What's Happening Between India And Pakistan Can Be Solved With Communication
Rather than fighting against the terrorist groups, both countries are just fighting amongst themselves. This hurts the innocent citizens of each country more than the terrorists.
It is no secret that India and Pakistan have had tense relations for centuries. Ever since Pakistan had succeeded from India, these conflicts have existed. As the years of gone by, the strained relationships have remained but have gotten a little better. However, in February 2019 any bond that India and Pakistan had created has been sabotaged. For those of you who do not know, India and Pakistan's central conflict since the partition has been the fight over who gets the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Till this day there have been three wars that have been fought between India and Pakistan over the ownership of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947, Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 and the Kargil War of 1999.
Now with the events that are currently happening, both countries could be at the brink of another war.
On February 14, 2019, a suicide bomber who was carrying about 661 pounds of explosives crashed into the convoy of the Central Reserve Police Forces ( CRPF) in Pulwama, India. The suicide bomber had killed 41 people and injured many more. Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist group in Pakistan, took responsibility for the attack and stated that its mission was to free Kashmir from India.
In response to the terrorist attack at Pulwama, India had done an airstrike on March 27, 2019. The airstrike is being celebrated by Indians and is being seen as one of the most efficient missions ever completed. Within 21 minutes, the Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 had dropped about 2204 pounds of bombs over Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist camps killing, according to Indian government sources, about 350 terrorists. (Pakistan has denied any casualties.) This is a good thing India has made the world a safer place. In the process, unfortunately, several civilians were killed, including one mother and her two children all because they lived in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Pakistani government has responded to the airstrike by calling it "uncalled-for aggression." Pakistan has stated that India has violated the Line of Control. The Line of Control refers to the boundary that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. While this line is not recognized as an international boundary, it is more of a de facto boundary. Using the claim that India has crossed the boundary, Pakistan is getting ready to give a "suitable response in self-defense." This is why there is the possibility of another war between Pakistan and India.
One thing to note is that both sides are ready for war.
Coming from an Indian community, I've been seeing and hearing a lot of pro-war comments, and after reading a lot of articles regarding the issue, it seems that on both sides there are people who are actively encouraging the war. Both countries have been out for each other ever since the partition, and now they both have a reason. But the problem with this war happening is that it would be pointless. Rather than fighting against the terrorist groups, both countries are just fighting amongst themselves. This hurts the innocent citizens of each country more than the terrorists. Lives of soldiers will be sacrificed for a war that does not have to take place. Instead, if both countries come together to fight the terrorists, it would make much more sense.
Let us all remember one thing, boundaries and nations are all human-made things. Before we are Indian or Pakistani or American, we are all human.
All of these wars that are going on with hundreds of thousands of lives put at stake are not worth it. All of these problems can be solved with clear communication and cooperation. We were placed on this Earth to make it a better place and to come together, not divide ourselves by nationalities, religions, skin color, caste or creed. Together we can achieve things that seem impossible, but that is only possible if we put behind these labels and divisions that we created.
As Dalai Lama has once stated, "Each of us must learn to work not just for oneself, one's own family or nation, but for the benefit of all humankind. Universal responsibility is the key to human survival. It is the best foundation for world peace."
If Someone Checks Your Racism You're Not The Victim Here, So Here Are Some Tips For Not Acting Like It Either
The way you react to being accused of racism can have a bigger affect than the ignorance in the first place, so here's how to respond in those situations.
Psychology Today defines a "Microaggression" as "everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership." To put it more plainly, its anything discriminatory that isn't 100% over.
With that in mind, it may seem to some that literally, everything is off limits to joke about nowadays. While the '90s and early 2000s was full of fake acceptance cloaking heavily problematic stereotypes, assumptions, and misconceptions about marginalized groups, it's left us with a heavy "us vs. them" mentality, with "regular people" on one end and "snowflakes" on the other.
"Snowflake" is a relatively new term commonly employed by conservatives to mock the emerging atmosphere of political correctness, "safe spaces" and the uphill battle minorities face in pursuit of equal rights.
The reason for this, among other things, is the fact that the emerging adult community was raised in the above mentioned standards that were upheld in the '90s and early 2000s. Therefore, we're left with people who think they can, and should get away with anything so long as they aren't waving a Nazi flag or sporting white sheets over their heads.
Studies confirm that many people harbor unconscious racial biases, whether or not they would classify as a full-blown racist.The thoroughly depressing reality of that aside, that along with white guilt, or a sense of shame white people may experience considering the demographic's historical treatment of people of color and other minority peoples, can make racial issues exceptionally difficult to talk about.
With lack of communication comes inevitable ignorance of how a comment, action or opinion may be considered offensive to a marginalized person, leaving many social interactions with both parties angry, sad or even fearful from its outcome.
Ignorance is often not the explicit fault of the ignorant person. However, the problem with today's society is not solely ignorance, nor that people are too sensitive all of a sudden.
For the first time in the nation's history, the social climate allows minority people to be emboldened enough to call people out on their racism. This is a massive societal win for many marginalized groups who no longer have to stand in as a token for their demographic so corporations can meet their diversity quota.
Although, it was clearly not something the bulk of the nation was prepared for.
With the mixture of this newfound liberation for minority groups, an ignorance that has spanned centuries and how difficult people find it to communicate about racial issues, we have the perfect storm for someone to go on the defense instead of treating the accusation of racism as a learning experience.
Thankfully, the concepts behind responding in an appropriate way are pretty straight forward.
1. You Are Not The Victim Here.
There are too many people who get accused of saying something offensive, then immediately go on the defensive. This gets everyone absolutely nowhere.
It probably really sucks to feel like someone thinks you're a terrible person, especially when you didn't realize you were in the wrong. Considering America's history with racism, being singled out for contributing to that is going to bring up a lot of feelings. So naturally, people may turn to arguing and making excuses for the terrible thing they did or said.
The pro-level of this reaction is when a person points out something ignorant or discriminatory, then the accused starts crying.
This immediately takes the attention off of the victim and onto the offender, because the offender then needs to be consoled before any progress in the interaction is made.
Any of these reactions, or feeling that someone is being "mean" to you by checking your ignorance, is a product of white privilege. So, if you care about being a good ally to the marginalized section of our community, its best to save the crying or yelling as a last resort.
2. Apologize First.
Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
Apologizing first, even if you don't understand what you've done, keeps all doors of communication open so you can dig deeper into the situation a little more.
Even if you don't feel remorse—out of ignorance, stubbornness or skepticism—apologizing first acknowledges that they are a human that deserves respect which you've just violated somehow.
Here our pre-school days come in handy, as we can all do well to "treat other's like we want to be treated". Think on how you'd feel if someone disrespected you in the middle of your day, then that empathy should be applied to whomever you've hurt.
If the accused responds in any way besides this, the opportunity for fixing things is annihilated, and the hurt that you both are feeling has no chance of being relieved. Granted, after an apology has been issued and a conversation follows, you might still feel that you're in the right or feel bad in general. However, you still did your best to alleviate some of their discomforts, maintained the cordiality of the relationship and know how to avoid similar situations in the future.
3. Prove To Yourself And Them You're Not A Bad Person
I'm multiracial but look white as hell. I was ignorant as hell as a kid. I've been there where something you said offended when it was clearly not your intention. In fact, in the case of microaggressions, the intent is often not to offend.
So, now it's your job to do your best to prove to them and yourself that you're not a bad person.
The only way to accomplish this is by listening.
Listening to why they were offended, why its a problem and asking questions about the reasons behind it or how to avoid repeating the mistake in the future is the key to growing. And consequentially you might get to learn something that day, which everyone should be thankful for.
Facing these interactions humbly and with an open mind encouraged growth as well as learning, so even though you may feel like crap, this opportunity is definitely a good one.
4. Follow Through
After the badness has happened and been pointed out, an apology has been made and a conversation has been had, the effect of the situation should not end there.
If you're still a little unclear on the offense or want more information, take it upon yourself to watch a Ted Talk or two to keep the conversation going internally.
Then, it's important to actually apply what you've learned to your thoughts, words, and actions. Once it's been pointed out its much easier to identify discriminatory lines of thinking, reconsider previous opinions and even reevaluate how ignorance might be applied to other areas that you hadn't thought of.
If you feel they might still be upset, especially if they're someone you run into often or work with, a check in can go a long way, too. A simple "Hey, I just wanted to make sure you're still OK after the other day" can easy any resentment that might be lingering. Even if that still doesn't fix things, you know you've done everything in your power to make it right.
Even attempting to follow these steps can make all the difference in developing the quality of our interactions a safer society for everyone. Although this may seem like inconsequential in the grander scheme of things, change is truly inspired one baby step at a time, so don't knock it till you try it.