I hear some buzz about how India and Pakistan are proud that two of their citizens have won a Nobel Peace Prize. National pride is of course, an insane interpretation of the event. The citizens of India and Pakistan should be ashamed beyond measure. If a 15 year old girl has to display extraordinary courage and risk her life just to go to school the nation has failed. If a man has to lead a lifelong crusade to free 80,000 children from slavery then the nation has failed. Because they shouldnt have had to. If there is a context where a not insignificant number of people think its ok to walk up to a 15 year old girl and shoot her in the head for studying, then the culture of the country is deeply flawed. 80,000 children may have escaped forced labour, but what does it say about a country where there are countless more trapped in that space by powerful vested interests? An Indian and a Pakistani won the Nobel Peace Prize. And they are inspiring. And we should felicitate and cherish these warriors. But if Indians and Pakistanis are thumping their chests, they are completely missing the point. Its not a time for celebration. Its a time for introspection.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 13:33:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015