It is human to commit mistakes. There is no shame in getting up, dusting ourselves, learning, and moving on with a resolve to do better. A child understands this intuitively. Yet, the urge to be accepted by the majority erases these lessons of childhood as we enter adulthood. We continue to commit acts that go against humanity and the inherent goodness of the heart, despite knowing the disastrous consequences of the past.
The recent war stirred patriotic fervour. I too celebrated our decisive action and victory. Yet we failed to grasp the trauma of families who lost their dear ones. As a child, I once visited an army officer with my uncle. He had lost a leg in the 1965 war. Only years later, with maturity, could I even begin to visualise the grim reality behind the sadness on the faces of the officer and his wife. The price many pay during wars cannot be quantified. We, the global community, do not learn. The past two centuries have witnessed major wars involving many nations, and cross-border conflicts continue unabated. But once the headlines fade, we forget. Violence by any majority is a case in point.
During my first posting in the railways, I once reached my maintenance shed to find the staff agitatedly walking out. My senior stopped me from intervening. “Sir, please do not say anything now. Let them go, otherwise they will turn on you.” The Prime Minister had been assassinated. My immediate departmental senior had to hide with his family in empty oil drums. They were the fortunate ones. We rarely count the livelihoods lost when the underprivileged are displaced like cattle.
The last hundred years have been tumultuous globally. Genocides, wars, and riots have scarred societies. To conclude that only the two World Wars were catastrophic would be wrong. Every act of violence leaves long-lasting repercussions. Yet, new generations often develop — or feign — amnesia, repeating the same atrocities. They seem oblivious to the fact that human existence is transient. We also ignore disasters of our own making. Rampant construction in the mountains leads to landslides and floods. Unplanned urbanisation has lowered water tables. Global warming is fuelling climate change, threatening lives and livelihoods.
All of us face personal tragedies and in time learn to move forward. But wounds inflicted by the powerful take far longer to heal. They remain raw unless humanity learns its lessons. I recall when a political leader pardoned those convicted of assassinating her father. Many dismissed it as political theatre. To me, it was a gesture of learning and letting go.
Letting go is never easy, however cathartic it may be. How can a war widow, a soldier who lost his leg, a family devastated by riots or floods, or survivors of blasts and genocides ever truly forget? Yet, unless we learn from the mistakes of earlier generations and take proactive steps to prevent such events from recurring, the vicious cycle will continue.We must place trust in, and invoke, the compassion of the universal human spirit. Only then can we hope to move forward — not in amnesia, but in remembrance and resolve.
The author is an electrical engineer with the Indian Railways and conducts classes in creative writing