Lessons for a father - The Idea Of Absolute Independence

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Let us start with a premise. No matter what the reason, all violence - especially one that spills innocent blood, should be abhorred and cannot be justified.

What happened in France this week and in many nations around the globe in the name of the divine, even in God's name, cannot and must not be tolerated. The killing of the Charlie Hebdo  staff by, not the followers of a faith but, terrorists has brought a very opinionated and hardly-ever-united world together. 

It makes me think about the idea of absolute independence though. 

Independence cannot make us insensitive. We are free to say, write and express whatever it is that we want, but it must not come at the cost of someone else's ethos. We love this time where we are free to choose whichever side we want, or no side at all, but respect and tolerance is a two way street and it should be kept that way.

Yes, there are people in the world that can do with a little more tolerance towards others. Yes, there are people that need to understand that they or who they follow is not the target necessarily. Yes, a little more loosening up might be required. Yes. Yes. Yes.

But, those who have the power to do so cannot redefine freedom either. If my faith asks me to cover my face in public, I should have the right to do so without the government telling me otherwise. If my faith asks me to wear a cross around my neck, I should be able to do that. If what I believe in asks me to have a beard, I must be allowed to grow and keep one. 

Freedom and independence do not choose. They are universal and people should stop expecting a homogenous world. There is diversity and context in the world and it is time we accept that.

So yes, I hate the fact that I live in a world where journalists can die because they drew a cartoon of an entity. I also cannot begin to understand a world when deaths, for things much trivial and in numbers much larger, in South and Central America, South Asia and Africa are going mostly unnoticed. Maybe, it is time we woke up and realized that we are connected as human being.

We definitely have a lot to think about this week. In the meantime, yes, Je Suis Charlie but also, Je Suis Anand and Je Suis Ahmad and Je Suis Abraham. Most importanly, Je Suis Human!

Hopefully we all can find peace within us.