Innocents Die and Incompetence Lives

It is said birth is an accident. It is also said human life is a series of accidents. Events happen most unexpectedly, much to the misery and loss of many a man. Broadly there are three types of accidents. First category comprises of acts of God like Tsunami, killer earthquakes, tidal waves, volcanic eruptions etc. over which man has no control. Secondly, danger from environment occurs. These come through harm from wild animals, diseases, enemies and other human beings. Here one can control the intensity to some extent by careful planning and by other safeguards.

The third category of disaster and tragedy is that arising from acts of man. Unthought-of, foolish, irresponsible actions emanate from man out of ignorance and the need to satisfy his ego serving his narrow selfish interests. Wars are caused by germination of seeds of destruction in the minds of leaders. The colossal loss in terms of life and property caused by such a catastrophe is too well known.

Yet another category of disaster brings loss of life to many. This arises from human carelessness capped by chronic incompetence. This is something unpardonable. Science and technology have progressed remarkably and everywhere globalization has left its impact and benefits. Then how is it that such incomeptence manifests and is allowed to grow and create havoc to society.

Accidents occur frequently all over the world. The same type of accident is repeated. Often, man does not seem to be learning from past mistakes. In the case of air crashes detailed investigations are conducted and subsequently steps are taken to prevent such tragedies. Yet some lapse occurs in the form of failure of the human factor. But the accident rate has come down and passenger safety has improved remarkably.

Let us consider a few examples of man made accidents. A fire fighting training programme results in the death of a demonstrator who is engulfed by flames. Automobile accidents take place because of the bad design of the roads, mechanical failure, or inadvertence of the driver who flouts signals. Over speeding buses kill wayfarers and other passengers after head on collision with vehicles .Rail accidents occur again and again due to failure of signaling system or myopia on the part of the engine driver.

Animals attack humans because the latter trespass into their territory interfering with their habitat. Wild elephants trample individuals to death. Tamed elephants run amok and kill humans. Vehicle population increases in geometrical progression whereas infrastructure does not increase at all or does take place at a slow pace. Anarchy on the roads becomes a glaring phenomenon. The design and layout of roads promote accidents. Safety considerations are disregarded and this reflects on the state of affairs of the engineering skill of the country in which such roads exist. Maintenance is done only when serious accidents occur and that too in a slip-shod manner again. It is unfortunate that due to these human causes people who travel to enjoy, find their holiday ending in a tragedy.

If we go to the root cause of these accidents it is sheer incompetence- direct or indirect, individual or collective. The answer lies in training the mind. Can't each citizen make a serious attempt to do his part and save lives, society and banish incompetence?