On love and compassion
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Kongbrailatpam Rajeshwar Sharma
In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding asks whether we would still obey the laws in the absence of law enforcing agency. The answer is negative. We live in a world where hatred and violence appear to be the rituals of our daily lives. In spite of the presence of a Government which is armed with laws that range from AFSPA to NSA, the ugly heads of hatred and violence surface now and then as if they were playing a game of hide and seek with the Government.
In Manipur, crimes that even a monster would seldom commit are committed more often than not. Rule of law is almost nonexistent and there is absolute absence of morality in the State. Not only is there moral bankruptcy, but there is also a lack of moral authority in the State.
Neither the State nor religion steps in to fill the vacuum. The void remains wide and open. Rather than being a role model of a law abiding citizen, the “Netas” and “Babus” show no qualm in flouting or violating the established rules and the laws of the land. As the mother of all violence and corruption is the disregard for laws, they are more or less synonymous with violence and corruption.
The video of the cold blooded murder of a young man that went viral on the Internet recently reminds us that there is total lack of love and compassion. Neither mercy nor remorse is shown or seen in the video. It is an irony that such a heinous crime was committed in the “Bible belt” of India. Nowhere does any religious book of the world preach hatred and violence. Rather they preach love and compassion. In an address to his followers in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs them to love their enemies. “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” says Jesus in Matthew 5:44.
To Jesus, there is no difference between foes and friends. He loves them equally. It is not only a profound expression of love and respect for human lives, but it is also a paradox that challenges not only the missionaries but also the Priests and Pastors whose voices are drowned in the din of political noises.
The Bible abounds with the messages of love, compassion and kindness. It is made up of two authoritative books – The Old Testament and The New Testament which used to be the moral authority and a beacon of hope for the lost. The messages of love and divine commands of Jesus are lost in the noises of power and politics. Nowhere can anyone find in any religious book the divine command such as “Love your enemies”, except in the Bible.
Had it been listened to and obeyed, Manipur would have been “a little paradise on Earth.” Now Manipur is nothing less than a hell where the internally displaced people, like the fallen angels, suffer not because of their fault but because of the insatiable greed of the leaders for power and wealth. Political masters and their cronies who pray to God do not seem to know God. In the New Testament, John says, “But if a person isn’t loving and kind, it shows that he doesn’t know God – for God is love.” (1 John 4:8). In the violence and hatred that we see today, there is total rejection of God and His divine commands.
The stories of Job and Ruth in The Old Testament are worth reading. One can learn lessons on faith, love, kindness and fear of God from them. Job was a wealthy man who lived with his large family in a land called Uz.
Although he was very rich, he was humble, righteous and God fearing. For his unwavering faith, God was very proud of Job. Satan was not happy to hear about Job’s goodness and his ‘blameless’ and ‘upright’ conduct. Satan argued that Job was good only because God had blessed him with large wealth and happiness. So Satan challenged God that Job would curse Him in the absence of His blessings. God accepted Satan’s challenge and gave him the permission to torment Job so that he could test Job’s unwavering faith in God.
During the course of the test, Job lost his livestock and servants. His ten children also died in the test which was in the forms of invasions by enemies and natural catastrophes. Job was broken and mourned the death of his children but he still praised God instead of cursing Him. In the second test, Job was afflicted with horrible skin diseases. This time too Job refused to curse God in spite of his wife’s insistence. For his unwavering faith, God finally rewarded Job with twice as much property as before, good health, new children and long life. On the other hand, Ruth is the icon of kindness and loyalty. After the death of her husband, Ruth left her homeland of Moab to accompany her mother-in-law, Naomi, back to Bethlehem. She said to her mother-in-law, “Your people shall be my people and your God my God”. Ruth could see God in every people, every community and everywhere. She is not only an icon of human kindness but she is also a symbol of inclusiveness.
After seeing a photograph of the blue planet, the Earth, which was taken from outer space, the XIV Dalai Lama of Tibet said “We are indeed all members of a single family sharing one little house” The metaphor of this powerful statement drives home the bond that unites us all in spite of the diversity.
At the heart of the bond lies love that sustains the world and enables the people to live in peace and with happiness. People all over the world, regardless of their religious affiliations, seek peace and prosperity but unfortunately the “Netas” seek only power and dominance by dividing the people rather than uniting them with love and mutual respect. Obviously what results from division and dominance is not more than mistrust and violence.
In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding asks whether we would still obey the laws in the absence of law enforcing agency. The answer is negative. We live in a world where hatred and violence appear to be the rituals of our daily lives. In spite of the presence of a Government which is armed with laws that range from AFSPA to NSA, the ugly heads of hatred and violence surface now and then as if they were playing a game of hide and seek with the Government.
In Manipur, crimes that even a monster would seldom commit are committed more often than not. Rule of law is almost nonexistent and there is absolute absence of morality in the State. Not only is there moral bankruptcy, but there is also a lack of moral authority in the State.
Neither the State nor religion steps in to fill the vacuum. The void remains wide and open. Rather than being a role model of a law abiding citizen, the “Netas” and “Babus” show no qualm in flouting or violating the established rules and the laws of the land. As the mother of all violence and corruption is the disregard for laws, they are more or less synonymous with violence and corruption.
The video of the cold blooded murder of a young man that went viral on the Internet recently reminds us that there is total lack of love and compassion. Neither mercy nor remorse is shown or seen in the video. It is an irony that such a heinous crime was committed in the “Bible belt” of India. Nowhere does any religious book of the world preach hatred and violence. Rather they preach love and compassion. In an address to his followers in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs them to love their enemies. “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” says Jesus in Matthew 5:44.
To Jesus, there is no difference between foes and friends. He loves them equally. It is not only a profound expression of love and respect for human lives, but it is also a paradox that challenges not only the missionaries but also the Priests and Pastors whose voices are drowned in the din of political noises.
The Bible abounds with the messages of love, compassion and kindness. It is made up of two authoritative books – The Old Testament and The New Testament which used to be the moral authority and a beacon of hope for the lost. The messages of love and divine commands of Jesus are lost in the noises of power and politics. Nowhere can anyone find in any religious book the divine command such as “Love your enemies”, except in the Bible.
Had it been listened to and obeyed, Manipur would have been “a little paradise on Earth.” Now Manipur is nothing less than a hell where the internally displaced people, like the fallen angels, suffer not because of their fault but because of the insatiable greed of the leaders for power and wealth. Political masters and their cronies who pray to God do not seem to know God. In the New Testament, John says, “But if a person isn’t loving and kind, it shows that he doesn’t know God – for God is love.” (1 John 4:8). In the violence and hatred that we see today, there is total rejection of God and His divine commands.
The stories of Job and Ruth in The Old Testament are worth reading. One can learn lessons on faith, love, kindness and fear of God from them. Job was a wealthy man who lived with his large family in a land called Uz.
Although he was very rich, he was humble, righteous and God fearing. For his unwavering faith, God was very proud of Job. Satan was not happy to hear about Job’s goodness and his ‘blameless’ and ‘upright’ conduct. Satan argued that Job was good only because God had blessed him with large wealth and happiness. So Satan challenged God that Job would curse Him in the absence of His blessings. God accepted Satan’s challenge and gave him the permission to torment Job so that he could test Job’s unwavering faith in God.
During the course of the test, Job lost his livestock and servants. His ten children also died in the test which was in the forms of invasions by enemies and natural catastrophes. Job was broken and mourned the death of his children but he still praised God instead of cursing Him. In the second test, Job was afflicted with horrible skin diseases. This time too Job refused to curse God in spite of his wife’s insistence. For his unwavering faith, God finally rewarded Job with twice as much property as before, good health, new children and long life. On the other hand, Ruth is the icon of kindness and loyalty. After the death of her husband, Ruth left her homeland of Moab to accompany her mother-in-law, Naomi, back to Bethlehem. She said to her mother-in-law, “Your people shall be my people and your God my God”. Ruth could see God in every people, every community and everywhere. She is not only an icon of human kindness but she is also a symbol of inclusiveness.
After seeing a photograph of the blue planet, the Earth, which was taken from outer space, the XIV Dalai Lama of Tibet said “We are indeed all members of a single family sharing one little house” The metaphor of this powerful statement drives home the bond that unites us all in spite of the diversity.
At the heart of the bond lies love that sustains the world and enables the people to live in peace and with happiness. People all over the world, regardless of their religious affiliations, seek peace and prosperity but unfortunately the “Netas” seek only power and dominance by dividing the people rather than uniting them with love and mutual respect. Obviously what results from division and dominance is not more than mistrust and violence.