Violence and Terrorism on the Rise

DA-II: Why are violence and terrorist acts on the rise in the recent days?

According to World Health Organization, the term “Violence” is defined as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation". Globally, violence has resulted in the deaths of approximately 1.3 million people. Speaking by the types of violence, it can be categorized into several types, namely – Self-directed violence (like suicide), collective violence, warfare, non-physical, interpersonal violence, targeted and everyday violence.

Throughout their childhood, children are told to be calm, composed and show compassion to all living things. Everyone is taught that violence and anger is neither the way to resolve nor the solution to any problem. However, anger is naturally present in all living beings and the frustration of not being able to do something, not being able to change one’s situation, and immense anger of not getting desired results, manipulates itself in the form of violence. Most of the recent acts of violence are because of the impractical approach of many institutions in inculcating the sense of values and morals into the young minds. The infamous Orlando Club Shootout – wherein a security guard fires his gun inside a gay club, resulting in the death of 49 and 53 injured persons, was a case of rage against the different, based on the narrow-minded upbringing and socially discriminating thoughts of the guilty; string of racial attacks against American Sikhs and Indian Australians in the recent times – highlight the racial thoughts to discriminate and social insecurity felt by the people guilty because of yet another case of narrow-mindedness and pride that were endangered by the presence of ‘different looking’ people; such incidents shed light as to why people actually commit such acts of violence – Humans, by birth are very proud creatures, and have a concept of ‘space’, unlike the rest of animals. They are insecure if someone intrudes this sacred space and they show their turmoil by various means – mostly by being angry. Anger when expressed, if surpasses a certain level, turns into an act of violence. Inflicting harm on your wife, kids and taking out frustration on someone else also classifies as act of violence. These certainly seem to be on the rise due to various factors involved in the world which also affect billions of lives –

such as inflation, global warming, increasing taxes and cutting down jobs, poverty, malnutrion, etc. are just some of the factors.

Let us come to terrorism. Terrorism is, in its broadest sense, the use of intentionally indiscriminate violence as a means to create terror or fear, in order to achieve a political, religious, or ideological aim. It is classified as fourth-generation