Avijit Roy and My Sense of Responsibility
Jibon Ahmed
(Jibon Ahmed, a photo-journalist helped Avijit Roy and Bonya Ahmed to get to a hospital after the attack. Translated from original Bengali published in Purboposchim https://pbd.news/open-views/38794/অভিজিৎ-রায়-ও-আমার-দায়িত্ববোধ)
Three years went by with little notice. During these years, I have spent many sleepless terror-filled nights. This fear will chase me around as long as I live. I do not wish this day to occur in anybody's life. Everyday, fear chases me, I do not know what this fear is. I never had fear of death – ever.
Seen Through the Lens of Life
The natural gift has made us capable of asking questions and attempt to provide answers to their unending questions. Many say that as humans, we are the superior species of all species on earth, and thus, we are free to think, gather new knowledge, innovate, and create new things by virtue of our brain's ability and power. But religions block our freethinking and suggest not thinking beyond holy books but believing them blindly. Is this right? Is this fair? Is this good for human development? Is this human value and dignity? Is this humanity? I think not. Someone said, "Belief is a potent drug that destroys the thinking abilities of the believers." The fact is, once believers become simply believers of their religion, they justify everything, including lies. Generally, people with strong faith yet who are usually decent and ethical, willingly lie to support their faith without any evidence or knowledge of the truth. The end, truth or not, known or unknown, justifies the means. People get their brain from birth, and it is their birthright to think freely and to question anything that comes from the brain, including the text of holy books. But religions teach us not to think but to believe. If you do not teach your children to think, religions will teach them not to think but to believe. Remember, it is easy to believe than to think. I experienced this in my entire life, meeting with people of different religious affiliations closely and intimately. Nonetheless, religious faith is very strong in human minds; it does not die out from the brain, and it will not until human beings can overcome the fear of being insecure in the harsh and ruthless nature, the fear of death, and the fear of unknown and uncertainty.