Give me a BREAK ! Please !

I open the hugely popular Indian site rediff.com and find this where a guest author has very intelligently related Aamir and Saif's religion to their qualification to carry the Olympic torch. Never mind the random comments by people who exercise their right of democracy every other moment but conveniently forget the 'duties'. May be what he says is true, but what surprises me is every other person on earth relates any important event to the religion or faiths. We human beings live because of our faiths ? What is it that is so so rooted into us that gives us this attitude ? Do we have to bring in religion into the very basic humanitarian requirements?

I open a highly reputed Indian news house timesofindia.com and find a complete section dedicated to the Olympic torch and Tibet issue. Agreed, they both are happening at the same time and can be related. But do we have to ? When our own minister for external affairs for India has made it indirectly clear that they won't do anything against China for the Tibet issue, what is the point in making 1+1=2 and relating everything related to China to the Tibet issue?

What is happening in Tibet is a shame to human beings, and our so-called-civilization-and-domination-on-earth. We are that one unfortunate species who have got an intelligent brain to make and destroy ourselves. Surely, some day, we will become the only species which kills itself and disappears from earth.

Agreed that it is very unfortunate. Is it justified ? NO WAY ! No torture and killing is justified. There is always a better way to handle a situation. I am too scared to enter into the debate about freedom and oppression - because both are so relative terms. It is such a irony that my blog heading says 'I Live In A Free World', where as it does not apply to so many people on earth. Blessed we are being in a democratic country, and that to a so called secular country, can we do anything to save others ? For example, can India as a country do anything significant to Tibet cause ? I sincerely don't think so. If our own prime minister goes to one of our own states and makes a simple statement about the state being an integral part of our country, and has to listen to complaints from over the border, what kind of stand do we have with China ? Is it worth while even to hope for that we can do something to stop the problems of tibetian people ? Why is the media so crazy and refuses to accept the truth ?

Have we got our ownership on the north-eastern states by trading the support for Tibet with China?

Really?

And if that is true, is it going to be beneficial to us in the long run?

I mean what is it? It scares me so much to imagine of a war or a major border dispute with China. Yes, we love to wear our pride on our sleeves, but let us be practical. Any major dispute with China will push us to boundaries of desperation. May be our Government has realized it quite well and that is why taking such a detached stand on Tibet? Can they do any better any way?

Keeping all this things in mind, I wonder why our media is so much obsessed with relating religion to everything ? Aamir and Saif (national award winners) are khans, Bhaichung (again a national awardee) is a Buddhist - so what, they have done enough work to deserve carrying the olympic torch - and are not chosen for their religion! Come on, don't disrespect their achievements and ability to maintain such impressive images by saying that they got to carry the torch just because of their religion.

Thinking about all these things pushes me to a corner of depression that this so called religions have been put over and above the humanitarian religion, always, and so many selfish people have used it for personal gains.

Why?

Give me a break please!
Give me a media that is responsible enough not to drag touchy issues for the sake of sensation!
Give me mind share that believes in humanitarian values much more than any religion!
Give me FREEDOM from those narrow-minded-humans hell bent on personal gains!
Give me governments who care for people!
Give me ...
Give me ...
Give me ...

In this context I remember an excellent phrase from a book called 'One' by Richard Bach. He has written very beautifully how a person's simple thoughts for goodness of people gets interpreted into a religion slowly and gets modified in the process, and later people are ready to kill each other for the sake of it by conveniently forgetting that the very existence of that religion came from a good person's caring heart to do good to humans. It is a slightly confusing book to start with, but gets better in terms of philosophical content towards the middle of the story. Worth a read.