush Daga, IBDP 2

Peace is a beautiful concept which is written about in every religious book or reference, the concept of equality and brotherhood promote peace. Being mentally at peace, one can practically do anything or think logically without the influence of other factors. Peace gives everyone an equal chance to act or think in a responsible manner. In times like today, we have lost the concept of peace and one just superficially acting peaceful. The reason why man intended to progress was to make his life better and simpler but we have made it worse and complicated, instead let’s genuinely give peace a chance, give everyone a chance.

- Chaitanya Nimkar, IBDP 2

When the power of love overcomes,

Everyone is kind and no one bleeds,

That is when the world knows PEACE! 

- Ishita  Aggarwal, IBDP 2