HUMAN LIFE: Wolves in Paradise

Wolves are roaming in the paradise island, so beware! It has been said that man is the most dangerous of predators. How true indeed! For quite some time now, it is not safe to adventure alone in many places, remote or otherwise, whether you are a man or a woman. Of course, women are more targeted. Almost everyday, children and women, young and old, are raped or sodomized. Some are even murdered. Some people say that it is always a few evil-minded individuals who perpetuate such heinous acts. But the fact is that year in year out, such base acts are being committed by new people, which means that in society there are always potential rapists. Parents are the carriers of potential rapists. The family and the school are the cradle of such dangerous people or, should I say, wolves in human garb. A girl or a woman can be raped anytime, yet politicians keep saying, “Maurice, c’est un plaisir!” Mauritius is still viewed as a ‘paradise island’.
 There are so many beautiful places where young lovers would wish to go and spend some nice time, but cannot do so for fear of being attacked. Some venture at their own risk and peril. Think about the horror of a girl being raped right before her lover or a wife in front of her husband! Being conscious of all the mishaps, can we look into the eyes of the victims and say, “Maurice, c’est un plaisir!” To go out is not at all safe, but something even more horrible is that children, girls and women are not safe even in their towns and villages. And still more shocking is that even in their homes they are far from being safe.
 A human being is a mixture of animal, human and divine natures. At present, he is neither a human, nor an animal, not to say anything about his divine nature! In fact, he is very far away from being a human. He is a conflict because he is living against his true nature of which he is unaware, and is instead struggling with his past and present, which are both only a bridge to pass over. His animal and human natures are a real mess within.
 Without cleaning that mess, all laws, advice, moral education and prayer will not help. The only solution is a radical transformation of the mind and the heart. Then only we can make this island a paradise. Right now, it is like any other country, like a hell from where big demons are now and then showing their heads. I will even say it is under the control of evil forces. This is why now and then we see cases of rape, corruption, violence, theft and innumerable other evils.
 The slogan “Maurice, c’est un plaisir” was devised to sell Mauritius to tourists, but here in paradise, some tourists are looted, raped and even murdered. They come here under the illusion that they will really be in paradise, but are very soon disillusioned. The murder of Michaela Harte is still fresh in our minds and we have no guarantee that such a calamity will not happen again. Will you still call Mauritius a paradise?
 A country can become a paradise only if its people are a paradise in themselves. For a country to be paradise, it is not enough for it to have lush green forests, beautiful scenery, mountains, rivers, sea and sandy beaches. The people need to be authentic human beings. We need to be able to walk freely anywhere at any hour, be it night or day. That should be something very basic. We are not only far from it, but I am afraid we can never achieve such freedom until the mentality of everyone changes. In fact, this is the first sign of intelligence and civility: a change in attitude and mentality.
 To achieve that, we should bring a new dimension into our education sector, or should I say, a true education has to be given to our children as from an early age. If right education about human nature and life is given, then the mind can be transformed. But that requires political will, intelligent parents (they are very few, I am afraid) and whole society. The greatest part of the responsibility goes to parents and politicians. Such an education would be the greatest revolution that can be undertaken by mankind. My vision of a paradise is not the one that people usually imagine. It is our own experience that can be lived right in this body on this very earth. It is not a utopian concept — it is the ultimate reality of human life.