Playing by the Rules

  

In any game, we are all suppose to play by set rules.  All sides are suppose to follow the same rules for an amicable outcome. 

What would happen if one of the sides in the game wanted to play by a different set of rules, rules that would give them an unfair advantage in the game ?  Would the other teams want to continue the play ?  Should they continue to play ?

Any sensible person, interested in fair play and justice, would say “NO !”.

Sadly, most of our communities and governments are “not sensible”.

When playing the high stakes of lives – innocent lives, state governments play by one set of rules – usually dictated by the codes of civilized nations. 
Terrorists, usually play by a totally different set of rules – rules they write / make up, as they go along.  Rules that are not subject to any scrutiny and rules that have no basis on humanitarian values.

Yet, media assumes we are all playing by the same rules.  They assume that the terrorists are just as fair as the society they are killing off, or that they have just the same set of “rights” as the legitimate governments.

Guess what ! 
That’s not fair !
Not only that, its not sensible.

If you saw a man attempting to rape a woman, you would want to rush to her aid and severely punish the attacker.  Any sensible person would want to do that.

So, why is it that the majority of media and most of the governments and NGOs want you to wait and watch – to see if the rapist is actually carrying out the rape, see if the man feels remorse afterwards, and indeed, better still, have a change of heart and become a better man.

Not a sensible thing to do, as most of us would agree, that it is this sort of politically correct attitude which emboldens the attacker and allows him to get more aggressive per attack. 

Terrorists now-a-days are finding that the soft approach adopted by the so called watch dogs of the world, are really aiding and abetting terrorists rather than policing the world.  In the name of religious tolerance, individual’s right to express themselves and right to seek reparation for grievances, real or imaged, terrorists are allowed to do as they please. 

Apologists plead with you to let the terrorists exorcise their ghosts from the past – even if it takes a violent form.   Some even say such sagely things as “One man’s terrorist is another man’s liberator !”  This is suppose to exonerate the terrorist and excuse their violence as a response to someone else’s aggression.  No matter how disproportionate the terrorists’ “response”, we are suppose to indulge them. 

Why ?

Why should we excuse all the actions of terrorists as “reactions to ills of the pasts” ?
Why should we let them “self improve” ?

Indeed, why should we treat them as simply naughty young children with guns ?  (The chief minister of Kashmir spoke of terrorist as “boys with guns in the hills”)

It is wrong to judge them differently from ourselves and use different yard sticks to do so.
It is unfair to let terrorists terrorise us.

If they have a right to express themselves freely, so do the silent majority.  We have a right to live without fear and a right to express our selves without being shouted down. 

Terrorists deny us that right and that is unfair.

Lets not play this game by varied rules.
If they want to play by our rules, fine. 

Let them also give us the same rights to redress as they have. 
Let them be open about what they are doing and why – the real reasons !

If they want us to play by their rules, lets do that.

Let them publish rules so we know what we should be doing.
Let us also have hidden agendas that are not revealed to anyone – not even people in our own team !
Let us also do things in underhanded way and deny anything negative attributed to us ! 

Would they ever agree to play like this ?

Probably not.

Why should they ?
They like the fact that in the current system, they can do as they please and we, the silent majority, must abide by rules that tie our hands in knots, while they are free to do as they see fit. 
Why should they want to change the new rules ?

© Bhagwat Shah

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