No surprise that somewhere, somehow I would address the recent horrific gang rape in India--at least one of the cases reported and receiving the attention needed to lead towards change. In some ways the victim has unknowingly become a much needed point for change. The two reports below are minimized compared to reading the daily paper in India--disappointing so. What were the decisions leading up to her intestines being removed? Why does a country the size of India not have adequate facility to care for someone, so she needed to be flown 6 hours to Singapore in a very precarious state? The cardiac arrest was on the flight that led to the brain edema? There has been speculation that the "sending the problem away" was political. Oh my--I hope not. Where does human decency begin and end?
This issue of respect towards women has been a new area of championing a cause for me. I have been in the process of examining it while using sticks, stones, and names to assess my now personal experience with it. For a long time, I was in disbelief that it could really be this bad? Was I imagining it? Was I being over reactive coming from a very liberal. multi-cultural lifestyle in California? Not in the least as demonstrated by this egregious action.
For a week, it has been useful for the fairness factor to step away from my daily walk. Yes, I walked in other areas and I appeared to go relatively unnoticed other than what gender am I with my unisex dress code. Jaipur is known for being a conservative city, but rape is endemic everywhere--most goes unreported.
On the trip back to Jaipur, I did some more probing in the airport line and airport bus, the men have no idea how even a look that lasts too long, a look that is not in a way that is respectful of inquiring as a sister or mother is the beginning of the root for disrespect. When can humans have basic respect? I was wondering if there was a rulebook available for basic human decency and there are several, but the installment, interpretation, etc. is the challenge. Pranam to human suffering for motivating the evolution of consciousness.
The strength of this modern day sacrifice sounded remarkable in the reports of her desire to live. Many would not even have that drive with the memories of the horror. What trips the switch that a group of men become so savage as to repeatedly rape an unconscious woman and then throw her out a moving bus to die? What inside of a human is so vile and so disconnected that there is selfish pleasure derived from something so brutal, dark, and unfathomable at any level.
Kavita was one being who introduced me to this possibility of an inner light against all odds (
http://www.flickr.com/photos/communities-rising/sets/72157623983402903/ ). Now I have witnessed the environment for an extended period of time and even marvel more at the resiliency component of humans too.
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