We take it for granted that human beings are born with a basic instinct for survival, which is scientifically supported by Charles Darwin by his theory of survival of the fittest. But a suicide bomber proves this assumption all wrong by primarily denying himself/herself the fundamental love for life. In fact, he/she is defying God’s command to live a life. In that sense, a suicide bomber is challenging God, nature and human society. It leads us to think that if the divine commandment of instinctive survival is set aside, there is no force on earth which can hold absolute control over a self-mortifying person. By sacrificing life, thus, the bomber emerges strongest of all power we can conceive of in both physical and metaphysical world.
It is this invincible supremacy of self-sacrifice that has shaken a world equipped with millions of security personnel, thousands of nuclear bombs and billions of dollars worth of defense budgets. A conflict between nations is decided by force of arms as was done in Afghanistan and Iraq. When the dispute is limited to two governments, naturally the stronger one crushes the weaker one. But does it resolve the problem? We know it does not and never has. Rather it transformed the problem from the official to the unofficial, from the government to individual and from formal to informal levels. Does it not look ridiculous to read Goliath unable to subdue David?
Can we explain this ironical phenomenon in terms of physical power and material gains? It has been revealed that suicide bombers are provided material incentives, especially financial support to their families, by their sponsors self-described as liberators and dubbed by opponents as terrorist masterminds. This alone can hardly convince the bombers to end their life. If it were only for material benefits, the anti-terrorist authorities could easily win their wars by buying away those bombers with bigger largesse. There is something greater or a higher cause that inspires them to do what God created them not to do. It could be a homeland dispute as in Palestine, or an ethnic conflict as in Sri Lanka or territorial fallout as in India or a politico-religious grievance as in the US. You need a strong purpose to die and there are people out there to die. The purpose could relate to a nation, family, community, ethnicity, ideology or faith.
We would understand a suicide bomber better if we analyze him/her in a spiritual way. The bomber is made to believe that he/she is going to the other world. There are many strong religious faiths and philosophies that regard bodily existence as perishable, transitory and worth not loving. They uphold spiritual liberation as a superior goal of life. Its accomplishment at the altar of some higher religious, political or social mission is orchestrated as the most desirable aim of life. They offer greater inducement for self-sacrifice with unshakable belief that the body and the spirit are two separate entities parting and coalescing together in an interminable series of rebirths. Those who do not talk about rebirth lay stress on emancipation of soul to motivate the credulous minds.
A suicide bomber not only takes his/her life but also denies many innocent people their right to live. The subsequent consequences of an explosion in a public place with the main objective of spreading terror have resulted in more and more uncalled for deaths. Death can in no way be interpreted as liberation of man. It is actually the greatest travesty of truth. It is true that the real purpose of spirituality is to liberate a person. It, however, does not mean death of the person. It is, in short, an inner realization of the real nature of life and world. One can achieve liberation only in life and not in death because one needs full consciousness to realize it. Death is not liberation; awareness of death is liberation.
Religion is often blamed for current threat of terrorism. It can be blamed to the extent of stoking belief in eternity and immortality of soul. If my soul never dies, am I not assured of immortality? In that case, ending one’s life is no big deal. That is a pretty convincing argument to give away one’s life for martyrdom. Religions have so many myths and legends that resonate in real life. Extremists take frequent resort to them for completing their mundane mission of primarily political bias. They find good grounds in scriptural texts or otherwise to inspire the bombers to indulge in the acts of violence. If misinterpretation of religion can promote human bombers, a correct interpretation of the same religion can fight back and mitigate them.
There are other factors determining the value of life and the decision to save or end it. People love life only to the extent that holds it under control. Beyond that point, life becomes irrelevant. It was a big revelation to find well-to-do and well-educated young boys getting involved in terrorist groups. It is difficult to identify a definite class of economic, educational or social background prone to join these kinds of activities. What else can give us a real feel of the pulse of the suicide bomber if all these commonplace factors are unable to explain it? It is, to my mind, spirituality that is crucial by its presence or absence. Spiritual awareness, unlike religious fervor, will never allow a man to indulge in acts of violence. It not only makes him susceptible to the inner controlling mechanism but also sensitive to the value of the life of others. That is why I emphasize that spirituality rather than religion is the key factor in a human’s life.
adityaman@hotmail.com
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