Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Mixed Bag
Many noteworthy events have been taking place around the world. They always do - but only a few touch the strings of the heart. One such event has had a profound impact on me - Terri's death. It's utterly strange b'coz I've not known an incident so very distant from me yet having such lasting impressions. I read abt her perhaps a week before she died. I, of course, didn't know her on a personal level either. Why then is her death haunting me to this extreme extent? Why do I get so worked up about things that dont concern me? Why does the issue move me to tears?
I guess it's a feeling of helplessness that has set in. Just having altruistic interests at heart doesn't get us anywhere. It needs to be complemented by other factors, such as power, authority and finance. How I wish I could dump this hyper-sensitive nature of mine!
The Pope's heavenly departure has the world in a grip of grief. I don't know much abt him but the fact that the guy who tried to kill him in the 1960's joined the world in praying for his well-being and now wants to be part of the funeral speaks volumes. May the Pope rest in peace and may his successor be as noble as he was.
Then comes the child molestation charge against the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. I am a very big fan of his music; I somehow cant bring myself to believe that a star who has some lovely humanitarian songs to his credit like 'Heal the World' and 'Earth Song', could have indeed done acts as offensive as molesting kids. But then anything is possible in this big bad world. Why 'bad'? This could be one of the answers. The human body is the ultimate masterpiece ever, yet it has been misused since time immemorial. Physical exploitation has always existed in almost every walk of life. There've been a legion of laws to check this menace...but has it helped? Hardly. On the contrary, the rate appears to be steadily on the rise. When law makers themselves turn perpetrators of crime, what else can one expect? But involving children in these horrific acts only proves there's no more hope for humankind.
Anyway, I can go on ranting for hours. The chances of the pathetic state of affairs in the world ever improving seem bleak. The point is, if Jackson is genuinely guilty, he must be appropriately punished. April is the Child Abuse Prevention month. I wish & pray that it is not limited only to the month.