People are not born with an anaesthetized conscience. At given moments in their life they choose to develop an anaesthetized conscience lest human concerns hinder self-interests.
GERRY LOBO OFM
Not only a physical body can be medically anaesthetized in preparation for the surgery, but also conscience of human persons can be anaesthetized by hardening one’s heart and ignoring the stark realities beneath one’s very nose. Plight of the suffering masses is ignored, facts are hidden, ears are deafened consciously and eyes are closed deliberately, human feelings are numbed and the gates of the heart are shut. Injustice meted out to citizens with a conscience has become the rule of the day. Such is the environment created by political leaders who are primarily responsible for the polis, the well-being of citizens. Establishing a kingdom of their own, they live with an anaesthetized conscience so that ‘might’ continues to be ‘right.’
Prisoners languishing behind the bars, migrants constructing our cities but deprived of a home of their own, vendors sweating profusely for their daily meal, women sacrificing their bodies by a dint of hard work both in their homes as well as along the streets, children looking famished and lingering around eateries, maintaining a status quo about the large slums beneath the sky-rocketing structures, convicts begging for speedy justice as in the case of Fr. Stan Swamy and thousands of others in the jails and elsewhere - these are situations entertained and perpetrated by the ‘anaesthetized conscience’ of responsible leaders, whether they be from the legislature, from the judiciary or from the executive in our country, a nation considered to be highly “spiritual” with diverse ancient religions.
Why poke fun at Nero who seemed to have been fiddling when Rome was burning? Was his conscience alone anaesthetized in history? What about Hitler? And today, is India not aware of a Nero of our times, mightily and forcefully, is executing the construction of Central Vista Redevelopment Project costing millions of dollars when the second wave of Covid-19 is depleting human population and distress of millions is so glaring? Anaesthetized conscience cannot be resuscitated, no matter whether one suffers or exterminated, until the last breath of a commoner lasts.
Anaesthetized conscience lets children die of strange illnesses every day; lets the farmers, the life-line of our nation, go ignored for months on in spite of their consistent determined agitation; lets unemployment of the educated and trained youth sky- rise; distracts the minds of the ordinary with spectacular feat such as raising a temple that would be another wonder of the world, while the basic need for a decent house for many is still a distant dream. Anaesthetized conscience believes that housing God within the costly fine-stoned walls is more urgent than attending to the farmer who cries for justice only so that he can satisfy the physical hunger, the basic need, of millions as the greatest service he could ever provide for humanity from his little portion of the mother earth.
While even many ignorant or illiterate citizens of our nation, with the minimum of physical needs, live with largesse and sacrificing heart in solidarity with the misery of their compatriots, and whose conscience never gets anaesthetized when it is a justice concern - women-mothers, particularly - it is sad to come across many, even the educated lot among them, comforting themselves with an anaesthetized conscience; while tears, pain, loss, hunger, need for a grain of love and a cup of justice are all the “bread” one has in the neighbourhood, the anaesthetized conscience is immersed in the best profit one can earn by lucrative practices.
Dives, the rich man, in the parable of Jesus as recounted by Luke, was more than content and justified about his generosity for long years towards the beggar, Lazarus, of throwing the crumbs from his table to keep the hungry mouth physically alive. Well, the anaesthetized conscience, such as that of Dives, could never consider anything better to donate than keep alive the poor beggar at his door with the left-overs. That a human person is always a needy and dependent one on another in his or her very existential being and has legitimate right for shelter, food and clothing and love above all, never occurred to Dives, or rather, his conscience never allowed it to occur. Similarly, the Priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan walked the way from Jerusalem to Jerico with an anaesthetized conscience because the injured Jew did not belong to them; it was not worth the trouble to hear his cry and bend down to pick him up to save him from death. Thousands die of Covid and are thrown into the Ganges River or buried along the banks or cremated somewhere. Why should one burn his or her conscience because of it? Why should anyone be bothered about 26 victims of Covid dying at the same time in a hospital in Goa? After all, it is such a daily event and common to the eyes!! The Samaritan, on the other hand, impressively manifested a conscience that is alive and is meant precisely to bring healing to a broken, divided world.
People are not born with an anaesthetized conscience. At given moments in their life they choose to develop an anaesthetized conscience lest human concerns hinder self-interests. Statements they make and winded sermons they preach do not match their praxis. Sadly enough, in our political systems all that matters is a conscience without a conscience. Power positions attached to overwhelming benefits matter the most. Without an anaesthetized conscience, world cannot be gained, empires cannot be established and statues reaching the sky cannot be erected. Only with such a conscience one gets emotional before the public eyes and crocodile tears are shed when a whole family is already turned into ashes or washed away by the tidal wave. Tragedy of human life somehow does not affect any hardened conscience; it is no instrument for a change of one’s laid out path or fixed plan. This is the story, be it in the political world or religious world.
Education aims primarily at excellence with character, formation of conscience with compassion for the human soul and for mother earth. On the other hand if education is pursued in order to stand above and out do others with an aggressive and competitive mind, then it clearly leaves people anaesthetized of their conscience about existential realities of human concern. Specialization and expertise on different fields of learning may keep one tall but is lacking in empathy with or even a bit of sympathy towards others. Technology may be at our finger tips and communication the air we breathe, however if these are for self gratification and pride, then it is a sign of anaesthetized conscience.
Religion could also enhance anaesthetized conscience syndrome if God is not sought when passing by the neighbour’s front yard. Mere religious practices, preached and exercised, often leave bhakts (devotees) with anesthetized conscience. Didn’t the Kumb Mela, promoted by religious and political leaders in March-April 2021 during the second outbreak of Covid, clearly and outstandingly show what an anaesthetized conscience was? Anaesthetized conscience is ambitious about outshining ones lamps in the Festival of Lights, ignoring the humans living in the darkest slums as one passes through those houses (R. Tagore). Oh...!!
Anaesthetized conscience, indeed, is a “dulled conscience,” “numbed conscience” and “killed conscience” (Fulton J. Sheen). It is dia-bolic!
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