What's wrong with the world mama?

For some reason, through out my time in Thailand, BEP became my anthem. Every time I turned on the T.V there was some disturbing news or another. This time I felt that the air had been sucked out of my lungs as I saw the devastation in Mumbai. Reports were coming in of a hostage situation in Mumbai. 10 Terrorists had taken over the Taj and the Oberoi hotels in Mumbai, killing 50 people at that point. I stared in shock and astonishment that this could happening the exact same time there was talk of a military coup in Thailand. Our group huddled together in quiet sadness as well so the devastation occurring to the buildings and the terror I fear that would rip appear whatever fragile framework that kept India together. I prayed and hoped that these militants would not be linked to Pakistan. I feared for another war and in my own selfish way I kept thinking that I couldn't go to the border regions now and conduct my research work on women affected by land mines. In a way, the bombings of Mumbai was a reality check. Maybe I was having too much fun. I felt like I had forgotten the world in a matter of days. I was infuriated with the Indian media for reporting incorrectly on the casualties and sensationalizing the news. The home minister resigned in shame for not responding earlier and was quickly replaced. Between reports on Thailand and Mumbai, I can only imagine the fear and worry that everyone I knew back home must be facing. Honestly, I have never felt so much love and concern until I moved to India. I had emails from all over the world inquiring if I was okay. To everyone who emailed me, thank you so much! I love you and your words only made me stronger.

Looking at all this destruction around me, I was looking for a silver lining, some sign of hope. I don't want to see a region destabilized by war. Maybe war will not happen and instead people will remember that in the face of terrorism, the biggest response anyone can do is to fight for justice, remember, heal and move forward. Fear is what extremists thrive on. So, why give them an opportunity to live on our fears. Instead, as a stared out of my balcony at the moon and the stars, I prayed for compassion, I prayed for hope and I prayed for peace.