Arson is a crime. It is the willful and malicious crime of setting a fire with intent to cause damage. Arson is a way of expressing resentment, and this is one of the reasons why it has become so prevalent in the Manipur calendar: where occasions for antipathy and resentment become all too frequent, and which occupies most of its time. Arson is seen as a low priority crime, and many arsons go unpunished or even unknown.

There are many different behaviors and situations that bring on an arsonists' attack, and it is because of this that it becomes a hard crime to pinpoint and prevent. But it is still a crime nevertheless. One that deserves fiery condemnation, as well as a slap on not just the wrist of the accused.

The Manipur type of arson is set in correlation with the concept of injustice done to the arsonist, whether it is real or imagined. The targets are usually soft ones, or have become soft ones due to their low priority on the list of perceived threats, or to the obsession with overdoing VIP security details. The all-important motive becomes the intimidation of opponents; the crime scene is almost always organized, and there is often some sort of message left by the perpetrators in hopes of media coverage.

It is a senseless, thoughtless act, no matter how loud or vocal its justifications and explanations may sound. Arson causes damage to property that could be yours, or close to your home. So what if hands and fingers and faces get dirty from the ashes and the filth left behind. It doesn't matter. It's public property. Next, please.

Public property is viewed as an expendable refundable entity. It does not receive the treatment or appreciation it deserves, and is frequently taken for granted, but burning and destroying them is nothing short of self-punishment.

The first assumption made when one learns about such acts of vandalism is that life has become so much harder for all of us. The people who perpetrate such acts most surely do not spare a second thought for the conveniences that would be useful to us at some point, and whose repercussions will be hard felt by all.

What do you do when you lose a valuable resource? What do you do when you know that someone set the fire that made you lose it? The answers are synonymous with a familiar down in the dumps kind of melancholy. There are dimensions to this kind of loss that go beyond the awful scenes of destruction. Often, we are also grieving a way of life, things we had hoped to experience, and what will never quite be the same again. And all of this because someone was thoughtless and callous in starting a fire that was never intended to be put out.

The published views on arson often make reference to it being one of the easiest crimes to commit without planning, as it requires no weapon and does not require face-to-face confrontation with a victim. It is also suggested that one does not require a great amount of skill to ignite a basic fire. While this is true in one sense, it is equally true that lighting a fire is no easier or harder than breaking something, hitting someone, sticking a knife in them, or consuming an illicit drug.

Arson may have different meanings for different people, but has some core elements. Most people familiar with the word will imbue it with notions that encompass a full range of willful and malicious intentions and activities.

When used in its broader sense, the term will include not only fires that are lit with the intent to damage, but those lit with wilful disregard for the damage and physical harm that may result. The tentacles of arson have transcended our socio-legal boundaries and pose a serious threat to future safety and stability. Especially when their recurrence spills over all too frequently into the public sphere.

Heinrich Heinz famously said in 1821, "Where they burn books, they will end in burning human beings." Just over a century later the Nazis did exactly as Heinz had predicted. According to the New Testament book of Acts, early converts to Christianity in Ephesus burned books of "curious arts".

The library of the Serapeum in Alexandria was trashed, burned and looted in 392 AD, at the decree of Theophilus of Alexandria. The pages of history abound with other examples of profound negativity. We have written an infamous chapter in that book already.

If the presumption is to correct faults by destroying every evidence that they ever existed, then we should be very afraid indeed. Afraid to go into any library and read any book, because any document might offend the prevalent ideas of self-righteousness.

Afraid to say anything before weighing our words carefully, because anything we say or do may invite the fearful wrath of fire. Afraid to do anything but stand and watch as the last of our standards burn to ashes, because to do otherwise would be an open invitation for disaster.

Negativity can never really be explained, what it edifies, and why it continues to enjoy mass appeal. It's almost a religion for many of us, albeit one of the nether ones. It is part of the mindlessness that has pervaded every aspect of our beings. And even if its ideas are contrary, the right to say them, the right to do and justify them, and the right to continue to do them at places where they're accessible to others is unquestioned, or else it's not Manipur.

When we fail to cultivate the ability to use our minds at a higher level, we often lose the capacity to do so. Without proper development and stimulation, certain productive processes can literally be shut down. Instead of acting mindfully in everyday life, the thinking processes become governed instead by negative thoughts that emerge from the unconscious mind to fill the void.

Mindlessness denies its own social responsibility. It abdicates responsibilities, and lacks the wisdom to know the difference between what can and should be changed, and what cannot. It lacks a sense of purpose, and is incapable of feeling real empathy.

Though it is essentially unable to control itself, it seeks to exercise power and control over the lives and property of others; this is the most central cause of damage at the interpersonal level. Often, it lacks any sense of direction, and goes around in a rat race of meaningless activity. But surely we cannot fault it entirely for its ignorance.

It is after all, the product of our present system. A system inherently flawed and designed to burn out eventually. And it is in fact burning itself inside out right now. Quick or slow is only a matter of time.