Killing of a mockingbird

Right at the outset, I would like to extend my apologies for partial plagiarisation of the title of this article, for I could not think of a more appropriate one. The title is borrowed from the famous novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee and published in 1960 by  J.B. Lippincott &Co, Philadelphia NY. The book was  based on the theme of the post-Depression  racial prejudices and societal tensions prevailing in the American Deep South. It became an instant sensation and earned the writer the Pulitzer Prize. It has been translated into a number of languages and record number of millions of copies has been sold. The author of the novel has used the mocking bird as a symbol of innocence. Killing a mockingbird is like killing the innocent and the harmless like Tom Robinson -- one of the chief characters of the novel.
 We, the mankind, have made tremendous progress in all spheres of our lives over the ages, especially within the last 100 years or so. Within a span of a century, we have not only learned how to fly, but have also  beaten the birds   in flying great distances with all the comfort of a 5-star hotel or even better.
We have sent man to the moon, and are now planning to send joy riders to the outer space and to the far distant celestial objects like the Mars. We have sent rovers to the Mars with powerful cameras, and radio equipment for sending us amazing photographs.
Man has managed to land a scientific probe on the surface of a fleeting comet to study and capture its features. Humans are living in space for months, orbiting the Mother Earth and are busy conducting scientific experiments while supply vehicles are routinely carrying provisions for them.
Likewise, we have reached new speed record and our trains are now running at speeds near 300 miles an hour. Luxury liners, true to their names, are offering entertaining and comfortable cruise on the high seas and across oceans.
Big ocean liners are carrying hundreds of thousands of cargo across the seven seas and continents. In summary, man has conquered the land, the sky and the sea.
The list can go on and on. Likewise, virtual conquests of the ether and of the spectrum and invention of microchips and semiconductors have cut down the time and distance, and have virtually brought down the whole world within the finger tips.
Survival is the basic instinct of every living being. Man has invented medicine to fight diseases, devised methods to control ailments and have evolved invasive procedures to control life-threatening illness. Medical science has made stupendous progress in all arenas conceivable.
Humans have learned to crack the atom and enter into its tiniest domain. Man has also learnt to capture, control and use the tremendous energy hidden in the tiny atom for using that energy both for the benefit and for the annihilation of its own kind.
Yet, somewhere, there is a disconnect. Though we have gone through thousands of years of evolution, yet in some areas we remain as primitive as our predecessors and forefathers. Carnivorous animals kill other animals for food. Big fish devour the smaller ones for their meals.  
Animals instantly retaliate if they are attacked or feel threatened and continue to fight in defence until survival is ensured. The battle may end in victory, or in defeat - in complete demise or with bodily injury. Conversely, an animal may swallow its own pride after a defeat and just walk away from a dispute.
It is not known whether in the animal world, there is a psychology and a mindset for revenge, and of vengeance, or of settling of a score at a different time or at a different place or at an opportune moment... Is there a justice system of blood for blood, an   eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth or all is forgotten and, perhaps, forgiven?
But, it's quite a different story with the more evolved, more intelligent, more civilised, more organised and more humane human beings.
We are possessed by this 'animal instinct' of vengeance, of revenge, and to avenge through our legal system for dispensation of justice - justice instant and justice proper.
All human beings are born innocent, but it is amazing to see how often and how quickly we lose that innocence and harmlessness.
Depending on the time of the era or of the area of the planet we live, mankind has devised ways and means of carrying out the execution of the capital punishment handed down in the name of meting out justice, the very meaning of which is sanitised in the essence of divinity and attired in the precept of civility. Herewith a partial list, and not in order:
* Crucifixion
* Partaking hemlock
* Stoning
* Beheading
* Hanging
* Throwing in the dungeon in front of hungry lions
* Asphyxiation
* Drowning
* Trampling by mad elephants
* Burning at the stake
* Guillotine
* Electric chair
* Gas chamber
* Lethal injection: Most democratic and civilised of all mentioned hereinabove. But alas, dosages used in recent cases are reported to have been contaminated or of being less potency, and portends to be more painful than the intended timing thus prolonging the life and the suffering of the condemned for a few more minutes!
* Firing squad: By single bust or by automatic, rapid fire; calibre progressing with time and with scientific  development of ammunition, and progressive development  of our ability to stretch our  imagination as humans - 0.303, 7.62mm, 9mm,0.22caliber and so on.
Haven't you heard the latest? It's the most modern and state-of-the-art. It's an anti-aircraft cannon; Type ZPU-4 with Quadruple Guns designed to shoot down flying targets; Maximum Range: 8000 metres; Lethal Range:5000 metres; Ammunitions: 14.5 mmcaliber; Rate of Fire: 150 rounds per minute (claimed 600 rounds per minute); Muzzle Velocity: 1000 meters/sec.
The target was Hyon Yong Choi, Defence Minister of DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) who was reportedly caught being unmindful of the proceedings and for catching a nap during an official programme, considered no less offensive than the mockery of the flying kind.
The writer is a retired Air Commodore.
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