People rant for different reasons. Perhaps because they feel they have to say something even if they have nothing to say. Or maybe they labor under the illusion that what they say matters in the scheme of things. But mostly, people chatter when they feel a kind of emptiness arising from some deep loss. When you cannot come to terms with the pain, it mutates into anger and you try to find solace by using your words to hit out at anything you perceive as being responsible for the damage. Perhaps this is the source of the kind of outrage we’re seeing on social media against the perpetrators of the Uri Attack.

And yet, anger, when it isn’t accompanied by the power to discriminate, is a harmful thing. Rage is a blinding emotion and when combined with a sense of excessive self-importance, it can prove not just futile but counter-productive. At a time when we must stay united as a nation and back our government to do what’s right for the country, we have, one the one hand, so-called leaders with their vested interests, seeking to make political hay when the terrorism sun shines (Mayawati: Narendra Modi may trigger war with Pakistan to hide failures).

On the other side are the Twitterati comprising a few self-styled strategy experts, “Bhakts” of fragile belief and common men and women of unproven valor and patriotic pedigree (“This PM is no different from previous ones.” “What is Parrikar doing?”  “Why is Modi pussyfooting?” “Didn’t expect this under the Modi Government’s watch”).

We see them all getting carried away in the heat and pain of the moment to lash out at the very man who swept to power one summer day two years ago, and kindled in them and thousands of their countrymen the tiny flame of hope that all is not yet lost. Today, we are vocal in voicing our angst because we know it will register with this man. We demand he send our brave warriors to douse the inferno that was deliberately kept on a slow burn for all these years, with nary a care for the toll it will extract on our men. Undoubtedly, our army is valiant but it cannot strike mindlessly in anger; it will do what has to be done at the right time, in the best way possible, to a definite plan chalked up by those with expertise in the matter.

We, the common people of this country are not defense experts. Nor political wizards. Which is the reason why the best response in this harrowing situation is to trust the man in whom we reposed our faith two summers ago. And to pray that he is blessed with the right inputs and advice from the relevant experts, cooperation from an unpredictable Opposition and the strength to implement a long-term strategy that ensures we no longer have to mourn our brave hearts.