To Die for…

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I overheard a colleague relate a news story that seemed very silly to me. I didn’t quite catch the whole incident since I try to keep away from exposing myself to stupidity for extended amounts of time. It had something to do with a woman chaining herself to a tree in protest. She didn’t want the city to expand a road onto her property. Such things happen in the U.S. all the time. Animal lovers picketing in front of Macy’s protesting against use of fur and mink coats OR another protestor who threw a pie at Gillette’s CEO against banning of animals who are used to experiment their products…and so on and so forth.

Anyway, getting to the point…

I don’t know if I got the story straight. As I said, I stopped listening to them. Even though I was there for less than 30 seconds, it was still too much for me to handle. I shook my head and walked off.

However, it got me thinking. What ever happened to the traditional art of protesting? I remember back when protests used to mean something. Flashes of The Sepoy Mutiny, Salt Sathyagraha, Quit India movement, and even the recent Narmada Bachao Andolan came to my mind. Well, I wasn’t there to watch it first-hand. But we have all read about it in our history books in schools and colleges. And I confess, I started feeling pensive about a time I never even lived in. How exciting it must have been live in those times! To fight for a cause. To fight for something that you believed in. To fight for the betterment of your society…

In relation to what I have read and understood, there was a time when individuals used to be concerned about things that mattered to them. They felt the need to rectify the problems, which plagued the society. They started protests in order to make a difference, and actively change the world they lived in. They were called the revolutionaries.
We’re not talking about road expansions or mink or sable here. We’re talking about issues that affected a whole nation or a community and not just someone’s beliefs. They wanted Independence. They fought tirelessly for the freedom of their homeland. They wanted equal rights. They wanted to end colonialism. They wanted to end a war. They wanted to end pollution.

Today, everyone (including I) wants to just sit back and watch other people make a difference. Nobody wants anything badly. The passion is lost. Television, as much as I love it, is dominating our world. I don’t remember where, but I saw a commercial on Television-- an advertisement for cable (HBO, WE, HGTV?)-- Where a woman says, “I believe the world should unfold in front of me.” I interpreted it, as that she does not want to go out and seek anything, rather just sit at a distance and have everything delivered to her in her house in 30 minutes or less, or even for free.

In general, we’ve become far too passive as a culture, in every facet of life-art, literature, politics, science etc. Where are the Mozart, Shakespeare, Einstein, Gandhi, Michelangelo, Abraham Lincoln of our generation gone? All everyone cares now is their 401K, price of stock, car payments, house mortgage etc etc. We have stopped caring about things. I don’t believe that we do not have talented people nor do I believe that we have run out of causes worth fighting for. We all know that there are plenty of worthy causes out there. We just look the other way and not bother with them. I can almost picture Al Gore watching news footage of New York City and thinking to himself, “Boy, I am so glad I don’t have to deal with this.”

With regards to the September 11th attacks, hasn’t it given us cause to remonstrate? Many people disagree with the actions the United States government is taking in retaliation to the terrorism. So why aren’t they protesting?

Yes, right now everyone is angry and is reacting. Protesting right now would yield no results. After all, the country is unified in this time of tragedy. But it is a mistake to blindly accept the actions of US government without seeking answers to the cause of the tragedy. The United States of America was built on the ideology that people who have different opinions have a right to do so. That has been the root cause of their progress. 

But, here I am, just the like the rest of them, hiding behind my computer, protesting about the lack of protests. Like that woman in the advertisement, I’m watching it all unfold in front of me, hoping other people will do what I want to do. It is comforting to know that at least someone out there is standing up for what s/he believes in. Just like that crazy lady who chained herself to a tree.

I hope they don’t build that road on her property. 

And I wish I stayed and heard the whole story and give her the full 30 seconds she deserved.


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