People unknowingly contribute to violence in society. Violence germinates at the individual level and grows to the national level. An act of terrorism is committed, at the interpersonal level, when a powerful person uses unjust force in order to punish a weaker party or enforce compliance. This creates resentment and a longing for revenge, which in turn leads to more violence. Conflict is inherent in the nature of man and he will always find reasons to dispute. The conflicting instincts—social, appropriation, rebellion—have led man to live a fragmented life within a fragmented society. The path of selfishness, dominance and conflict is a road to nowhere, and unless we adopt the values of forbearance, equanimity and non-violence, we will continue to perpetuate terrorism and create misery for ourselves.

As I sit down to write this article on interpersonal communication, and watch screaming silent images on a muted TV, of mangled bodies and trains in Bombay, words don't come easy. But, to begin with, I can say that there can't be a more horrifying proof of deteriorating interpersonal relationships within the society and the world, than the escalating levels of violence and intolerance pervading our lives. This is not just another sermon on how to improve relationships or how to enhance your personal effectiveness as managers, leaders and so on. What I am going to try to communicate through this article is probably the only thing one really needs to know. Each time I see death dancing on blown up buses and winking through its shrapnel carved bloody eyes, oozing from cadaver busts, I wince at its tantalizing ways. I know I am next, it can't miss every time.

Please Let the Pedestrians Pass!,interpersonal, violence, society, fragmented, relationships, committed, carved, compliance, Conflict, conflicting, contribute, dancing, dominance, equanimity, effectiveness, forbearance, horrifying, germinates, inherent, appropriation, longing, misery, national, nonviolence, oozing, perpetuate, pervading, probably, resentment, shrapnel, silent, tantalizing, trains, unknowingly, Violence, cadaver, winking