03 December 2008

LET IT START WITH ME

Today we stand witness to the Mumbai siege, witness to people out on the streets and on air, in drawing rooms and in restaurants, to the funerals and tearful goodbyes, all demanding answers, buzzing with anger full of questions. We will talk about it some more till the flurry of activity slows its pace, till history repeats itself yet again, like it has every month of the year, every year of this decade. There is NO Peace!

“Peace is MY Birthright and yours too”. It is the most fundamental of all human rights common to all human beings irrespective of race, cast, religion, creed, age and nationality. We all want peace ……but In-spite of being much talked about Peace as a platform of Mass Movement fails to find a single consolidated identity There is so much we can say…Only if we are given the right platform… & when people come together, it does make a SOUND. So let’s join hands & Stand Up For Peace

It starts with me and you, each one of us. This is not just in memory of Mumbai, or Delhi, or Ahmadabad or a remembrance of the various acts of terror which have affected us, but is the start of a movement...which will lead to a simple awakening. We all need to “Participate in the process of being peaceful” In order to Stand up for Peace we need to consciously exercise our power to think and our right to question and reject any ideology, religious beliefs, passions or prejudices propagated by any political party, leaders or even relatives/parents which instigate us to commit an act of violence against another human being. More than ever today we need to participate in the process of ensuring we have secure, safe & peaceful surroundings. It’s time to stop just talking and start doing.

An action which will enable us to do our bit in making our surroundings more secure. Offices, Schools, Campuses similar establishments are vulnerable. Do not have basic security. No trained guards let alone security agencies of the state. Basic security & safety mandates for such places can help avoid a crisis situation, why only terror our schools, campuses and establishments do not even have a fire drill, an alarm, a training in evacuation. Such basic mandates will go a long way in managing and albeit avoiding crisis.

When we say “Peace is My Birth Right, Let it start with ME” it means more than just demanding it for myself from others It asks for everyone to support it on a common understanding that this is not something I, you or a few of us can do alone. It will take a large body of people from amongst us, from Ideas to implementation of the change, is the plan. Focusing on three broad establishment types Offices, Campuses & Schools, Put and implement a mandate covering (and additions to this are welcome) basic security, evacuation plans, communication for people to support and accommodate security measures

What will it take to activate a nation? We ask corporates, security experts, media, journalists, bloggers, teachers, professors, students, brands, companies, artists, and individuals, each and every one of us to come forward and participate in forming and implementing this MANDATE. To make Homes, Offices, Buildings, Schools, Campuses & City safe, better equipped to manage crisis. Share your thoughts and ideas on simple effective steps towards a better and secure establishments here in this space and participate in making a real difference.

Please back link, share, forward this post to everyone you know. If you would like to participate further in the process you can also write to us at conversation@jagransolutions.com

11 comments:

Rick Monihan said...

I'm all for taking steps to ensure safety and working toward peaceful solutions. However, the concept of peace as an eventual utopian outcome, in particular as it proceeds from my day to day activities, is a little too far fetched for me to sign on.
Deepak Chopra recently asked people in his audience to take a vow of peace and to spread it. It's a wonderful thought and a great idea. But it fails to take in to account items which offset peaceful activity.
1. People who are devoted to confrontation and violence. Whether we like it or not, these people exist and will always exist. It's unfortunate and what is even more unfortunate is that sometimes these people are silver-tongued devils who preach a mantra of peace. Too often, we pay attention to the words and less to the deeds.
2. People who listen to words and do not account for deeds. Unfortunately, these are the foot soldiers for #1.
3. Irrational and disturbed people. These people are simply uncontrollable, and even the most rational person has moments of uncontrolled anger and irrationality.
4. The belief that the best defense is no defense. This emboldens the violent nature of anyone who is engaging in violent behavior. Many people believe that preaching peace and not preparing for war is consistent behavior and therefore preferable. History begs to differ, and we cannot assume that history lies. History is rife with stories of undefended or poorly defended people overrun. To engage in peace, one must act confidently and strongly to defend oneself.

I am a firm believer in safeguarding the rights, freedoms and happiness of people. But I am not a believer in peace as an ultimate end. It is a goal, but like many goals it is one which one has to continually strive to achieve but most likely never will. Or, if one does achieve some portion of it, the goal will shift as sensibilities shift.

Utopian thought is always great to have. Realistic sensibilities and action are more effective.

Navin Pathak said...

The genesis of your statement "Peace is my birthright" is wrong. Who are you asking Peace from, whose duty is to make sure your birthright 'peace' is fully awarded to you? It is other people.

So, it will be make more sense if you say, "Peace is MY DUTY and I shall Fulfill IT (for others)".

I read Rick's comments few times but couldn't understand them.

Jagran Solutions said...

Thanks, Navin for your responses led us to understand that we need to be explicit, Also to address your statement, When we say “Peace is My Birth Right, Let it start with ME” it means more than just demanding it for myself from others. It asks for everyone to support it on a common understanding that this is not something I, you or a few of us can do alone. It will take a large body of people from amongst us to act in solidarity.

Offices, Schools, Campuses similar establishments are vulnerable. Do not have basic security. No Trained guards let alone security agencies of the state. Basic security & safety mandates for such places can help avoid a crisis situation, why only terror our schools, campuses and establishments do not even have a fire drill, an alarm, a training in evacuation. Such basic mandates will go a long way in managing and albeit avoiding crisis. So moving on we focus on three broad establishment types Offices, Campuses & Schools, Put and implement a mandate covering (and additions to this are welcome) Basic security, evacuation plans, communication for people to support and accommodate security measures.

Have you ever witnessed a well to do individual being mortified and vocally so at the entrance of a movie theater or an office when asked to pop the boot of his car or to open up his laptop bag? Its most common place. I do not know a state body that can bring about this behavioral change.

Suryansh Sharma said...

I appreciate your concern & initiative Mam.I believe its time to Do rather then Talk about it.
As a start we need to make sure we DONT FORGET what happened.Everytime there is a terror strike or a blast,public memory fades within days & everyone goes back to normalcy,be it Police,Media or Politicians.We have been hurt bad & we cannot afford to forget it & move on.

Terrorists may have killed hundreds but I am happy to see they have awaken & united crores. Dont let this FIRE die. Keep it burning to save India.

Things We Need -

1.Upgradation of Police Force with special focus on Surveillance.

2.Law to allow private security guards to use weapons.

3.Huge overhaul of security at Railway Stations with baggage scanners & Metal Detectors & also making sure that people dont enter from tracks.

4.Quick Response teams which can take over situation within minutes not hours.

5.Specialised medical teams with equipments,medicines & doctors to deal with burns,splinters & bullet injuries.It can save several lives.

6.We need Disaster Management people who know what to do & not wait for orders.Their response time should be minimum & they should be equipped well to take care of situations. At present they take hours to arrive & usually are unaware of what to do.

7.We come across anything/anyone suspicious,we need to call plice rather then thinking someone else will do it.

United We stand,Divided We Fall

Andy Morgan said...

I think those who are devoted to information technology are strictly against violence.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing the link, but unfortunately it seems to be offline... Does anybody have a mirror or another source? Please answer to my post if you do!

I would appreciate if a staff member here at jagransolutions.blogspot.com could post it.

Thanks,
Mark

Jagran Solutions said...

Dear Mark

Thank you, but i'm not clear on which link you are refering to

Anonymous said...

Brilliant website, I hadn't come across jagransolutions.blogspot.com before in my searches!
Continue the wonderful work!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing the link, but unfortunately it seems to be offline... Does anybody have a mirror or another source? Please reply to my post if you do!

I would appreciate if a staff member here at jagransolutions.blogspot.com could post it.

Thanks,
William

Anonymous said...

Hi,

This is a inquiry for the webmaster/admin here at www.blogger.com.

Can I use part of the information from your blog post above if I provide a backlink back to your site?

Thanks,
William

Anonymous said...

Greetings,

This is a question for the webmaster/admin here at jagransolutions.blogspot.com.

Can I use part of the information from your blog post right above if I provide a link back to this site?

Thanks,
John