A Deeper Understanding

As many of you know, since my arrival in Hyderabad there as been consistent political/social unrest in and around the city. The 'agitation' is a political dispute grounded in the desire for certain fractions of the society wanting to create separate states within Andhra Pradesh. The official word is "bandh" stemming from the Hindu word for 'closed'. Basically, they shut down the city through their civil unrest.

These agitations are non-violent. The purpose is not to instill fear in the populace rather it is to create leverage within the existing government in the hopes that they will capitulate and create these separate states.

Prior to these experiences I had never had the opportunity to witness and be (sort of) part of a social/civil movement. But, as this situation has unfolded and continued my understanding and appreciation for such movements has grown.

The power of such movements is in their ability to stop the running of day to day life. As I read and hear about the reign of terror in Pakistan I am beginning to realize the vital difference between these two types of disobedience. Here in Hyderabad I feel no fear and therefore I don't necessarily mind supporting the actions of these groups. Furthermore, the government here can safely (from a political standpoint) also support them - they are not killing civilians!

These types of civil disobedience demand dialogue because they strike at the heart of what makes any country or city work: the day to day commerce and operations. Here, now, I am feeling the frustration of never being able to go to work; of canceling meetings, having to leave early or not coming in at all. I can't do my job! But I don't feel fear. Rather, I am annoyed and want the issue resolved. I want resolution so that I and everyone else can continue our day to day lives.

I wouldn't feel this way if I was worried about my local market being bombed or my life being taken from me or the lives of my friends and loved ones. In this situation, I would feel rage and desire revenge (lets be honest!).

And here I have an AH-HA moment (in the words of the Acumen Fund): It is not the challenging of authority or status quo which is the problem (I never thought it was, go for it!); rather, it is the way in which you go about it. Blatant disregard for human life - this is wrong - this strikes not at what makes a city work but at a very primal, gutteral instict: Survival. And, I challenge you all to think of a time when the fear for your SURVIVAL has ever made you desire resolution. Instead, when you worry about surviving your response is to FIGHT BACK it is animalistic and immediate. And when someone takes from you something you love - the response is the same - to fight. Instead of encouraging resolution or change these types of action seem to encourage just the opposite: a desperate clinging to of the way things were, of a given belief system and way of life because anything is better then the way things are going to be or are.

Even worse, when you start a fight based on violence you legitimize any violence inflicted upon you by your opposition. Ergo the phrase: violence begits violence.

Civil disobendience inspires almost exactly the opposite. As the daily mechanisms of the city fall apart resolution becomes urgent and necessary and valid. As a citizen I am not fearful and my safety has not been threatened so I do not resent creating a resolution, I appreciate it and perhaps see it as my government doing its job: managing the society. Furthermore, I would see any violence inflicted upon these separatists as unfounded, illegitimate and wrong. Here, the only solution is resolution.

So, as I sit here today with the city shut down around me I realize that inside all this chaos is certain opportunity - at the very least, to learn and hopefully/potentially to affect change.

I certainly do not know the solution to the troubles of Pakistan or Afghanistan or any other such situation. But what I believe is that dialogue and communication seem to be of the utmost importance in situations like these. I also know that as the violence continues we are all pushing ourselves further away from every reaching any sort of basic undertstanding of each other and the world around us. We are polarizing an issue which needs exactly the opposite. Only through understanding is empathy formed. And, what we really really need is some empathy.

So, I sit back and ask perhaps the most important question: What is desired by these militant groups - really, what is the aim? I am sure the answer is not simple and may never be but what I want and need to believe is that all of us, being human, value life and its dignity and see some sanctity in both. If not, what is holding us together as the world unites us?