There was a very interesting theory that was in vogue a few years ago. It was a theory that sometimes collective memory is based on false memories – or implanted memories. Examples given were
1) a whole spate of children who wrongly accused their parents of abuse – based on what they had see of real victims of abuse.
2) The Magreb (Arab) Jewish community in Israel (by far the largest ethnic group within Israel – who were free to practise their religion in Arabia – including Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria) – without fear of proesection or persecution – held memories of being persecuted through out their history. They had imbibed these memories from the European Jews who arrived in Israel after the birth of Israel – and who had suffered tremendouly across Europe through out their history and never more so than in the preceeding 15 years.

This theory can be easily attached to a number of events in the modern wold:
a) People in the US who think that Iraq was attacked as they were responsible for 9-11
b) the media projecting a world wide “sense of loss” – it isn’t. It is an American Tragedy – where seeds sown by successive US governments – that took the lives of millions of ordinary civillians across the world and spread terror in the lives – came home to attack ordinary, innocent civillians in the USA.
c) A collective memory … that is even more scary —-
– a collective memory of humiliation for all Muslims – for what was essentially an attack on sovereignity (Afghan and Iraq)
– a collective memory of humiliation that is slowly surfacing in the Third Word – just when they think that they have mastered the games, the rules have changed (look at the UK embargo on Indian services or US proposed legislation on outsourcing – both go against the GATT Uruguay round agreements on free trade in services)

I fear that 9/11 is worse than the 4000 who died that day. It has begun the unleashing of the forces of conflict. Christian v/s Muslim. Western v/s Eastern. Rich v/Poor. Tribe/Tribe. All is cool.

5000 years of civilization is slowly disintegrating – and we slowly getting back to might is right. Today the mantra is be intolerant, who ever you are. Just make sure that you have better ammunition.

My heart goes out to the families of those who died at world trade centre 2 years ago. But my heart also goes out tothe families of those who died in the rest of the world as a direct US response to that action

Awaiting retaliation for that.

End of the day Gandhi was right “an eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind”