Re: [nukkad] the recent catastrophe

["Dr. M.C.Gupta" <>]

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Tip of the day:  "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with
one trifling exception, is composed of others." -- John Andrew Holmes 
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NOTE: THIS IS A RATHER LONG MAIL. BUT INEVITABLY SO. ALL POSSIBLE DELETIONS
HAVE BEEN MADE.

    Dear Indian Rediff,

Thanks. This tribute  from Canada makes me laugh. It is a patently biased,
admiring view from a neighbour which hardly has any characteristics of its
own to boast about [no disrespect meant to canada; this is what was stated
by a Canadian himself in another newpaper article, which was written in all
serious analysis], but gloats in the praise of the rich, respected, powerful
guy by his side. I would have been more impressed by someone with unbiased
approach. As regards those great tributes about USA as the giver, giver,
giver ---- to the world, let all readers be aware that the great giver has
been in perpetual arrears in its committed contribution to many UN agencies,
including UNESCO, while many smaller nations have been making payments
regularly. And, yes, it is a great giver of arms, particularly to
dictatorships and military regimes like Pakistan, so that India may be
forced to buy arms for its safety rather than spend on its development.

As regards the letter to my son, his reply is much more elucidating than my
initial few lines. I am really proud of his balanced defence against mine,
expressed in admirable style and words. [this is not filial love; I do find
it really nice]. Here it goes:

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----------------------------------- Hello Papa,

I don't feel as strongly as you do that the US is responsible for these
attacks. It is true that this country has abused its position as the world's
sole superpower, and in many cases has tried to foister its ideologies and
will upon other countries and peoples. However, at its essence it is still a
democracy and is basically benevolent and much more preferable to communism,
or dictatorship. As for the people living in the US, they enjoy a level of
personal freedom unheard of anywhere else in the world, which is why everyoe
wants to come here. These days it may seem that most immigrants are
attracted by the promise of wealth and luxury; however, 2 generations ago
when people were arriving en-masse from Europe etc, they came here because
the environment here encouraged and rewarded enterpreunership and hard work,
and they could make their dreams come true as nowhere else. This still holds
true today and is the basic charm of the US.
The political and financial clout of the US has come about due to its
peoples hard work over the years - it may be abused and wielded as a weapon,
but it has been earned. The US, unlike UK, did not establish colonies,
enslave people and loot their wealth. To be sure, their are similarities
within US history (slavery, the civil war, displacing native Indians) but
they are nothing compared to the British Raj. This is largely a self-made
land populated by immigrants who have become self-made successes and welcome
others to do the same. Its a melting pot and is remarkably tolerant of other
cultures and races - people from many many nations have assimilated
seamlessly within American culture - e.g. Asians - nearly every major city
has a Chinatown, Italians - Italian food is no longer considered foreign
cuisine, Indians - Indians tend to be a very insular group and do not want
or try to mix with others. This is what I have noted. As a result, they tend
to have a very isolated existence, but they flourish within their own
community and receive equal recognition and coverage.

If there is one fault of the average American, it is that he tends to be
blissfully unaware of the rest of the world. To most of us (the rest of the
world), this can mean, at different times, ignorance, stupidity, even
arrogance (how dare they not learn about us? why can't these stupid
americans use the metric system?). This does not mean that the average
American is in fact stupid or arrogant. He prefers the US and the American
way of life over anything else, and when the rest of the world also feels
the same way (or at least seems to, given the endless  parade of wannabe
immigrants), it is hard not to feel a certain justifiable pride which can be
mistaken for arrogance. The media here should do a much better job of world
news coverage and should be more balanced in its views, but it errs largely
by omision, not falsehoods.

A very crude analogy is Indian forces invading Sri Lanka and Kashmir to help
the local population and fight terrorists and militants. In both cases the
Indian govt was right, the decision was the correct one and it was lauded
and approved by the Indian people and media. However the Lankans and the
uprooted Kashmiri's saw a completely different picture - to them the
military was the aggressor which killed their relatives and friends, made
them homeless and were the target of their hate. That is probaly a microcosm
of US vs. rest of the world.

I don't know, I may be wrong - these are just my thoughts. I do know that
the canvas that represents the US cannot be painted in such simplistic terms
as 'materialistic' and 'west vs east'. If that were so, the equation would
read :-

The West = Capitalism = Materialism = lack of Human Values, Ethics,
Compassion, Reason
East = Spiritualism = Holistic Thinking = Emphasis on Human Condition

However, once you put these in geographic terms,

West = US + Europe + Western Russia
East = S.E. Asia + India

That leaves the Middle Easr, Africa and S. America

Japanese, Chinese, Africans, Arabs have proven to be among the most barbaric
of peoples in history. The most peaceful were probably nomadic tribes,
primitive cultures living deep in the rainforests, the Dravidians, and the
Greeks. The land that is the US was populated only by native Indians, who
are also a very principled and peaceful people. The East has typically been
more mysterious and religious, better able to understand what drives us as
humans, and to provide more long term solutions to the problems of human
misery and existence - Zen, Nirvana, Moksha are all one and the same. People
in the West acknowledge and appreciate this, as evidenced by the huge
popularity and increasing awareness of things such as medidation, Yoga,
relaxation and the mind-body-oneness concept.

I think I have made my point. I don't want to start rambling.

bye,
Maneesh

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-----------------------------------
I am no indophile, nor sam-phobe. I just try to look at things
independently, unbiasedly, objectively, based upon known facts. In the
process, i may go wrong. But I am always amenable to correction.

You might be interested to have a dekko at another view and counterview
given below:

---    ---    ---    ---    ---    ---    ---    ----    ---    ---    ---  
  ---    ---    ---    ---    ---    ---    ---

I am not terribly impressed by all this talk of innocence on the part of
"America", repeated 6 times in this mail, without a single reference to
humanity. A mad act of a madman, called a terrorist may be despised, as it
should be, but what about the deliberate carnage unleashed not by a mad man
but by a mad nation;  not over 3 hours but over a decade;  not against
towers of affluence, but against thatched village huts, on which were
showered napalm bombs, the burning sharpnels of which  stick to the object,
ensuring its inflammation? Yes, I am talking about Vietnam, the disgrace of
USA, moral and military; the great dada had to withdraw after a protracted
confrontation with a committed people. What is all this talk of building
america from bits and pieces? America was built on the plunder and massacre
of the mayas and the Aztecs, who were so advanced as to have established a
solar calender before the rest of the world [except India] woke to its
importance. Their massacre was no ordinary one; babies were tossed over
burning iron pans, women were raped systematically, under sanction from the
church, so as to destroy the original races. And who were those great
worthies who built america from bits and pieces? They were the outlaws from
England who were given the choice of choosing between the gallows or an
America bound ship! And what were the bits and pieces from the rest of the
world? These were the slaves brought in chains from Africa and treated worse
than animals. No, I am not moved by these crocodile tears. Where were these
tears when women and children and labourers were massacred in cold blood by
Zihadis in J &K, but the great America looked the other way?

I am sorry if it gives the impression that I support the carnage let loose
on USA by a dozen or so madmen, killing thousands. Could any sane person
support such a dastardly act? But, at the same time, could any sane person,
with a bit of knowledge of world history over last few decades, be moved to
tears by this self supplicating account of the great, poor, innocent
americans? Not me.

I assure you, I mean every word of the above. I write this not in emotional
outburst, but in full contemplation of the meaning of each word I use.

MC Gupta
Sept 14
========================================================================
From: "Ragini Chaturvedi" <raginic@hotmail.com>

> An open letter to terrorists
> by jwillis@bellatlantic.net
> (Jim Willis & Nicole Valentin-Willis/Tiergarten Sanctuary Trust)
>
> I don't know your name, or names - we may never know who you are - so I
> can't address you personally. Today, you killed several thousands of our
> friends...perhaps not people who we knew personally, but people like us.
>
> People who worked hard to make a living, who loved someone, who were
> loved by someone, who worried about making a better life for their
> children and grandchildren, who believed in God and the American Dream,
> who criticized this country for its insufficiencies and cared enough to
> try and change things and ensure a better future, not just for us, but
> for the world. People who leave behind scores of loved ones, friends,
> pets, neighbors, coworkers, and members of their faiths. Perhaps even
> people who derived from your own country and who sought refuge here.
> Your act was a slaughter of the innocents.
>
> You are like an insidious cancer that strikes without warning, ravages
> bodies, tears families apart, and in the end can never destroy the soul.
>
> You are the ultimate coward.
>
> You may topple our buildings, collapse our communication systems,
> disrupt our government, crash our markets, and leave behind the carnage
> of bodies, but you will never destroy the soul of America.

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From: <indian_rediff@mail.com>
To: "Mahesh chandra Gupta" <healthlaw@now-india.net.in>; "nukkad"
<nukkad-list@mumbai-central.com>
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 7:15 PM
Subject: Re: [nukkad] the recent catastrophe


> Dear Dr. Gupta,
>
> Your e-mail to your son made for some (to put it mildly) interesting
reading.
>
> For a slightly different view point about Americans - here is an editorial
from a Canadian newspaper. I am quite sure you will not identify with this
foolish Westerner (materialistic idiot that he is). But it is still a
perspective.
>
> And Thank God for SOME people that think like this. The rest of the world
is so thankless. All they want is for America to give give give.
>
> >TRIBUTE TO THE UNITED STATES
>
> > This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing.
> > America: The Good Neighbor.
> >
> > Widespread but only partial news coverage was given
> > recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from
> > Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television
> > Commentator. What follows is the full text of his
> > trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional
> > Record:



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