I am reading a book about the Mossad. The Mossad is the
legendary secret service arm of the Israli government. When I grew up I heard
stories about it. About how it would carry out assignments in secrecy and often
in foreign countries. They would assassinate foreign rivals and bring
terrorists back from their lair. It is often considered amongst the best in the
world.
When I was younger I wanted to join the armed forces and
serve my ‘motherland’. I almost scoff at the prospect of doing that today. What
luck. Today I quite aware of my duties as a citizen of my country but I am very
clear as to the level of jingoism that I am willing to imbibe in myself as a
civilian. With the current safforan wave running through the country with a
right wing nationalist at the helm of affairs, the junta or more popularly
known as ‘bhakts’ are doing enough in their power to piss of secularists like
me. In fact the secularists are going crazy and leaning far left or wherever they
can rest their tired shoulders. They are doing such a bad job of it that they
are almost comical and to be a secularist
today is to be labelled as unpatriotic and definitely unpopular.
I as always try to keep my political leanings to myself.
What I love is that many interesting publications are coming up online and they
have very very interesting views. Of course every publication is being labelled
right wing or left or anti modi or anything that you would want to label them
as they oppose your point of view. I don’t care about their labels and I read
all of them online. Whatever great article comes in, I want to read it and take
it on face value. It doesn’t make sense to think too much about it. So at a
party I only talk about the lovely long form content that’s coming up online
and the amazing tie I have reading about views and counter views form very
articulate and ‘knowledgeable’ writers.
So neither right nor left nor centre enthuses me much but
they definitely enthral me. I love their posturing and positioning and the way
they twist and turn to fit into a mould that works for them. In all of this the
sceptic in me is very clear. I am sceptical of all you jokers. Scepticism is
what makes me level headed and clear and I see the propaganda for it is – just propaganda.
In fact this year again, Jispa had to write an essay for the HT competition and
this times topic was ‘what is the one thing she cannot live without’. She made
a list of things, including freedom, selflessness etc… one word among her list
was interesting – it was scepticism. She was wondering about it and I liked it.
It made perfect sense. I sat with her and helped her write her essay. But these
days with the new job, I am home pretty late, so this time I had no patience to
help her frame it and I ended up doing exactly what I was not supposed to do. I
ended up writing a lot of it myself. My only saving grace is that she came up
with the topic herself. But it was clearly not the right thing to do – but it
was the fastest way to do it and I capitulated. Bah!
So I am sceptical of everything these days. And when I read the book on Mossad, I was
sceptical as hell. In fact, funnily I was repulsed by them. Far from being
inspired. Any way I look at it, it smacks of state sponsored terrorism. They went
after the Nazis who escaped, well after the war was over and the debts paid.
People were building a united Europe and people were moving on with their
lives. The Mossad went after those who escaped, brought some of them back to
face trial and some – some of them were executed in cold blood. They went after
many terrorists fighting against Israel. They kept the Palestine people under
their thumb and were very clear about their objectives… we are there for the Jews
all over the world. For the cause of Jews world over! Under management principals
– their core purpose is something I will put on a slide. A simple mission so
purposefully executed. It’s the right thing to do. But the sceptic in me sees
something else – it sees a power that is extra judicial. It sees that their
means to their purpose is so wrong. The framing of their purpose is wrong. It
should be peace to the world in which the Jews live in. Co-existence and peace
is not their mission. Jew welfare at all cost in many ways seems to be their
goal.
I know that it easy to preach peace to a country surrounded
by enemies waiting for a sign of weakness. They are surrounded by people who
want them out, who want to annihilate them. But still – everlasting peace is
possibly built on the premise of forgiveness and what’s good for the world at
large.
Those supporting the Mossad will say that their presence and
their work contributes to the peace and the reservation of unbridled aggression
from their neighbours. Their presence in many ways is required and they have
contributed to thwarting wars – but still – I am a sceptic - after reading
about them, I am sorry – I am not impressed. They are nothing but a terrorist organisation
with state funding. In the long run, it will contribute to more shit hitting
the roof and greater bad. Not good.
When I start questioning the Mossad, it time to acknowledge
that I am complete turncoat, from a guy who wanted to join the army to someone
who questions people’s patriotic credentials, I have turned a complete 180
degrees. Life does that to you. It did that to me. I think I am wiser for it,
happier for it.
