REPLY TO Mr. PRESIDENT'S QUERY

Hi last Sunday(14-01-07), when I logged onto Yahoo Answers, there was an unusual question by none other than the President of India, Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam.His question was-What should we do to free our planet from terrorism. I, like the many thousands who had answered, also tried answering it and gave my best. Here is the text of my answer to

Mr. President.DEAR Mr. PRESIDENT,I SALUTE YOU FOR ASKING THIS QUESTION ON BEHALF OF HUMANITY. THIS QUESTION IS JUST AND APT TO THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THIS WORLD BECAUSE AT THE MOMENT, THE WORLD IS BEING TORN APART BY TERRORISMA AND PEACE SEEMS TO HAVE BECOME PIECE. LOTS OF PEOPLE BEFORE YOU HAVE RAISED THIS QUESTION AND YET THIS IS UNANSWERED. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY TERRORISM? DO YOU MEAN ONLY THE SUICIDE BOMBERS WHO STRIKE A GROUP OF PEOPLE AND BRING AND MISERY AS TERRORISM? OR DO YOU CLAIM BOMBINGS OF BIG BUILDINGS AS TERRORISM?TERRORISM IS NOT JUST THIS. IT IS NOT JUST THE MASS KILLINGS AND BOMBINGS THAT U CAN CALL TERRORISM. WHEN U SEE ANYONE CORRUPT OR DOING SOMETHING THAT WOULD HURT YOU IN ANYWAY, YOUR BLOOD BOILS. YOU WANT TO HIT HIM/HER AND SEE TO IT THAT YOU ARE HAPPY. EGO IS THE BASE FOR ALL THIS. IT IS A CLASH OF EGO. PEOPLE WANT TO PROVE TO THE WORLD THAT THEY ARE BETTER IN MAY ASPECTS THAT THEIR RIVAL. THEY WANT TO TASTE POWER AND THE VERY TASTE OF WHICH WOULD GIVE THEM INTOXICATION BEYOND ALL THE ALCOHOLS IN THIS WORLD. IT IS SAID THAT IN THIS KALI YUGA, KALI IS SITTING OVER MONEY. BUT IT IS NOT TRUE. KALI IS SITING OVER POWER AND EGO.YOU MAY WONDER AS TO WHY THIS BOY IS GOING TO POWER AND UNNECESARY RIGMAROLE WHEN I AM ASKING ABOUT THE BILLION DOLLAR QUESTION IN THE WORLD. BUT THE ROOT LIES HERE. EVEN THE GREAT BANYAN TREE WHICH GIVES SHADE TO THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, CAME FROM A SEED. LIKEWISE, TERRORISM ALSO STARTED FROM SOMETHING SMALL. HOW DO YOU THINK MAFIA STARTED? IT WAS A REBELLION AGAINST THE LANDLORDS WHO WERE DECIEVING THEM AND TOILING THEM. BUT TODAY MAFIA IS FEARED AT. WE ALL KNOW THAT GANDHI IS CONSIDERED AS ONE OF THE GREATEST MEN OF ALL TIMES. HE WENT THROUGH PEACE. BUT AGAIN WE HAVE SUBASH CHANDRA BOSE, BHAGAT SINGH CHANDRASEKHAR AZAD AND OTHERS WHO TOOK THE EXTERME SIDE. ARENT THEY REMEMBERD AS BEING GREAT? WHAT THEY DID AGAINST THE BRITISH RAJ WAS ALSO TERRORISM. THEY TERROTISED THE BRITISH RAJ. YOU BEING A TAMILIAN WOULD KNOW ABOUT VEERAPANDIYA KATTABOMMAN. DIDNT HE TERRORISE THE BRITISH RAJ? BUT STILL YOU CALL THEM GREAT. WHY? THE ANSWER YOU WOULD SAY IS THAT THEY WERE FIGHTING FOR A CAUSE. THE CAUSE BEING FREEDOM FOR THE COUNTRY. BUT ARENT THE TERRORISTS FIGHTING FOR A CAUSE? ARE THEY THOSE GUYS WHO FIND SUNDAY AFTERNOONS BORING AND DECIDE TO SHOOT SOME PEOPLE FOR FUN? NO THEY ARE NOT.FOR US, WHEN WE WERE UNDER THE BRITISH, FREEDOM WAS THE CRITERIA AND WE WELCOMED ALL EFFORTS TAKEN TOWARDS IT. WE WELCOMED TERRORISM AS WARMLY AS WE DID NON VIOLENCE.BUT TODAY WE SHUN TERRORISM BECAUSE WE ARE HAPPY AND WE DONT WANT TO GET KILLED BY SOME MANIAC. OF COURSE YOU WOULD ASK," WHY KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE? WHY NOT TAKE SOME OTHER MEASURES TO SEE TO IT THAT THEIR PROBLEM IS SOLVED." I APPRECIATE THIS QUESTION. BUT AGAIN, THOSE WHO WORKED FOR THE BRITISH RAJ WERE ALSO INNOCENT. THEY LEFT THEIR WIVES AND SHILDREN IN BRITAIN AND CAME HERE ONLY TO BE TERRORISED AND KILLED BY OUR "FREEDOM FIGHTERS" WHO WERE BUT TERRORISTS. KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE IS NOT THE CRITERIA FOR TERRORISTS. TERRORISING THE MINDS OF THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY CAN BE HEARD IS WHAT THEY WANT.THAT IS WHAT THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS DID. THEY KILLED, NOT BECAUSE THEY LIKED KILLING. BUT BECAUSE THEY WANTED THE BRITISH RAJ TO TURN TO THEM AND SEE THAT THEY WANTED FREEDOM, WHICH WAS THERI CAUSE. TODAY'S TERRORIST KILLS. BUT HE ALSO IS DOING ALL THIS WITH THE SAME INTENTION AS OUR FREEDOM FIGHTERS DID. PLEASE DONT SAY THAT WHAT OUR FREEDOM FIGHTERS DID WAS NOBILITY AND WHAT TODAYS TERRORIST DOES IS STUPIDITY.WHAT APPEARS BLUE FOR YOU MAY APPEAR RED FOR ME AND MAY APPEAR YELLOW FOR SOMEONE ELSE. I MEAN TO SAY THAT IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW YOU SEEIT. EVEN TODAY WHEN I SEE THE NEWSPAPRES AND READ ABOUT THE ULFA KILLINGS, I GET ANGRY. I THINK WHY IS THERE NO PEACE IN THIS WORLD? BUT THINKING LOGICALLY AND THINKING FROM ALL ANGLES, YOU CAN SEE THAT EVEN THOSE TERRORISTS HAVE SOMETHING THAT THEY WANT TO SAY TO THE WORLD.DEAR SIR, NO ONE IN THIS WORLD IS AN ABSOLUTELY GOOD MAN. NEITHER IS ANYONE ABSOLUTELY BAD. EVERYONE HAS A GOOD SIDE AND A BAD SIDE. AGAIN, IT DEPENDS ON HOW YOU SEE IT. WHAT APPEARS GOOD TO YOU MAY APPEAR BAD TO ME AND MAY APPEAR AS NOTHING TO A THIRD PERSON. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT RAMANA MAHARISHI SAID. HE PREACHED THAT YOU DONT SEE THE WORLD FROM YOUR ANGLE ALONE.WHEN A HONEST STUDENT REFUSES TO HELP HIS FRIEND DURING THE EXAMINATION, HE APPEARS GOOD TO MOST OF THE PEOPLE. BUT TO THE STUDENT WHO WAS NOT HELPED, DOESNT HE APPEAR BAD? YOU MAY ARGUE THAT IT IS THE MISTAKE OF THE STUDENT FOR NOT HAVING STUDIED AND HE IS NOT TO ACCUSE THE HONEST STUDENT. THIS ARGUEMENT IS APPRECIABLE. BUT IT IS NOT APT. YES. IT IS HIS MISTAKE FOR NOT HAVING STUDIED AND HE OUGHT NOT ACCUSE THE HONEST STUDENT. BUT THE POINT THAT IM DRIVING HOME IS THAT THERE IS MORE THAN ONE ANGLE FROM WHICH YOU CAN VIEW ANY SITUATION. DO IT AND YOU WOULD HAVE JUST DESTROYED YOUR EGO. DO IT AND YOU WOULD SEE THAT WHAT OTHERS DO IS NOT ALWAYS WRONG. DO IT AND YOU WOULD SEE THE GOOD IN WHAT OTHERS DO AND WHAT HAD APPEARED TO BE WRONG. IF YOU ARE TO GO TO A TEMPLE AND LOOK AT THAT STATUE, YOU CAN SEE IT AS YOU WANT TO SEE IT. YOU MAY SEE IT AS GODDESS ANNAPOORNI DEVI. YOU MAY SEE IT AS A STONE. YOU MAY SEE IT AS SOME ART. YOU MAY SEE THE BEAUTY WITH WHICH THE IDOL WAS SCULPTURED. BUT BECAUSE YOU SEE IT AS GODDESS ANNPOORNI DEVI, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT EVERYONE THERE HAS TO SEE IT SO. ONE MAY SEE IT AS A BEAUTIFUL GIRL. ONE MAY SEE IT AS A STONE, ONE MAY SEE IT AS A SCULTURE ETC. CAN YOU FIGHT WITH THEM AND SAY THAT ONLY YOU ARE RIGHT AND HE IS WRONG?THIS IS WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD TODAY. A GREAT POPULATION(INCLUDING ME) SEE TERRORISM AS BAD. BUT THINK OF THOSE TERRORISTS. WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY HAVE IN MIND AND WHY THEY CHOSE TO TREAD THIS PATH? SEE FROM ALL ANGLES AS I HAVE ALREADY SAID AND YOU WILL SEE THAT EVERYONE HAS A GOOD MAN IN HIM AND EVERYONE HAS A BAD MAN IN HIM. IF YOU SEE FROM ALL ANGLES, THEN THERE IS NO NEED FOR THE GOOD MINDS TO GET TOGETHER AND FIGHT THE BAD MINDS. GOD IS GREAT. HE GIVES ONLY GOOD MINDS TO EVERYONE. BUT SOME SEE IT AS GOOD AND SOME SEE IT AS BAD.WORLD PEACE CANNOT BE ACHIEVED. BY SAYING WORLD PEACE, DO NOT MEAN ONLY A WAR FREE PLACE KILLINGS FREE PLACE. YOU CAN SAY THAT WORLD PEACE HAS BEEN ACHIEVED, ONLY WHEN EACH AND EVERY INDIVIDUAL IS PEACEFUL. EACH INDIVIDUAL IN THIS 6 BILLION MUST BE HAPPY AND PEACEFUL. THEN YOU CAN WHOOP AND SAY THAT WORLD PEACE HAS BEEN ACHIEVED.PEOPLE LIKE JAMNALAL BAJAJ, RAJAJI HAVE ASKED THIS QUESTION AND HAVE GOTTEN VARIETY OF ANWERS, BUT THIS QUESION OF YOURS STILL REMAINS UN-ANSWERED. LET ME SAY WHAT RAMANA MAHARISHI SAID TO ONE OF HIS DEVOTEES WHO ASKED THE SAME QUESTION TO HIM. HE ASKED THE MAHARISHI, "WHEN WILL WE HAVE WORLD PEACE?" WHAT SHOULD WE DO MAKE THIS PLANET FREE FROM TERRORISM?"FOR THIS RAMANA MAHARISHI REPLIED," WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE WORLD? TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF FIRST. THE WORLD WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF."LET ME ADD SOMETHING TO WHAT HE SAID. " TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND THE WORLD WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF. DO WHAT YOU WANT AS LONG AS YOU KNOW, TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, THAT WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS NOT WRONG. DO NOT, TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, HURT OTHERS. REMEMBER THAT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SIN AND MISTAKE IS ITS INTENTION. GO ON. THIS WORLD IS A BIG PLACE TO LIVE. LIVE YOUR LIFE HAPPILY. LEAVE EVERYTHING TO GOD AND GO ON WITH YOUR WORK. YOU WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF."IF EVERYONE OF US DO OUR WORK AND LEAVE THE REST TO GOD, HE WILL TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING.DO YOUR WORK WITHOUT HURTING OTHERS.AND REMEMBER SIR, IN FIGHTING TERRORISM, WE ALSO BECOME TERRORISTS. YES, WE FIGHT(TERRORISE) THE TERRORISTS AND WE BRING A GLORY AND CLAIM THAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED WORLD PEACE. BUT WE HAVE NOT. AND AS LONG AS WE THINK THAT WE ARE RIGHT AND OTHERS ARE WRONG, WE WILL NOT ACHIEVE WORLD PEACE.WITH REGARDSDEEPAK.K