I’ve always been an avid believer of a single person being capable of intelligence, but people (aka, the masses) being pools of ignorance. A perfect example was reported about two hours ago in north India. How can 150 people be killed in a temple stampede? Let’s just say the panicky nature of the masses knows no bounds.

According to estimates, approximately thirty children were killed in a stampede caused by rumors of a mudslide. As this rumor circulated among the hundreds of worshippers in the temple’s vicinity, panic was widespread. I can imagine others defending those individuals by saying: “It’s a person’s first reaction to danger. You can’t blame them.” Blah blah blah, whatever! Any logical person would spend five seconds realizing that even if there was a mudslide, they wouldn’t be able to outrun it. First of all, they should have questioned the credibility of the source. In America, we’re always so skeptical of the warnings of others. When a fire alarm goes off in a hotel, I know my family just stays in our room expecting it to have been a prank or something. So far we’ve been right. Only until an administrator or seemingly credible individual advises us otherwise do we take action.

As a general rule, we love to pride ourselves in “caring for others”, but how do those adult temple-goers explain trampling over children just to save themselves? They should be ashamed of the lives they’ve ruined. I know that if it was my son or daughter and we were in America, I would make sure that they were tried to the fullest extent of the law. And here is where others may argue: “The only person who was truly at fault was the instigator - the person who started the rumor.” That’s a ridiculous statement. People hear things all around them, but they themselves are the ones who take action. “Following everyone else” is never a safe route, unless that particular route happens to correspond with your own thoughts.

Apparently, the path leading up to the temple was flanked on either side by vertical blockades of some sort. This essentially channeled the people through a narrow corridor resulting in a stampede. First of all, there’s no way to “outrun” a mudslide, so why even bother? Analyze the situation, and if there truly is a serious threat, then protect those who are most vulnerable (children, the elderly, etc.). I don’t know, maybe I’m just not giving enough attention to the actual moment. The instance in which people make radical decisions just to avoid danger. Then again, if “people” could be rational as a group, then perhaps many “persons” could have actually survived this completely pointless event. My condolences go out to those poor families who were affected. Hopefully they’ll find peace in the fact that their loved ones died in an area of worship. For those who were “lucky” enough to survive, may they forever live with a burden on their conscience and learn the dangers of panic.

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