Human beings are strange creatures. Unlike, other living things, nature gave them an ability to think. Like other living things even they needed food, water and air for their survival but their thinking brain was not satisfied with survival alone. It demanded a justification for that survival. It demanded an explanation for the surroundings. It forced them to think. It cajoled them into believing and thus beliefs were born. By the term ‘belief’ I don’t mean religious beliefs. A belief can be any reflection, belief in oneself, belief in God or belief in any ideology. This belief is a strange thing. It is our greatest strength…and biggest weakness. It can bring the Mahatma out of a Mohandas and it is this belief which can unleash a Hitler on a planet. Human beings live and fight and die for their beliefs. Are they born with their beliefs? Well, going by my mother, the only belief I was born with, was to cry the hell out of my throat and deafen my mom and the poor nurse attending her.
Imagine a situation, somebody coming to me and saying, “ Akbar was the most selfish ruler whose greed for the expansion of his kingdom was so much that he made alliances with the infidels. Aurangzeb was the best; he fought against the infidels throughout his life to establish the will of God.” What would be my reaction? Simple- “Are you nuts? Akbar was one of the greatest because of his religious tolerance and Aurangzeb was an orthodox.” Now I react like that because I have a particular belief, formed during my schooldays, that secularism and religious tolerance are great virtues. We all have a set of such beliefs because most of us are made to believe in those beliefs during our most impressionable years (i.e. 3-21 yrs) or during a crisis.
Similarly, the extremists (not only those who fight in the name of any religion but all those who have resorted to violence) have been made to believe in certain ideologies. As long as this belief stays, their struggle will stay. Thus, to break the struggle, you have to break or modify the belief which I feel is not possible by any war. Wars, themselves are great stimulators in the formation of those beliefs. Then how to do it?
“Alright, enough of this nonsense,” our Mom would intervene, “Now tell me the problem.” Thus, she would sit and sincerely listen to our stands and then would calmly explain to us why and where ‘the right’ or ‘the correct’ was wrong. That explanation would cool us down because it not only solved the issue but it also helped us to rethink and modify our notions, our beliefs. Now, why did this approach work? There are two reasons-
First- because we both had respect and regard for our mother. We knew that she was impartial, sincere and knowledgeable enough to settle our dispute. Second- because there was an open dialogue in a conducive atmosphere where each of us spoke our mind without any inhibitions.
Well, that is exactly what we need today. We need a dialogue. We need a knowledgeable, sincere and impartial arbitrator. We need an open discussion on our beliefs. Wrong notions, of either side, must change. Wrong beliefs, on either side, must be dumped. Going back into time, as far as my history syllabus allows me to go, I can recall hundreds of wars and battles fought in the name of religion or belief but I cannot trace a single sincere dialogue held to sort out the difference in the belief. May be that is where lies the problem and the solution?
Imagine a situation, somebody coming to me and saying, “ Akbar was the most selfish ruler whose greed for the expansion of his kingdom was so much that he made alliances with the infidels. Aurangzeb was the best; he fought against the infidels throughout his life to establish the will of God.” What would be my reaction? Simple- “Are you nuts? Akbar was one of the greatest because of his religious tolerance and Aurangzeb was an orthodox.” Now I react like that because I have a particular belief, formed during my schooldays, that secularism and religious tolerance are great virtues. We all have a set of such beliefs because most of us are made to believe in those beliefs during our most impressionable years (i.e. 3-21 yrs) or during a crisis.
Similarly, the extremists (not only those who fight in the name of any religion but all those who have resorted to violence) have been made to believe in certain ideologies. As long as this belief stays, their struggle will stay. Thus, to break the struggle, you have to break or modify the belief which I feel is not possible by any war. Wars, themselves are great stimulators in the formation of those beliefs. Then how to do it?
“Alright, enough of this nonsense,” our Mom would intervene, “Now tell me the problem.” Thus, she would sit and sincerely listen to our stands and then would calmly explain to us why and where ‘the right’ or ‘the correct’ was wrong. That explanation would cool us down because it not only solved the issue but it also helped us to rethink and modify our notions, our beliefs. Now, why did this approach work? There are two reasons-
First- because we both had respect and regard for our mother. We knew that she was impartial, sincere and knowledgeable enough to settle our dispute. Second- because there was an open dialogue in a conducive atmosphere where each of us spoke our mind without any inhibitions.
Well, that is exactly what we need today. We need a dialogue. We need a knowledgeable, sincere and impartial arbitrator. We need an open discussion on our beliefs. Wrong notions, of either side, must change. Wrong beliefs, on either side, must be dumped. Going back into time, as far as my history syllabus allows me to go, I can recall hundreds of wars and battles fought in the name of religion or belief but I cannot trace a single sincere dialogue held to sort out the difference in the belief. May be that is where lies the problem and the solution?
totally agree with the observations and analysis...I do wonder at times wat we would have become if we had not been subject to beliefs of the society....so much so that we dont even consider questioning them....these beliefs end up being a part of ourselves rather unconsciously on our part...ideas of morality, beauty or justice vary vastly...thats the biggest mental challenge that I have had to face...those whom we disagree with or oppose think themselves right as much vehemently as we think they are wrong...I think that the best thing we can do is to be more receptive and tolerant towards...very rightly said, dialogue is the way out...but again there is a need to surpass those mental barriers, the rigidity of minds in order to initiate this
ReplyDeleteHi.. A very well written series! The points you have made are perfect, the solutions too seem to be the 'only solutions' and yet we have problems which continue to remain..
ReplyDeleteI guess in the practical world, the solution is a natural progression - the extremes themselves at some point of time become self-defeating; be it the break down of Communist Eastern block or the "I will talk" approach of Obama(completely opposite to Bush's "Will Hunt them in the Hell" approach)
Actually, you have explained the complicated problems in a very simple way. Well written !!
You have started writing serious stuff!! Beware, what sells here (and all over the world) is ridiculous writings, read ***. Heard of Meenakshi Madhavan, a blogger, who had a recent book launch - "YOU ARE HERE" or the earlier one Zoe Margolis, again a blogger (more popularly known as Abby Lee), who had a book by the title "The Girl with a One Track Mind"... again the same subject
Joking... you continue to write the good, clean stuff..
I like the way you put ideas which put things in perspective.You writing is improving day by day.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up..looking for more such thought provoking blogs.
Well written!
ReplyDeleteA famous artist once said
"Our ability to live in peace with one other depends on our learning to appreciate and respect each other's differences"
Amen to that.
Wonderful !
ReplyDeleteThe way u have conveyed this deep message is amazing .. You should be a professional writer.. I am serious.. u are damn good.. Plz dont stop writing ..