An angry, violent world

It seems to me that the quantum of negative energy has increased on Earth. There is so much anger, hate and mindless violence everywhere. Terrorists are blowing themselves up in crowded markets. Women are being tortured and brutalized in educated, affluent households. A person is shot dead as a result of a petty quarrel in a bar. Robbers are clubbing to death senile, feeble octogenarians. Children are being raped and tortured by perverted schoolteachers. People are setting each other on fire during religious riots. Everywhere you see, a fist is shaken, a collar is clutched, a knife is struck or a bomb is set off. Decibel levels have increased, along with the pace of life and the frustration levels of people. Even at a slightly milder level, we see shouting, quarreling and increased use of profanities in our day to day life.

Why? What pleasure do people get out of hitting, torturing and killing others? Why is there so much hate and anger? Why do we love to see others suffer? How come the sadistic animal has come out so openly amongst us?

Is it because we are basically violent by nature? A psychologist like Freud would support that theory. According to the proposed theory, humans have always been violent and have never changed by nature. Ancient people were equally brutal, if not more. However, enough good people are out there too, so we need not worry, as the balance in society between love and hate is sustained. Nowadays, though, we get to see and hear more about violence due to the explosion in information and communication technology.

Economists would propose that the pressures of the extremely high population is causing the mayhem. There are too many people, and not enough resources available. Hence the intense competition and in-fighting amongst the haves and have-nots.

Environmentalists would term this as a prelude to a painful cleansing and correction process by nature. This cleansing process would involve in the deaths of millions of people, and would redress the balance on Earth. For this, we humans are mainly responsible due to our teeming population and excesses against the environment.

Atheists would point out the rise in violence to increased fanatical religious dogma and hate. They would talk about the excesses by early Christians and the hard-line Muslims, and would quote the current rise in Islamic terrorism.

Religious heads and devouts, on the other hand, would point out the lack of spirituality, religion and morality in today's youth as a cause of excessive hate and violence. They would ascribe the rise in hate to a breakdown in family values and social norms.

According to me though, the economist's and the environmentalists' theories which rely on cause and effect are the most sound. However, they do not delve into the qualitative aspect of the problem and, whether this increased hate and violence is good or not. For a common layman like you and me, peace and security in life is a paramount need, and this hate and violence violates the need, making us helpless, insecure and shaky.

Will the ruthless cycle of hate ever end?