Friday, March 21, 2008

Tragedy in the Tibetan Territory


Violence is the tragedy that has befallen Tibet. The region whose name evoked images of peace and calm, reflection and introspection, simplicity and wisdom, philosophical depth and intellectual intensity; has been reduced to acts of brutality and mayhem. A wave of violence, whose deadly gas pervades the air and can explode with a single spark, has spread throughout the region. The once serene culture that nestled oneness with nature and the surrounding environment has been replaced with rage, racial hatred, and absence of reason.

What the world has been allowed to see are the images of Tibetans burning shops, destroying houses, stoning vehicles, clashing with police and the Military, and sporadic beatings of Han Chinese that they encounter. What the world hasn't been allowed to see are the retaliatory acts committed by the police and military to quash dissent in terms of beatings, arrests, torture, use of live ammunition, disappearances, and summary killings; all of which are unsubstantiated and unverified reports coming from inside Tibet.

For fifty years, the Communists have ruled Tibet, imposing its will on a people long used to freedom and self rule, feelings that are embedded in their psyche and blood running through their veins - assisted by the boundaries of the unreachable sky and the far reaching horizon - in their small spot on top of the world. Unfortunately, their location has also alienated them from the rest of the world.

How long can people suffer the shame of being disallowed to speak their language and have this banned in schools to prevent their children from learning it? How much pain can be brought to bear on a people denied the practice of their religion and cultural traditions and where having a picture of the Dalai Lama will mean imprisonment? How far can patience of a people withstand the sight of traditionally common lands being migrated into by tens of thousands of Han Chinese supported by your invader, which limits use and enjoyment only to those designated "caretakers"? How much insult can a people take when icons of cultural and religious heritage are produced in commercial quantities and sold as meaningless souvenir items for profit? How many years of condescending treatment and discriminatory behavior will a people have to go through to realize they are slowly decaying as a race and being obliterated right before their eyes?

Violence is the tragedy that has befallen Tibet. Greater than this is the tragedy that caused this explosive condition to reach this far, and that is because no serious attention was paid to the plight of the Tibetans. The greatest tragedy of all is about to come, and that is if the free world and the community of nations sit idly by as China, imposes is vast military and economic might on a hapless race, whose only weapons are their rights and freedoms. Once China unleashes this power and the world merely shrugs, there is no end to what it will attempt next.

Haaarrrrrwwwwk...Twoooooph...Ting!

4 comments:

Kim said...

how terrible Durano !!
I once spent some time at a nearby ashram and the people who lived there were followers of the Dalai Lama...
they were such peaceful souls ...

one only has to look at the persecution of Christ on this day to see that mankind has not changed for the better...

wishing you and your family a peaceful and happy Easter weekend...

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hello Kim,

This is a pleasant surprise. I thought you were taking a break for health and personal reasons. Have these been resolved? I certainly hope so.:-)

The older generation of Tibetans could perhaps contain their anger and look at it from a Buddhist's perspective. But the youth protesters, most of whom were raised outside Tibet and exposed to the influences of a less gentle environment are the more uncontrollable ones.

The tragedy is the violence, what is happening and what caused it. I would not blame the Tibetan youth for being enraged, after all, they have seen and felt it all their lives. But I hope that the greatest tragedy does not happen, that the free world take an active participation in resolving the conflict. This could be the opportunity for China to finally wipe out Tibet as we know it.

Have a peaceful and Happy Easter Weekend too! __Durano, done!

Right Truth said...

It's a terrible situation. China seems to be able to get away with terrible things, yet they are hosting the olympics. This should be an honor given to a deserving country. Somebody made a big mistake here.

I have a military friend who keeps up with this, and China is doing everything they can to keep the press from reporting things they are doing.

They sweep up people from the streets, ship them off to some desolate corner of the country, because they don't want the press to see them.

Debbie Hamilton
Right Truth

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hi Debbie,

I know what you speak of. We were in China some weeks back and we were working with people who had relatives doing jobs at the Olympic Village.

The relatives were incommunicado, perhaps for security reasons. But the people we were working with always spoke in whispers.

It was as if they were being watched for their every move and statement, and didn't want any misinterpretation of disloyalty. They were always tense and scared.

In contrast, the educated Chinese who earn well and are educated were more sophisticated and upwardly mobile. They have an emerging middle class composed of workers who seem attracted to western ways and are detached from their roots in the village. Even their values and attitudes are different. I don't know if this is good for China, but it's definitely not a positive sign of sustainable agricultural growth . --Durano, done!