Light of Peace

After the fateful events of 9 / 11, when the former president of USA George W Bush announced a ‘crusade’ against the planners of the attacks, the collective wisdom of masses woke up quickly. A surge of anti-war rallies and demonstrations was seen in almost every capital of the world. The general public on the streets were mindful of the fact that a direct military attack on Afghanistan and Iraq would not solve the problem but would further complicate it. They were of the opinion that such an adventure will have devastating effect on the world peace. I can recall big rallies in London trying to pressurize the government not to send troops to Iraq. Their stance was that the British soldiers were meant for the defense of their motherland and not to fight someone else’s war on the alien lands.

Most of such rallies were taken out in democratic countries of Europe and Americas. It is disgusting to learn that the democratically elected leaders turned a deaf ear to their electorate and went ahead with their plans. The result was obvious.

Collective wisdom generally makes good decisions and is not to be ignored. Public opinion is to respected and not to be disregarded. This is the essence of democracy and democracy always supports the cause of peace.