Wednesday, July 25, 2012

How Not to Defend Your Home

You own one the largest house in the neighbourhood, with a particularly humongous family. Several years ago, after a violent showdown instigated by a nasty old uncle, your younger sibling decided to strike out on his own. Ever since he moved out, the little prick has been throwing stones at your family, damaging your property and even illegally occupied a part of your house.

You have tried various methods to sort it out. At several times, you have invited him home to resolve your differences. You’ve tried to go into business with him, hoping that mutual profit will help sway him to his senses. You tried appealing to your common religious and cultural roots. 

You’ve looked warily as he cozied up with the massive local bully and began working as his errand boy.

There were times, however, when you lost your cool. On at least four occasions, you got into bloody brawls with the jerk. Didn't end particularly well for either of you, but you felt that you'd shown him his place. You enjoyed some peace while he recovered from his thrashings, only for his mischief to start afresh.

Some years ago, he sent his thugs right inside your living room but you fought them back. 

You thought it was over. It only got worse.

A few of years later, a dozen of his goons walked in through your main door in broad daylight, even as you entertained guests and visitors there. They beat and maimed the guests bloody and made you look like a complete नपुन्सक(impotent / inadequate).

But you tried a provide a measured, civilised response. You wanted to appear to hold the moral high-ground. You started collecting evidence. You even set-up a special holding room for one of the goons who was left behind. You appealed to the neighborhood and the city to back your side of the argument. 

And you waited.

Meanwhile, one of your supposed friends - let's call him Uncle Sam, found out that your little brother was providing sanctuary to it’s mortal enemy! To top it off, since Uncle Sam faced a major tragedy in 2001, your brother has been fleecing billions of Uncle Sam's dollars pretending to "search and destroy" Sam's enemies! 

Uncle Sam knew better than to ask your neighbour for help. He decided to take matters about his security in his own hands. In the stealth of night, Sam entered your neightbour's house, killed his enemy on the spot and took off before your double-crossing neighbour stirred from his sleep.

Even as you secretly envied your foreign friend’s nerve, you decided that being neighbors, you needed a more mature and lasting solution. So you continued to wait for your neighbor to see the light of day. 

When things didn't change, you decided, some initiative was required. Despite having sworn off any discussions following the attack on your house, you offered an olive branch and set-up talks. You tried talks at home, at other people’s homes and even tried to catch a word at various group meetings. 

The six decade-old patterns refused to be broken. Not even a hint at reconciliation was offered. Despite the overwhelming evidence of your neighbor’s illegal behavior, you continued to mollycoddle him towards a solution. 

Stalemate continued. It would help if you saw the irony of this. 

But over the years, you’ve lost the ability to differentiate between being mature and being spineless. You have not learned that an opened palm for friendship when spat upon, must be clenched to make a fist of force. 

Above all, you have not learned that the defense and security of your home is not achieved by platitudes and appealing to noble ideals. 

It is achieved by physically kicking out your errant neighbour from what is rightfully yours; ensuring the consequence for him is at least a bloody nose and broken limb. 

Anything less, is just a meek surrender by a deluded fool. Whether it's your home or your country.

No comments: