Phoolan Devi free essay sample

Phoolan Devi the Bandit Queen of India By Anthony Bruno Another St. Valentines Day Massacre On February 14, 1981, 18-year-old Phoolan Devi had only one thing on her mind: revenge. Waiting outside the remote village of Behmai on the Yamuna River in northern India, a band of about 20 dacoits (bandits) waited for her instructions. The dacoits were from three different gangs, but their goal was the same: to hunt down the treacherous Ram brothers, Sri Ram Singh and Lala Ram Singh. Sri Ram was a vicious gang leader who had spent time in prison. He was the focus of Phoolan Devi’s lust for justice because he had murdered her lover, Vikram Mallah, as she slept by his side. Phoolan Devi wearing bandit gear Slight in build but strong and agile, Phoolan wore a military-style khaki jacket, denim jeans, and zippered boots. Her dark, straight hair was cut short, ending at her neck. We will write a custom essay sample on Phoolan Devi or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page By some accounts, she was wearing lipstick and red nail polish. A wide red bandana—the symbol of vengeance— was tied around her head, covering her hairline and brows. She carried a Sten rifle and a bandolier across her chest. While she mourned for her lover, she did not want to be treated as a woman. She wanted her comrades to think of her as a man because she wanted the kind of revenge only a man could achieve in India’s caste-bound society. She had told them to call her â€Å"Phool,† the masculine version of her given name. She and her band of dacoits had spent the night in the nearby hamlet of Ingwi. As morning broke, Phoolan, her close lieutenant Man Singh, and Baba Mustakim, a fellow dacoit leader, planned their attack on Behmai. Most of Behmai’s population was thakurs, the land-owning caste and the second highest in the Indian system. Sri Ram was a thakur, and though he had once been allied with Phoolan and Vikram, he had always looked down upon them because they were mullahs, the fishermen’s’ caste and one of the lowest. Though just a teenager, Phoolan Devi had been victimized by the caste system her entire life, treated as either a servant or a sex object. Because she was so outspoken in her objections to the men who oppressed her, she had been frequently beaten, bound, imprisoned, and raped. A dacoit gang had kidnapped her from her village, but she soon became one of them, showing that she could be as ruthless and bloodthirsty as any man. But unlike the other bandits who infested the northern states of India, Phoolan Devi did not steal for her own enrichment. Like Robin Hood, she stole from the rich and gave to the poor, particularly poor women. Her inspirations were the Durga, the Hindu goddess of shakti, strength and power, and Mohandas K. Gandhi, the Indian statesman and humanitarian who had fought for equality among all people. Dacoit gangs have a long history of preying on travelers and looting villages in the northern states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, which borders on Nepal. The region is characterized by its wild and rugged landscapes—mountains, maze-like ravines, desolate valleys, and uncharted jungles. To this day, buses travel in armed caravans to fight off likely raids. Some believe that the bandits who thrive in these states have been driven to criminality by extreme poverty and the inability to overcome the strictures of the caste system. Others believe that they are just the dregs of society, criminals by nature that, like the Mafia, has learned the benefits of organization. But Phoolan Devi was unique. She was an idealist who sought to right the wrongs of society. She was also a passionate woman who had never known love or respect until she met Vikram Mallah. She swore never to rest until she avenged his murder. Now, after months of searching for Sri Lam, she had finally found him. One of her men had learned that he was hiding out in Behmai, and she was determined to capture him there. She and the other bandit leaders decided to split their force into three units. One would take the direct path to the village and attack head-on while the other two would lie in wait on the flanks. When the villagers fled from the frontal attack, the flanking units would intercept them and isolate the Ram brothers. Sri Ram, after all, would not be hard to spot, Phoolan reasoned. He had distinctive red hair, a red beard, and bloodshot red eyes. To her he was the devil incarnate. The Neem Tree Phoolan Devis father Devidin Phoolan Devi was born in the village of Gorha Ka Purwa in Uttar Pradesh, the second child in a family of four sisters and a younger brother. Her father, Devidin, worked as a sharecropper and was considered cursed for having had so many daughters. Although they were very poor, Phoolan’s family was not the poorest in the village because her father owned about an acre of land and the huge Neem tree that grew on it. A Neem tree In her autobiography, I, Phoolan Devi, she recalls that the Neem tree’s trunk was so large, she and two of her sisters together could barely encircle it with their arms. The valuable timber that could be derived from the tree was, in effect, the family’s nest egg. Phoolan came to love that tree for its beauty and majesty and would often rest under its shade. Phoolans cousin Mayadin Her father should have been richer, but his crafty older brother Bihari had seized his inheritance of 15 acres with the empty promise that he would care for Devidin and his family. When Bihari died, his estate was left to his oldest son, Phoolan’s cousin Mayadin. Though just a child at the time, Phoolan distrusted Mayadin. â€Å"He had the face of a lizard: a flat nose with big wide nostrils and lying eyes,† she wrote. After his father’s funeral, Mayadin went to his uncle Devidin and told him that he was now the elder of the family and would be accorded all the respect that position deserved. But it wasn’t long before Mayadin showed his true colors. While Phoolan’s parents were away for a night, Mayadin sent a crew of workers to cut down Devidin’s prized Neem tree and sell the wood, taking the proceeds for himself. When Devidin returned to find his tree gone, he did not protest. After living so many years under his brother’s subjugation, he knew the futility of trying to fight back. Phoolan was stunned and appalled by her father’s passivity. In Indian society, a woman would never dare challenge a man, no matter how offensive his behavior, but Phoolan Devi was fearless, headstrong, and provocative. Though only ten years old, she already had a reputation for promiscuity and was known to bathe naked in the river in broad daylight, unconcerned with who might be watching. She confronted her cousin and demanded that he compensate her father for the Neem tree. He tried to ignore her, but she taunted him in public, called him a thief, and staged a sit-in on his land with her older sister. Mayadin finally lost his patience and struck the impertinent girl with a brick, knocking her out cold. The beating did not silence her. She continued to harangue Mayadin, demanding justice. To get rid of the little nuisance, Mayadin arranged to have her married to a man named Putti Lal who lived several hundred miles away. Putti Lal was in his thirties; Phoolan was eleven. Her reputation for promiscuity was totally unfounded, and after she was married, she had no idea what was expected of a wife. Fearing his â€Å"snake,† as she called his penis, she refused to have sex with him. Since he already had another wife, he accepted Phoolan’s refusal and relegated her to household labor. She was so miserable she ran away from her husband’s house and walked home. When she arrived in her village, her family was horrified. A wife simply did not abandon her husband, they believed. It was unheard of. Phoolan’s mother, Moola, was so ashamed, she told her daughter to go to the well and jump in to kill herself. Phoolan was so confused and distraught she contemplated it. In time, Phoolan recovered her sense of self and rejected her family’s condemnations. She continued to challenge Mayadin, taking him to court for unlawfully holding land that should have been her father’s. In court she seldom contained her emotions, and her dramatic outbursts often left the courtroom stunned. In 1979 Mayadin accused Phoolan of stealing from his house. She denied the accusation, but the police arrested her anyway. While in custody, she was beaten and raped repeatedly, then left to rot in a rat-infested cell. She knew that her cousin was behind this injustice. The experience broke her body but ignited her hatred for men who routinely denigrated women. In July of that year a gang of dacoits led by a notorious bandit leader named Babu Gujar set up camp outside Phoolan’s village. The people of the village naturally feared for their lives and their property. Babu Gujar was apparently told of Phoolan Devi’s stubborn impertinence because he sent her a letter in which he threatened to kidnap her or cut off her nose, a traditional punishment for women who got out of line. What happened next is the matter of some debate. Phoolan herself has given conflicting accounts of the event. The dacoits took her from her village and brought her into the rugged ravines. As Mary Anne Weaver writes in her article â€Å"India’s Bandit Queen,† â€Å"Perhaps she had indeed been kidnapped. Perhaps Mayadin had paid the dacoits to take her away. Perhaps she was trying to protect her young brother, whom she adored. Or perhaps she simply walked away † She was brought to Babu Gujar who â€Å"brutalized† her for seventy-two hours. Gujar’s lieutenant, Vikram Mallah, could no longer stand the young girl’s torment, so he shot and killed the dacoit leader. Tall and unusually thin with a pale complexion and long black hair, Vikram Mallah admired Phoolan since he first set eyes on her. In her autobiography she recounts her feelings about her rescuer: â€Å"I felt strange—happy but still frightened. A man had touched me softly, he had stroked my hair and touched my cheeks I felt I could trust him, something I had never felt about a stranger or a man before. Gradually I stopped sobbing, and my tears dried. If I stayed with him, perhaps I would be happy: no more beatings, no more pain, no more humiliation. † Bonnie Clyde Vikram took over as leader of the gang, and he and Phoolan became lovers. The killing of Babu Gujar was considered shocking because Vikram belonged to a lower caste than Gujar. It wasn’t long before Vikram and Phoolan were as notorious as Bonnie and Clyde. According to Weaver, Phoolan was so enthralled with her new life with Vikram, she had a rubber stamp made that she used on all her letters. It identified her as â€Å"Phoolan Devi, dacoit beauty; beloved of Vikram Mallah, Emperor of Dacoits. † Back from Heaven Vikram was Phoolan’s mentor in the ways of the dacoits. She learned how to use a rifle and started carrying one wherever she went. She dressed in the khaki, pseudo-police uniform that the bandits favored, and for once in her life, her bold and fearless behavior was valued as Vikram showed her how to kill, steal, and kidnap for profit. Traveling an 8,000 square-mile area of jungles, ravines, and sandy ridges, their gang raided upper-caste villages and looted trains and bus convoys. Statue of the goddess Durga Phoolan, however, was not in it solely for the money. She saw banditry as a way to correct social inequality by toppling the oppressors and redistributing their wealth. Like a pair of later-day Robin Hoods, she and Vikram gave away much of their ill-gotten gains to the poor. She was motivated by the spirit of the goddess Durga, and before and after every raid she would find a temple and pray to Durga for strength and success. Their life together was a romantic dream filled with adventure, derring-do and tender intimacy, not unlike the extravagant, popular, Indian films Phoolan came to love. Vikram took her to her first movie, and she instantly became enraptured with the spectacle and splendor—as well as the bombast—of â€Å"Bollywood† cinema. Vikram bought her a cassette recorder, and she cherished listening to the soundtracks from her favorite films. But like Bonnie and Clyde their run didn’t last forever. While the law finally ambushed the American bank-robber couple, Phoolan and Vikram were undone by one of their own. Vikram’s â€Å"guru† in crime was Sri Ram, an older bandit who had run with Babu Gujar until his arrest. Vikram had spent time in prison with Sri Ram and was an eager pupil. Vikram’s sentence was shorter than Sri Ram’s, so when he got out, he scraped together 80,000 rupees to bail out Sri and his brother Lala Ram. After Sri was released, Vikram invited him to join his gang, telling his men that Sri would now be their leader. But many of Vikram’s bandits were leery of the change in administration. Sri Ram was a high-caste thakur while most of them were from lower castes. Suspicion and mistrust were inevitable, and Phoolan shared these feelings. Though the gang stayed together, they split into two factions: Vikram’s men and Sri Ram’s men. Some time after Sri Ram’s return, Phoolan and Vikram were invited to a wedding in a remote village. The poor frequently invited them to wedding ceremonies, and Phoolan would often give money to impoverished parents who did not have proper dowries. On this occasion, Phoolan, Vikram, and their men were preparing to hike to the village. At the last minute the Ram brothers and their men decided to join them. They set off after dark, marching by torch light. Along the way they stopped at the edge of field where a man was selling melons. As Vikram was taking his first bite of melon, Phoolan heard two gunshots nearby. She looked to Vikram, but he had dropped his melon and had collapsed to the ground. He had been shot twice in the back. Phoolan suddenly realized that Sri Ram was not with the pack. He had fallen back and was still in the field. Though she didn’t actually see it, Phoolan had no doubt that he was the one who had shot her lover. She ran to Vikram. There was blood bubbling out of his back, his clothes were burnt, and there was a stink of sulfur,† Phoolan says in her autobiography. But despite the severity of his wounds, Vikram never lost consciousness. Phoolan tied a cloth around his torso to staunch the bleeding. He was taken to a doctor who, after examining him, declared that it would be too risky to remove a bullet which had lodged next to his spine. The doctor di d what he could, but he doubted that Vikram would survive. Rumors spread through the region that Vikram had already died, and for the moment police efforts to locate him were suspended. She didn’t want to put him in jeopardy, but she desperately missed lying by his side, so she agreed to spend the night. Gentle rains pelted the canvas of their tent and lulled the weary lovers to sleep. Sometime later Phoolan was roused from a deep sleep by the â€Å"deafening explosion† of gunfire. â€Å"My head was spinning as though I had been drugged,† she wrote of the incident. She reached for her gun, but she was groggy and lethargic. Vikram whispered to her, â€Å"Phoolan. It’s him. The bastard shot me † She looked up and saw the shadowy figure of Sri Ram holding a gun. Phoolan was confused and disoriented. She smelled something that made her nauseous. Then she realized what it was, chloroform, which the gang kept on hand for kidnappings. She later learned that Sri Ram and his men had chloroformed Vikram and his contingent to prevent retaliation. Sri Ram and two of his men picked her up and hauled her out of the tent. She tried to fight back as best she could, but Sri Ram clubbed her with his rifle butt, knocking her to the ground. She was stripped naked and tied up. They carried her to the river and tossed her into a rowboat. As the boat pushed off the shore, she could see Sri Ram’s face looming over her. Why didn’t you kill me, too? † she asked â€Å"Oh, you can still be a great deal of use,† he said with a smirk. She could hear the oars cutting through the water and feel the rain on her body. She tried to fight the effects of the chloroform, but she couldn’t make sense of what was happening to her. Where are they taking me? she wondered. What is the red-eyed devil going to do to me? They Passed Me from Man to Man. They arrived at a village on the river, and Phoolan Devi’s humiliation continued. Still naked, she was taken to the center of the village where Sri Ram publicly declared that she had killed her lover Vikram. He incited the men of the village, many of them thakurs like himself, demanding that she be punished. He was the first to rape her. After he was finished with her, he offered her to everyone else. â€Å"They passed me from man to man,† she wrote in I, Phoolan Devi. They beat her and cursed her. In the days that followed, Sri Ram took her to other villages, Phoolan couldn’t remember how many. â€Å"I was paraded in front of the villagers. Each time, Sri Ram called me a mallah whore. He said I was the one who killed Vikram and, hurling me to the ground, told the villagers to use me as they pleased. Phoolan Devi after three weeks of torture This torture went on for more than three weeks. Throughout the ordeal she prayed to Durga for strength and liberation, all the while wondering how and when this could possibly end. On the twenty-third day, she found herself in the thakur village of Behmai where Sri Ram led her around on a leash like a dog. She was bruised and filthy fr om head to foot. Sri Ram dragged her listless body to the center of the village where a group of thakur men had gathered and demanded that she fetch him fresh water from the well. When she refused, he beat her mercilessly, tearing off her only garment, a blanket, and kicking her over and over again. Finally, to stop the onslaught, she got up and limped to the well to do as he asked as the thakurs mocked her and spat on her. That night an old Brahmin came to her rescue, quietly releasing her from the shed where she was kept and sneaking her out of Behmai in a bullock cart. He took her to the jungle where she wandered until she was found by a shepherd woman who nursed her back to health. But her hatred for the Ram brothers, especially Sri Ram, was the one wound that would not heal. When she was well enough to travel, Phoolan began to plot her revenge. Eventually she joined a gang of dacoits made up of men from the gadariya caste, but she wasn’t interested in working for another master. She stayed only long enough to kidnap two wealthy merchants and earn 50,000 rupees in ransom. She wanted to start her own gang. Another dacoit leader, a Muslim named Baba Mustakim, offered to help her when he heard of the indignities she suffered at the hand of Sri Ram. Mustakim offered to give her ten of his own men to start her gang, and she could pick whomever she wanted.

Philosophy of Ethics in a Global Society

Philosophy of Ethics in a Global Society Cosmopolitanism This name was derived from the Greek word ‘kosmopolità ªÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ that denotes a citizen of the world. Therefore, cosmopolitanism is the conviction that all human beings on earth, irrespective of their physical separation or political associations, can exist as one in the same society.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Philosophy of Ethics in a Global Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This ideology aims to form universal solidarity with a positive attitude towards difference. It demands that the societies and cultures of the world should communicate freely. This will perpetuate the formation of peaceful, global allegiances and equal world communities. Cosmopolitanism is broadly manifested in global tragedies where countries offer financial, physical and emotional support to victims of the tragedy. The idea is, however, misunderstood because of its intrinsic ambiguity. This ambiguity is brought about by its aim of promoting difference and equality among communities whose subject position is a product of history and culture. For this ideology to work, the world communities must be interdependent to the extent that the two communities cannot exist without each other. This notion is yet to take hold in the world as some countries are more economically advanced than others. Patriotism Patriotism refers to the act of loving one’s country, and being ready to support, serve and defend it. This is inspired by a positive change and a zealous concern for its citizens. Philosophically, patriotism is more than just mere love for one’s country. In more elaborate terms, it is a special affection for one’s mother country. Patriotism is associated with the sense of identification with one’s country and a deep concern for its wellbeing. Often it is marked by the willingness to make sacrifices for the country’s good. The terms ‘love’ and ‘special affection’ can be used interchangeably in defining patriotism. The description and identification of patriotism by one’s enthusiasm to sacrifice oneself for the country must be innately implied and not brought in as a detached aspect of patriotism. People who exercise patriotism are referred to as patriots and are said to be patriotic.Advertising Looking for assessment on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Despite the existence of patriots, there are critics of patriotism who consider it immoral and stupid for one to place his/her country’s needs before his/her own. Moreover, they consider supporting one’s country at the peril of another as immoral behavior. Human rights Legitimation Human rights are the privileges one should enjoy in the world without any interference from external parties. The UN has a list of all the civil liberties a person is entitled to ri ght from one’s birth date. Human rights legitimation, therefore, refers to the process of making a human right legitimate by attaching it to the morals and values of the society. Human rights have been influential in shaping political intuitions and averting the suffering of humans around the world. However, what constitutes a human right is a controversial topic. Some philosophers suggest that the composition of these rights is the thin moral fiber of the society. This implies that what society considers a basic privilege, for which one is entitled to, should be a human right. Through a comparison of the human communities around the world, and how they carry out activities, one can form a list of the minimum rights found in most communities and include them as human rights. Some argue that these rights should act as the benchmark for privileges to citizens in well-ordered political institutions. In the modern world, most human rights legitimation is as a result of treaties a nd judicial decisions. Such would be like the 13th amendment that banned slavery. The right not to be subject to slavery or servitude arouse from such law or judicial decisions. Human rights justification Most of the human rights have been brought about by the occurrence of an issue that resulted to human suffering. These rights are here to rescue and act as a remedy to some of these actions. In short, they are meant to protect human beings against suffering. They have been incorporated into law so as to give the respective government ground of prosecution in case of their violation. Human rights justification refers to the depiction of human rights as reasonable and necessary. For instance, in case of a contentious debate on whether certain rights should be termed as human rights, those in favor of a positive judgment would have to defend their claims.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Philosophy of Ethics in a Global Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This process can be termed as human rights justification. It entails providing evidence that Human rights should be upheld, and the violators should be tried in a court of law. Human rights justification also encompasses the defense of certain actions, formerly excluded from human rights list, to be included in future. This will have the primary function of combating perpetration of certain evils against human beings in later years. Humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is the assistance given by one country to another. This aid is aimed at reducing human suffering among a disadvantaged population or helping out a country in an area it lacks the necessary expertise. This means that aid can take on several forms. It could be technical aid, product aid or financial aid. The aid may be given to different sectors of a country such as the government, nonprofit making organization, and private institutions or directly to the people. Aid comes as a remedy to a unique situation. The situation could be long term projects like building of schools or an immediate crisis. The providers of aid also vary from governments, nonprofit making organizations, and multilateral organization to religious groups. Humanitarian aid implies immediate aid that comes in after a calamity either caused by a natural disaster such as a hurricane or human distractions such as terrorism. It targets to stop continued human suffering in the short term and prevent loss of life. Global justice This is a notion propelled by the assumption that the whole world is unfair or unjust. In the entire world, people are seen to exercise great concern for family members and acquaintances but show little concern for outsiders. Some ancient philosophers liken the Diogenes of Sinope described themselves as citizens of the world. Some of the world’s thinkers have suggested that people owe to others a duty to care and to do good without discriminating from one cit izen to another.Advertising Looking for assessment on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The issue of global justice came to greater significance in recent history. This was caused by development of international organizations such as the United Nations. This made political philosophers tackle the issue of justice outside the domestic realm. The main object of global justice is distributive equality. To elaborate this, the Canadian government allocates $3/per day to farmers to cater for cattle food. In the same world, the World Bank limit for poverty is $2/per day. This poses the question of equality on whether cattle are more important than those living in the third world. By the standards of global justice, caring should also be defined as a moral obligation or an admirable charity. Immigration and refuges Immigration refers to the illegal settlement into a foreign country while refugees are people forced into a foreign land by the persecution in their country. There are several important and legitimate questions relating to the issues of immigration. This border on t he rights that accrue to search people and the conduct they should be accorded. The main reason why a nation closes its borders to external access is the prevalent need for the country to preserve it culture. Persons are not welcoming to the idea of diluting their control on progression of their culture. Another argument to this is sustenance of the economy. There is a belief that the economy can only support a limited number of people. Any influx of people will hurt the economy. Similarly, there is the issue of distribution of resources. Some states that offer state benefits like Canada must restrict the number of immigrants to avoid straining its resources. Consequently, countries may be firm on immigrants but lenient on the refugees. Sovereignty and morality Sovereignty is the quality of exhibiting dominion or superiority over a geographical region. Morality, on the other hand, is the ability to separate what is right or wrong. These are the most practical branches of philosophy in the political realm. They are also the most misused by politicians who justify actions that do not tally with these definitions. Sovereignty has evolved to mean supreme authority over a political territory. In can also be comprehended by looking at those in authority, its completeness and the inner and outer extents it assumes. The political institution in which sovereignty is personified is the state. Sovereignty has several concepts such as the holder of sovereignty possesses authority. The authority must be derived from a legitimate source both acknowledged by the holder and the subjects. Such sources are constitution, law, customs and many others. Morality arises as the rightful use the power or authority not to coarse or subject people to suffering. This has been highly misused by politicians. Lasting peace Peace means living in harmony. There have been many theories and policies put forth as a means to restore peace in the world. Some practical politicians consider lasting peace as an illusion that can be achieved. The most common way of achieving this has been through treaties. Some of the guidelines are that in a peace treaty among states, no provisions should be made for a future war. This qualifies the treaty a mere suspension of hostilities. No state should be owned or come under the dominion by another state trough donation or purchase. In addition, the state is not merely the political boundaries but the people who live under that land. A state should not interfere with the constitution of another state for there is no justifiable reason to do so. It is also vital to note that the state of two men living in harmony is not the natural state of human nature; disagreements are human. However, this does not imply persistent hostility. It is necessary that each one takes it upon himself to maintain peace. Just war and humanitarian intervention The doctrines of just war were defined by jurist and theologians with a careful and effective study of viol ent conflict. This concept of just war takes a dangerous turn when politicians invoke them to dictate diplomacy. The definition given is just a convenient one for them to take the action they want. Humanitarian intervention is the act of one country attacking another country on grounds that the attacked country has foul violations of human rights. There is no law governing the conditions or circumstances of taking this action. It is thus assumed that the moral, ethics and political factors determine the direction the intervention will take. The law also plays a major role, but it does not clearly give ground of definite attack such as defending its borders. The underlying reason for the intervention is the threat of using military action as a means to achieve the said objective. It is also the invasion of a country that has done nothing to contravene the security status of the attacking country. This implies the country has committed no act of aggression towards the attacking countr y. The law of peoples This is a concept that aims to align itself with international law. It formalizes the formation of an original opinion that will safeguard the rights of people and justice. The original opinion is formed by a representative elected by the people to an institution. This institution will form laws that will govern the people of that political territory. There are principles under which this are made. These include an organized government, independent and free people, whose freedom and independence is upheld. For instance, people have right of self-defense but not right of war; people are to obey the obligation of non-intervention; people are to respect human rights; people are to honor contracts and undertakings; people have an obligation to offer assistance to others who live under suppressive conditions that infringe on their rights. In short, these are guidelines that dictate how people should live in a society. They are aimed at developing and supporting peac eful coexistence among different individuals. Tolerance, pluralism and multi- culturalism As the world evolves day by day, the concept of political borders becomes less defined and less important. The world is slowly transforming into a global village with increased movements and interactions. Different people in the world come from different places with different beliefs and cultural systems shaped by history and society. This brings the issue of tolerance. Tolerance is defined as an objective and sane consideration of the other person’s point of view. For instance, foreigners could have different beliefs from those of the local community of a country. Pluralism is a direct descendant to this trend of intense cultural interaction. It implies diversity of views as would result from people of different cultures interacting. On the other hand, Multi-culturalism is a way of responding to diverse cultural and religious beliefs. Multi-culturalism has brought the issue of group dif ferentiated rights. This is the exemption from a certain law due to religious or cultural affiliation. These interactions must be adequately monitored to maintain peace in the growing society. They pose a potential conflict area with a sharp reaction from natives over the â€Å"invasion† of their society by the foreigners.