War in Syria and the loss of Life

Wars seem ridiculous options sometimes, or maybe always. It’s January 2014 and currently the Syrian delegation is meeting with the Opposition in Switzerland. The Assad regime is backed by the Russian in the talks and the opposition is backed by the western powers, led by the USA. Currently, what I gather from whatever I am hearing in the news channels is both sides are arguing and blaming each other for the mess. Assad has his own support base in Syria while the rebels also have their own support base. While these talks are going on, the war is still on inside Syria and people are dying on a daily basis. The rebels are saying that they are fighting against a mass murderer and a very authoritarian regime, the regime is saying that they are fighting against terrorists. So, who is right here and who is wrong.

If you examine it closely, both are right from their point of you and both are wrong from each other’s point of view. I mean if you look at it from the point of view of the regime, it’s the opposition fighters who started the fighting while trying to overthrow the regime. For, them they are definitely terrorists and war mongers. Now, from the point of view of the opposition, they have been suppressed since a long time by a very oppressive regime, so its time they break free. So, you see both are correct from each other’s point of view. So, both want to win this war, or rather both will have to give it their best shot to win this war. The one who is going to win is definitely going to go after the leaders of the loser. So, if this war ends with one side winning then the leaders of the other side will have to run out of the country or hide out someplace where they can’t be found. So, these talks seem to be a way out of the mess for both. When I say mess, what I mean is the prolonged agony which has happened in Syria. When the war began everyone thought that this would be like what happened in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt and would get over soon. But, Assad has proved himself to be a tougher nut to crack.  

The loses are mounting on both sides, but the biggest loss currently is the loss of civilian life, the life of people caught in the crossfire. The exodus is enormous. Check the number of people trying to flee to neighbouring Turkey and Lebanon and you’ll know what I mean. The death toll is in millions and it cannot be verified independently as well because no news channels are allowed inside Syria. The talks currently going on in Switzerland is a way out for both parties, but for that to find any success, both sides will have to leave their ego’s aside and keep in perspective the loss of human life, which I seriously doubt anyone has taken into account.  These talks I feel are going to replicate what is going on in the battlefield, both will be at each other’s throats and in the end there will be no solution. Assad is not part of the talks himself, so whatever his foreign minister says is not going to stand ground unless Assad himself says so. The opposition want Assad gone and that is their primary demand to Assad’s foreign minister which I find highly impossible.

Having said that, I would like to say that I am no expert on Syria or the region as a whole. All I would like to say is whoever wins this war, its humanity which is going to lose. The amount of death and destruction the war has caused in the past three years is just too much. It’s the common civilians who are dying the most. They are the ones who are suffering the most. That happens in every war doesn’t it. Government’s fight and people die. Phew, and we call ourselves one of the most intelligent beings on this planet.  Being, the poet I am some lines come to my mind, here goes

The streets are deserted, the day is dark,

The demons are out, and the dogs bark,

Man is killing man with ease,

The cruelty makes my blood freeze.

Schools were full, not long ago,

Happy places for children to go.

They are still full, from what I see,

The fear within the walls baffle me.

Graffiti on the walls looks so gory,

The  splattered blood has a story.

Why do we fight, why do we kill,

Why do we go to war at will.

Whoever wins,

it does not matter,

When humanity is crushed

 and served on a platter .

Hope the suffering ends soon and everyone gets a better life.

A life lived well REALLY

Money, why is it always about money, why does it become the ultimate motivator for everything. I mean what we need in life, is a place to stay and food to eat. The luxuries of life can be found in simple things as well. But, its always about more. So, is it money or is it ambition or is it just greed. When we have a house, we want a bigger house. When we have a car, we want a bigger car. When we have a smart phone, we want a smarter phone. When we can afford to eat simple food, we want to eat in an expensive restaurant.  We always want things which are out of our reach, we always want what we don’t have. Yes you can call it being ambitious. Some people term it wanting a better life. But, what is a better life, what is it that can be termed that this is a better life or the ultimate example of a great life. Does it mean having a big house, luxury cars, servants, the best of everything that is available on the planet currently. Most, of us yearn for all these things and firmly believe that these will give us a better life and those of us who have these things yearn for more. Once we have the best we will yearn for something which is better than the best.  So, what is ambition if not greed.

                Ask yourself, what according to you is a life well lived, a life filled with the thought of having more and more, or a life where your mind is at peace, with what you have. So, let us think about the mind for a moment. The thinking prowess that we have, because of the fact that we are human beings. It’s the mind which tells us that this is better and that is not. We think therefore we are. The point here is that we are constantly thinking of better things in life that we forget to appreciate the good things we have with us. A person who always keeps wanting is someone who’s mind is not at peace, do you think you can lead a good life if your mind is not at peace and you are constantly in a state of chaos. The truth is what we are ultimately searching for is a calm state of mind. We dream, we yearn and all the while we keep thinking that this is what I want, and soon enough the want becomes the need, and our mind is not at peace till the moment we fulfill that need. So, ultimately what we all want is to put our mind at peace. An unsettled mind is what fuels that hunger that ambition.

                Every one leads their own life and everyone wants to lead it their own way. It’s up to you what you want to do and what you ultimately end up doing. Remember, money is not something that should motivate you, never do anything for money. Rather, do something you like you love to do and money will flow eventually. The most successful people in this world are those people who have done what they wanted to do and they are successful because they love what they do and enjoy it. Whatever, you do in life always do it with all honesty and integrity and when you dream, don’t dream of materialistic pleasures, dream about what makes you happy, and then work on fulfilling these dreams. That’s how real happiness will come into your life. These are my views I am no preacher, no psychologist, I am just a dreamer like all of you. Like you I have heard the line I think therefore I am, but for me its I dream therefore I am.