Dear mom,
I feel lonely and discontent. As I was casually standing at
the bar with my boyfriend , trying to groove to the loud music, a man dressed
in normal clothes approached me and shot me on my chest. Not once, but thrice. This
got me wondering about the futility of life. Just because I am gay, am I not
human? Why is it that people find it so difficult to accept who I am when my
own family does not have a problem with my sexual orientation?
I stood still for about three minutes to take in what had
happened that night. Mom, I don’t think I can survive , my heart is beating
fast and I know my end is near. This incident is not only traumatic but has had
a lasting impact in an extremely negative way. My knees feel weak and I can’t
bear to see the mass of shattered bodies lying around me. What was the point of
celebrating my birthday yesterday? Of having harboured a resentment against me
just because I ate sweets even though I have diabetes? It’s amazing how you’re
so concerned about me mother, too bad the world isn’t. I don’t know if this
occurred because my fate was bad or because it was written in my destiny. I
don’t know whether it was based on religion or another ulterior hidden motive.
All I know is that now I’m gone, I will love you forever and always, for love
is eternal.
Your loving son,
John
As I sit down taking a deep breath and penning down my
thoughts, I wonder what humanity has come to. The recent Orlando shootings have
not only created a surge of panic throughout the world but has also enraged
thousands of humans. The question that has been taken into consideration is the
sordid reason behind this. Omar Mateen, the 29 year old gun man did not even
have a valid justification for his actions. One will never know why he committed
the brutal crime. Was it something to do with his disturbed background or
family, or whether he decided to vent out his frustrations on a random day, this will never be answered.
His father, Mir Seddique had claimed that he’d been
embittered when he saw two men kissing in Miami. This brings me to the most
vital part of the argument. Is being gay a crime? Are you going against the
will of God by loving someone of the same gender? In my defense, no you are
not. We as humans, have the innate tendency to judge people too soon, to jump
to conclusions even before we know them as a person, as an individual, on a
more personal level. Although, homosexuals are now being accepted in most parts
of the world, it is not surprising that they are still looked down upon, for
reasons unknown. Let’s just say that one man’s perturbed state of mind not only
injured 53 people but also killed 50.
The shooting, that went on for a three hour period in the
wee hours of Sunday has left relatives of the dead in a state that can be
described as worse than hell. Tanvi, a third year business student of Christ
University says , “ i think what happened has a lot to do with Mateen’s
psychological state of mind. He probably had an identity conflict with himself,
on a daily basis. To him violence wasn’t that big a deal which is why he went
ahead with his plan. The focus here is not on his religion per say, but his own
character.”
What is beyond my comprehension is the fact that Mateen
targeted a gay bar. Is it so hard to understand that they are humans as well,
with blood flowing through their veins. They too have feelings and are
concerned about their loved ones. With the advancement in today’s world, why
are we so backward in our thoughts? The reason this became a huge deal is
because it was a gay bar. The media would have probably marked it as a casual
shooting if it had happened somewhere else, considering it happens more often
than not. The media are huge hypocrites, garnering attention because it wasn’t
a “normal” incident and to some extent has religion involved. I think people
like us are so used to reading headlines like these that we turn insensitive- a
process termed as ‘narcotisation’, wherein a heavy dosage of hard news doesn’t
affect you as much as it used to before.
This brings me to the next important point. Should
homosexuals be given a special kind of treatment? Or security for that matter?
Given the current scenario, I strongly feel they should. What took place wasn’t
only terrorism but “Intimate terrorism.”
Domestic violence is known to follow a steady pattern in which the abuser seeks
to control every aspect of a victim’s life. What happened today could probably
happen tomorrow as well. Shouldn’t we as responsible citizens, take a stance
and stand up for what we believe in? Why are we so intimidated by the
Government and the rules enforced by them? Why can’t we treat homosexuals the
same way we treat our loved ones. Why do we always have to discriminate?
What I am trying to convey here is that we being good
citizens should do what we can to prevent heinous crimes from occurring in the
future. I am not saying we can change the mindset of each and every person
around us. But the least we can do is inculcate a sense of “humanity” in them.
Even if it means explaining to them time and again, why it is okay to befriend
someone who’s gay, that they are like
you and me. It is all a matter of perspective here. If homosexuality is readily
accepted in America, why not in Iraq?
The outlook of people needs to be changed. Stringent rules need to cease to
exist. We need to change our thoughts and opinions and knock some sense into
the less prudent people. We need to understand that homosexuals are people too,
maybe slightly different in physical appearance but pretty much the same at heart.
As John Greene says, “the world is not a wish granting factory” and things
don’t always turn out the way we want it to. But we can step forward and make a
difference. Let’s be the change.
No comments:
Post a Comment