Religious Harmony !

December 6th is a black day for the Indian Democracy. Whatever be the motive for the demolition, I do not know whether this act can be justified. Those who initiated this brutal act may have their reasons and the other party may still have resentment to counter attack. What happens often is that any event, sometimes even a political blunder or some vested interests of the politicians are often identified with religion and therefore they are seen to be religious conflicts rather than the blunder of some politicians or fundamentalism.   

All of us do know that religions, irrespective of their place of origin, keep Love as their central teaching.

Everyone thinks that his religion is the greatest. His religion is the truest and the purest. I do not think that this is wrong. When one believes he accepts a particular creed because it is meaningful to his life. But communicating one’s religious truth often ends up in violent conflicts. One wants to prove his religion’s love and non-violence by violence. Proving one’s love through violence can never be possible.

Comparative studies have shown that non-violence is the foundational teaching of all religions. Mere writings about the message of love or non-violence cannot reduce the religious conflicts. It can be done only with the believers’ act of trust and love. One has to trust the other and more love the other forgiving the mischievous deeds of the other. Only when we find someone transcending the act of rebellion and revenge, trust can be built.

Unless this love is taken to heart

 and we trust and respect and love one another, 

we will not be able to live as true believers.

Stop Writing!

• Why do people continuously write? How long shall we write? – How many books – how many schools of thought – what have we achieved, which our forefathers have not. Am I a Pessimist?
• Today we speak of dignity – A Gain! Did we stop slavery with our books? Should I believe that there is no slavery today? Should I say that today we are wealthy?  Slavery exists in different forms – being wealthy is an illusion: if God is an illusion!
• Is having money being wealthy or knowing that how money will be helpful [Knowledge is wealth!]. Is it the awareness of Adam Smith or the awareness of the determinism of Spinoza?
• When will we stop writing, like Aquinas did? My question is not, when are we going to stop writing like Aquinas on every subject and on everything, rather it is, when are we going to stop writing As Aquinas stopped writing or refused to write?                                                                                                           

                                                                                 28-04-2012 at 0.26

INDIVIDUALITY AND UNIQUNESS

We the moderns claim that no two individuals are alike. No two persons' goals are necessarily the same. 'Singularity' is precious. Without getting to the philosophical issues, I would like to raise some questions that can be raised from the experiences of our life world. 

The claim is that we live in a world where one's individuality is abolished with the arrival of machines, particularly computer.  – my handwriting is gone… along with all others’. 

• People all over the world write the same way. They look beautiful …  to look different everyone chooses different fonts, size etc.[but one chooses only from what is given.] Everything is ‘even’, ‘the same,’ same curves, same size – does this mean beautiful? Uniformity is only one aspect of beauty? Is not it? It is very hard to see where I have fallen, and where I made a mistake. There is nothing in my paper like this. Does it mean that I never make a mistake? Am I perfect? It only seems that nobody in the world makes anymore mistakes. Or Is everything that is uttered considered to be right? Everybody is perfect. Everybody writes the same way. What a world is this?
• Indians are often seen to be people falling into what is called 'popular culture'. They often show the western world to be a model how everyone thinks and acts on his own. But the pop-culture, running after the celebrities, following and craving for the look of the celebrities is much stronger in the Western countries although variations can be there. while on the one side I claim to be unique and set my life on my way, I only choose to go along with others who have the same liking...

A Stranger is not a Stranger

It was 14^th October 2012. I was travelling from Germany in a train. I could not speak German well since it is not my mother tongue. Very few suffer like me.  But many today speak in many languages as though using the ‘shift’ key in a computer. I find it difficult to switch between three languages. I wonder how people do that between five and six. 

I was hesitant to start a conversation with a stranger who was sitting next to me because he was speaking in German with some of his friends. Another wonder with the system of the railways, when you book the ticket together you do not get adjacent seats. You find always a stranger inside. You have to personally and verbally request the stranger to change the place. In India they ask you to even change coaches. Here they are very hesitant even to request to sit in the next seat. What is given is given – but it also means that they do not want to intrude in what is given to them. More, one does not know how the other would react.

I was already a stranger in the train, and still a remote stranger between the companions who traveled together. Even with a stranger who is doubly alienated, a conversation could be initiated. It starts from silence. who said  one needs language to communicate? A peaceful silence that has a smile normally kicks off with a common, agreeing note like mamma mia – che caldo! Or what a bright and sunny day? Well if there is no smile, then there is no conversation. Even if there were to be one it will be cold, hard, and strict NO.

I had already smiled and he reciprocated it. After entering Austrian the border we started speaking about the rivers that flow, the climate, and the European Union. He and I shared the same feeling that this union could be a model for other continents in living together irrespective of different languages. I told him that India too has a model - which house different languages and culture. He thought that India has a single language. It was a revelation for him to know that the north Indians do not understand the south Indians and vice versa.  

India is a country but European Union is not.

... To be continued ... 

MODERN AND PRE-MODERN

The former prime minister of Britain, Mr. Tony Blair, who is a Roman Catholic, has reacted to the recent violent protests that caused the life of many people all over the world, saying, “I think what we shouldn't do is lose sight of what the real issue is, and the real issue is how do people actually think it is justified to react in a way that ends up innocent people being killed. […] So no, this is a profound problem; it’s a problem, as I say, which is about the struggle of modernization. The good news is, in the end, the modernizers will win incidentally, but it will take a long time to do.”[1]

One can well agree with Tony Blair that no one can justify the death of innocent persons. He is right in asserting that demanding the persons behind the film should be held responsible. But I am interested in his comment about modernity.

Modernization for most westerners means that it is about the freedom of the individual. A society is considered to be modern only when the individual freedom is attained. There should not be a major issue with this understanding. The further explanation at the comment of Blair is to indicate that one should be able to respect the views of others. This means that the modern people will be more tolerant and magnanimous in accepting the view of others even if it is a false view.

But how is that the individual who expects that everybody’s view should be respected does not respect the view of others even if it is a false one. I explain: sorry to use the name of Blair. If Blair thinks that the modern notion of freedom is to respect the view of others, then the Muslims should be able to respect the view of the director of the Movie. That is the sign of being modern. Because they are not modern, then they react violently.

My question is – if the views of others should be respected, why the director, who is a modern, does not respect the view of the millions of Muslims. 

Who is pre-modern – the director or the Muslims? Or Both?

*****

The irony is that the sister-in-law of Mr. Tony Blair 

converted to Islam 

three years after his conversion to Catholicism.

***** 

---

[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/09/17/tony-blair-reaction-to-anti-islam-film-absurd_n_1889232.html

SUFFERING, JOY, and HOPE

When we are put to test, or unwanted events happen, we drown into the sea  of tears, and sadness. Suffering never comes alone. It comes as a legion - one after another. We will not have time even to count them. We suffer so   much that even the good things seem as bad. We do this, and then a little while later do that unfortunately they turn against us. We keep on doing it, nothing seems to work well, nothing seems to be on our favor.

But 

On a sudden day, it is very bright. That gentle breeze that enters the room in the window seems to bring everything fresh. From that time on everything seems to fall in its place. Everything works so well. Good things, like the bad ones, do come in group - one after another. Even the bad events look good - they seem a blessing in disguise now. How happy one is when everything happens as expected.

What we often forget is the link? 

The efforts that we took to set things right. The hard work that we put in to straighten things up. 

Unless one makes such an effort, will he taste such a honey. Could it be possible that things fall on their places, if there had been no such efforts? Without our efforts nothing happens. But they are forgotten in the sudden transition.

That is why it is good not to get drowned in sadness - not good to sit idly without any efforts - keep on trying, Hoping that things will fall on their places.

I have gone through such difficulties ... I hoped ... and I hope ....

Extreme Individualism

It was shocking to watch a short movie titled ‘innocence of Muslims’.  The title had, as far as I am concerned, nothing to do with the so called ‘a short movie’. It was neither a documentary nor a movie in the technical sense of the term. It was not a documentary because it never stated any facts, it had no coherence, and it was not well presented. What one sees in the movie is the hatred towards a particular religious community while praising or attempting to praise Judaism.

One man in the United States had produced such a devastating movie irresponsibly deceiving even the actress in such a way that it is a movie on some clash between some clans in ancient Egypt. If this is what he had done with making of a movie, one can understand well how the movie itself has lots its credibility. Although a particular country cannot be held responsible for one man’s fault, it is high time that a country such as the United States revalues and redefines its understanding of ‘the free individual’. It is not only for the United States but also for other countries which are attempting to replicate the U.S. Model in their own country.

A lot has to do with the historical events and the development of understanding the Individual. One can see it in differences between the Europe and the U.S. Model. There are lots of differences between the two in many respects. The main one that is often noted of Europe is its secular character understood in terms of the rise of unbelief. The majority of them are not believers in the traditional religion, and more not active believers in any religion for that matter. On the contrary United States has more active believers statistically. The former, in spite of having less believers, respects the believers and their system of beliefs that give value to the individual, whereas the latter in spite of its religious character at large displays hatred towards other religious beliefs. It does not mean that I favor secular contents and want to promote secularization. 

What I see much more important is the difference between the conception of the individual understood in terms of rights. While the element of sociality is still operative in the Europe although very mildly, even the milder connection between the individual and the society is cut off in the U.S. Model. One could say that it has taken the path of extreme individuation where sociality is almost invisible. 

[I who am neither an European nor an American acknowledge that I may be wrong and I need to substantiate it with facts, for now it may be seen hypothetically.] Freedom has to be understood as an "Exercise concept" as Charles Taylor puts forward. 

Democracy and Demonstration

India is a country partly ruled by the majority, partly ruled by the law. It gives an equal status to all the citizens of the country yet it tries to fulfill the wish of the majority. In the synchronizing model [of both Republic and democracy], the sufferers are the people because they do not have either control over the rulers or do not receive what they are supposed to receive by the benefit of the law. It is also because the law is in the hands of the few and sometimes dictated by the rulers themselves. 

In the continuous protest that we witness in Tamil Nadu, one can hope to explain the complexity of the phenomenon. The rulers see the manifestation of the people as irrational and as a divisive factor that goes against the rational decision of the majority. The vast majority of the people are made to rationally believe that the nuclear plant is the only option available to the continuous 'power cut' they experience in the country.  Joining hands with the rational belief of the government and the indifferent majority, the 'media' [some of them]     makes a propaganda writing against the protests of the people for their‘collective good’, say the safety of the present and future generation. They write that these manifestations do show that the protesters are against the unity of the country. 

The truth is that some rulers, and a pillar of democracy in fact do not understand that India is also a country that values the protection of every citizen. They think that demonstrations and protests are dangerous to the unity of the nation. They are against the demonstrations only to create an opinion of the majority. They do not understand that these protests are the sources that strengthen the system of the Indian governance in which every body’s right can be protected. It is only the recognition of these protests that strengthen the unity of the country. 

Only when the voices of protests such as these are not respected and the recognition is suppressed, then there emerges a danger of division. The voice for fragmentation may become stronger when the collective rights of the people are not respected. 

Therefore those who oppose a legitimate protest should understand that by supporting a majoritarian decision or the silent acceptance of the decision made by the majority, they are only perpetrating the system of tyranny and not of ‘democracy’ which seems their conviction.

TEACHERS

Everyone will agree that teachers have a role to play in our life. Some value it positively and others negatively. Those who have had great teachers will appreciate teachers and those who have ‘bad’ teachers will hate them if not curse them.

A good teacher is great not because he is an intellectual but because he is able to relate with the students well in such a way that he could motivate them to think on their own and to understand life in a better perspective. But our educational system does not demand teachers who can play the kind of role that they can play in the aspect of motivation.

All that our system demands is that one can be a good teacher when he has the ability to transfer from the ‘printed format to the unprinted format’, that can be stored in the mind! In this way the teachers have no the active role of a teacher. However we still are able to find good teachers in this format too. The students who have the ability to draw the impressions of the mind to the practical problems do appreciate such teachers. Say those who are good computer engineers will definitely appreciate the teacher’s contribution and his communicative skills because of which the student had an interest for the subject.

Some do not have good teachers not because they are bad as such as but lacking the skill, i.e. the ability to communicate well either from the printed one or from their memory. It is because of this some students hate a subject not because the subject is less interesting but because the teachers are less interesting.

I am talking of good teachers in two senses: one who can communicate well the subject matter and one who can relate well with the students who can inspire them in the minimum way, at least. Even if the communication skill is lacking in a teacher, he could very well be called a good teacher because of the second. Because one likes the teacher, one may also develop a liking for the subject.

Well. I want to speak about a good teacher in another sense, not restricted to the realm of the school education. Hr is one who can help the students to become teachers of their own life. A teacher here is called good not because he makes his students well informed and thus able to communicate back to others what he has learned, but because he makes the students to think, ask questions, and to make him a teacher of his own. The teacher makes the students to live on his own independent of the teacher – not in the sense of searching for a job and live on his own but one can know the meaning of being human in the world and to set the framework of his life. In this way even a teacher of history can make the students to ponder from the events of history to think of the contemporary situations. But I do not know whether the educational system will allow such teachers to flourish at all.

I have had good teachers in all sense: A teacher who is good communicator but not kind; a teacher who is gentle and a good communicator; a teacher who is gentle but not a ‘motivational teacher’’; a teacher who is gentle, intellectual, communicator as well as motivational. 

I want to write about everyone – but not now. For now, Thank you my teachers …

*************************************************************

What to say of millions of our children 

who have no opportunity 

to meet a teacher yet?

Being Unmarried ...

I came in contact with a ‘Greek Catholic’ from Romania three years back. Although we have not been meeting often, we did exchange views and opinions on some interesting issues of the Church, when we met. He was married and has a son. He is a jolly good fellow. 

I enjoy chatting with him although I do not understand many things, because he speaks fast and I do not understand much a foreign language when people speak fast. People tell me that I speak very fast and they do not understand. But in many places I see that others speak faster than me and I do not understand. 

This is an irony of life. We become the victim of the same thing by which we victimize others.

He was sharing with us, there was another one this time, so that I can be sure that I understand him, about his difficulties in life. His wife wanted to leave him and the son, only to live with another one. The son wanted to move away from Italy and desired to live in his home land. He had to leave Italy to take care of his son.

I told you that he is a ‘Greek Catholic’. I did not tell you that he is a priest. He has decided to live alone with his son. When we were listening to him, I do not know what he thought, he patted my cheek and said:  ‘I am happy that you are not married’.

Does this mean ... No more Discussion ...

John the Baptist - Martyrdom

John the Baptist is courageous. He stood for the truth. All that he did in his life was to be simple and to speak the truth. He was born of older parents – like the sons of Abraham. The long silence of God is broken with the birth of John the Baptist. His life becomes the inevitable evidence, at least as narrated in the Bible, for the intervention of YHWH. People might have been happy that God comes down to us breaking his silence. He with his prophetic proclamation prepared the people.

He had great ability to gather people around him. This is astonishing because it is easy for a religious to speak in a church. But to make people come to him looking for his words is amazing. He meets them outside the temple. He meets them near the river. In a sense, he is taking God out of the temple to the streets. God is not to be seen only as residing in the temple and in the pool within the walls of the temple but outside of the temple too. He is a great prophet in this sense.

He is a great prophet again because he also indicated that religion is not simply to attend ceremonies in the temple but practicing a good life. The good life becomes the basis of one’s relationship with God. Without ever living well, one’s prayer cannot help. One cannot live anyway one likes and yet claim to be a faithful just by attending the services at the temple.

He is great also because he knew who he was. In spite of the people flocking around him, he knew that he is not the one whom they are looking for. If there are 10 followers behind us, we think that we are the savior of the world. If John the Baptist had willed, I think he should have established another religion in which he might have been respected equivalent to God. But his greatness lies in knowing the truth of who he is and what his mission is.

He is a great prophet because he gave away his life for speaking the truth. He stood for what is right. The most difficult part of a prophet is this. But we do find lots of prophets in our time.

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Many may have forgotten him but the characteristics do remain in many. 

I think many today still want to be like John the Baptist. 

I said that he was born of older parents. 

It is said that many these days like to give birth to babies after the age of 40 and fifty. 

May be because they want John the Baptists? 

John the Baptist is not forgotten! …

AUGUSTINE - A MAN OF OUR TIME

Augustine is a name that many will remember. He has been leading a life that is humanly. He has enjoyed the human life following the desires that was considered by him as the inner voice. There was a moment in his life in which he listened to the true inner voice, at least as claimed by Augustine.

For him God’s voice can be heard only when one turns to oneself. God cannot be seen outside of us. Our human structure becomes the source of our intimate relationship that we can establish with God. Probably one can understand this inner voice when she first follows her desires and then listens to the true inner voice.

He became a strong opponent of Manichaeism which was his house earlier. A strong supporter becomes an antagonist. Great people always have two views. The later views are juxtaposed to the former views. St. Paul was a strong believer and ardent supporter of Judaism. And on a sudden day, he becomes the supporter of Christianity. I also think of Wittgenstein – the best example of the early and later writings. Now every philosopher is claimed to have such an early and later… A before and After… If we want to be famous, if not philosophers, should we have to have an early and later life that is opposed to each other?

The division is not only between the before and after, but inner and outer, between the secular and the religious – The two cities of Augustine are very famous and continue its influence one way or the other in the contemporary discussions. Can we not live without binaries?

Augustine’s influence has been tremendous that one can learn from his personal life or his philosophical writings. He may have lived in the 4^th and 5^th century, yet he is not far from us. Many of the contemporary thoughts can be traced back to him. He is so close to us, may be also because Plato who lived earlier than Augustine is closer to us.