Fanatic human powers guided by political advantage are thwarting innocent minds.
GERRY LOBO OFM
Among the many notorious acts, since 2014, of the ruling Central Government, is erasing of History from the annals of our nation. Is it also preoccupied with the erasing of Mystery? God forbid the arrival of that day! Does this phenomenon not indicate in clear terms that the rulers at the helm of affairs, the stiff-necked and stern-minded despots within the ring of the present dispensation, are making themselves as history-makers for the future generation disregarding all that the past has taught the children of our nation? Does ‘New India’ mean that it has no historical foundation at all? It seems so! My reference on this subject is only to the recent act of withdrawing the grand old classical tune composed for the lyrics of “Abide with me” from the traditional manner in which the ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony used to be performed. After all what harm do the words and the tune create? It belongs to all who love humanity and who wish to bring the Divine in human setting. There prevails a stubborn closure mentality rooted in the religion-oriented dominant political party leaders which is vividly expressing hate towards any other religion than the one strongly held by them. Political hate has spilled over into religious hate, making it a habitual practice as an unquestioned value. This is not sanity and is not consonant with a belief in the Divine Absolute. The closure mentality is bereft of a philosophical foundation and a spiritual source.
It is purely a personal and consciously developed mind-set, ultimately to reign supreme by eliminating all others – parties, ideologies and faiths. However, anyone who believes in the Divine Absolute, God, is never deterred by the presence and the innate spiritual power that resides in those who profess whatever faith it be. No threat can ever eliminate the inner source of human beings which indicates the Divine Power. Fanatic human powers guided by political advantage are thwarting innocent minds. Does the withdrawal of “Abide with me” provide solace for the troubled, bread for the hungry, health for the sick? Does it in any way wipe out the prolonged pandemic which is appearing in varied forms today? Do our leaders believe that the common good, harmony amidst diverse voices, peace and justice are all that should matter ultimately? Erecting ‘palaces’ of worship cannot be to incite people to oppose the presence of other religions. The worship structures can never be armor against any other religion.
Neither should it be a competitive exercise in order to exalt one’s own religion and demean the face of another. No matter how magnificent and pompous the edifice of a worship space might be, it should remain only as a selfless outpouring of a poor human towards the generous Transcendent One. Human history bears witness to the creation of stupendous structures of worship –mosques, temples, cathedrals, gurudwaras – meant to express the grandeur of Divinity and the abyss of humanity. One must also bear in mind that the places of worship are for the creation of fraternal communion among people of all the earth, for liberty within and without and for a sense of equality. If it is arrogance and animosity towards others due to political reasons which is driving religion-lovers to erect monuments for God, may it be known in such spaces God can never be residing. It must also be known that the Creator never restricts Oneself to any spectacularly constructed spaces. If, on the other hand, the pilgrim humanity is mercifully served and loved for its own sake, then physical structure is validated. The perverted mind and the violent attitude reigning supreme in the discourses of our national political masters contemporarily leaves a strong impression that venom of aggression is what sustains the very ones who are meant to serve. Clearly aimed at garnering votes from the subdued populace who can easily be wooed by the offer of softies, these perverted minds go to any length at the cost of human toil and struggle. On the other hand, a universal mind of educated and illumined leaders would never ever be interested, for example, in withdrawing “Abide with me” tune from the ceremony marking the closure of the Republic Day (January 26) celebration in the national capital every year.
The lyric and the soul-melting music of “Abide with me” which was so dear to Mahatma Gandhi, and which delighted the citizens of our nation all along, being withdrawn at the stroke of a pen reveals how narrow a human mind can bring itself to. How narrow is the heart of those who thought this should happen! Adding, not replacing, any other melody of our ancient culture would have manifested an open mind towards universal values and human sensibility. Retaining an uplifting melody, no matter who or of whatever religion he or she belonged composed it, would have demonstrated the strength of a Republic such as ours, which has a free space for all cultures, languages, religions, history, customs, art and music to play their role in order to enhance better understanding among each other. It must be noted that only the one who loves deeply his or her religion and all that it embraces, opens the heart towards all others no matter what historical background or religion a person hails from. The One whom humanity worships does not require religion; the humans do. Hence disregard for a historical value only reveals a deep-seated anger and a venomous attitude nurtured to oppose others in the name of patriotism. However, genuine patriotism always creates abundant space for others, their tradition, value system, religious-spiritual practices and the wisdom found there in. Abrupt brushing aside whatever is foreign to one’s religion is denigrating genuine patriotic feelings and brewing of nationalistic sentiments and narrow-minded attempts at achieving self-oriented gains.
Erasing of the historical memoria is building a house on sand! Founders and leaders of ancient religions aimed at integrity of human beings including a sense for the other, for social connectedness and human well-being. However, adherents of these holistic personalities have deliberately erased the prophetic and demanding challenges from their teachings to suit their own cheap products, mostly aimed at monetary profit. On account of this, abandoning of religion and being open to any human concern has become the trend of many people for quite some time. This goes to show that true lovers of religion need to expand their horizon and concentrate on existential issues that affect people and engage themselves in compassionate accompaniment rather than busy themselves with the erasing of the history on which people were built – physically, emotionally, culturally and philosophically. Here, perhaps a stanza of a poem by F Pratt Green could best illustrate what true religion is:
In the just reward of labour,
God’s will is done;
In the help we give our neighbour,
God’s will is done;
In our world-wide task of caring
For the hungry and despairing,
In the harvests men are sharing,
God’s will is done.
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