Beyond Being Human

When I sit back and think about the beauty of a creation called “human”, it’s the repulsive character spews out without warning. The humanness in some could inspire lust and beastliness; the humanness in others, be silenced by the significant fear towards their safety, reputation or pecuniary concerns.

Is either of the humanness really human?

Is that what God had in mind when He created humans, that the ability and rationality of humans would vary? Vary, maybe. But change altogether?

I’m not so sure.

All around us, through phases of growing up, making life and settling down, we have seen chaos; chaos born from the desire of power, position, dollars, acceptance, love, luxuries and such other things.

We fuss and whine and want. We hardly ever slow down to think and sort out our values, our morals, our duties, our thoughts or actions. We act, continuously, tirelessly to fulfill what we have on our minds or checklists.

Incessantly and by hook or crook, we desire to achieve everything we ever wanted to. Sometimes, it costs our lives, sometimes, others’.

Rapes in India is such instances of our beastliness overcoming our humanness. 

The Hathras incident was an unfortunate one. What’s more unfortunate is the public figures speaking irrational and unthinkable things about it.

A retired judge said that rapes in India are a result of widespread unemployment, while a politician said they are because of lack of sanskaar in modern-day girls and women. 

Stop.

Stop justifying someone’s savagery. Stop pointing out the faults in “modern-day women”. 

No woman is different. 

Yes, the level of their exposure to modern times may vary, but a woman is a woman. Yes, they might have had different sort of upbringing. Yes, they might believe in different ideals and values. 

But a woman is a woman. 

And rape is spiteful.

Yes, men are raped too and such instances hardly come to light. That’s unaccepted to, subjecting a man to it. 

Let’s acknowledge it too. 

It’s not the victim’s fault. It’s the rapist’s. Period. 

Rape is a crime and a sin towards everyone, towards self. It’s beyond being human.

Aditi Panda

I have always sought magic in my life, not a wondrous fairytale, but magic that would drift me away from the harsh reality that my profession demands me to face.