REQUIEM FOR A LOST GENERATION There is a pall of gloom hanging over Goa. One of our sons has lost his life and four others have thrown away their futures. These are not merely the sons of their families. They are your sons and mine. The torchbearers of a new generation. The hope of the future. The sorrow of their families is the collective sorrow of an entire community.
And the sword should pierce deepest the hearts of all of us parents, teachers, guides and mentors who seem to have failed our young ones. For we have created the backdrop and set the benchmarks for a morally bankrupt community. And the responsibility for their predicament should weigh heavily upon our conscience. For we men and women of straw do not hesitate to bend our knee and salute cynical, treacherous manipulators who have clawed their way to wealth and power by cold bloodedly selling off our land and people. Our young ones understand that the means do not matter. It's the end that counts. That success is measured in terms of wealth, power, status and material possessions. That the qualities of integrity, sincerity, loyalty and steadfastness have been relegated to the dustbin of time. We have allowed the stranger free entry into our midst, willingly embracing a decadent alien culture that runs against the spiritual values that were once the foundation of our community. Today, our children watch as we sell off our invaluable treasures, our land and heritage to the highest bidder. And yet, brothers of a family are locked in prolonged, bitter property disputes, teaching our children that wealth, property and inanimate material possessions take precedence over family ties, love and relationships. To serve as a substitute for our unwillingness to give of our time and attention, we have put high powered bikes and cars as dangerous weapons into the hands of our immature, youngsters, not only endangering other innocents, but setting undesirable and impossible standards that then demand to be met. Family communication around the dinner table has become an outdated concept as we remain firmly glued to electronic devices that keep us connected with the world while isolating us from those nearest and supposedly dearest to us. So Bollywood, Hollywood and the discussions of an immature peer group shape our children's values and aspirations in lieu of defaulting parents. We are ready to fight tooth and nail against any act that impinges upon the interest of ourselves or our families. Yet we are reluctant to speak out and stand firm against injustice, corruption and brazen administrative inaction that has permitted the rape, plunder, pillage and destruction of our once beautiful land. In fact, we ourselves take pride in getting away with subverting the laws of the land, demonstrating to our children that rules are mere empty, hollow formalities to be used and abused according to our convenience, just like the principles we bend time and again, as we exhibit a distressing willingness to rationalize and sacrifice the virtues of commitment and duty at the altar of instant, superficial gratification and pleasure. There is no doubt that our schools and centers of learning must share some of the responsibility for the dehumanisation of our society. Here academic excellence and talents that bring honour and glory to the institutions are considered to be the sole hallmark of the winner. Apparently kindness, compassion, a sense of community and humanity are attributes that command no value in these harsh and troubled times. And while we proudly take upon ourselves the mantle of self proclaimed defenders of the faith - Hindus, Muslims and Christians first, even before acknowledging the bonds of "Goenkarponn" that bind us, let us clearly understand that the lofty morals, values, ethics and principles of healthy living enshrined in our scriptures have failed to permeate our hearts of stone. Empty rituals and aggressive chauvinism alas, do not lead us to nirvana or the promised land. The tragedy is that we have brought the doom upon ourselves. The beast has entered and will strike again at will. Each and every one of our children stands vulnerable and exposed. If even now, we cannot summon up the courage, strength and will to reclaim our lost souls and strike at the heart of the beast, then it signifies the end of hope. The end of goodness, innocence, decency and everything that makes life worth living. But most of all, it heralds the end of a community. Diana Pinto _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
