அன்பின் வன்முறை ....

இஸ்லாமியர்களின் ஒட்டு மொத்தக் குரல் உலகம் எங்கும் எதிரொலித்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது. ஏறக்குறைய ஒரு வாரத்திற்கு மேலாகியும் அது குறைவதாய்த் தெரியவில்லை. அநேகமாக இன்னும் அதிகமாகலாம்.

அமெரிக்காவைச் சேர்ந்த முறையான அடையாளம் இல்லாத ஓர் அமெரிக்க யூதர் இஸ்லாமியர்களின் மீது மிகுந்த வெறியோடு, எந்தவிதமான அடிப்படைத் தரவுகளுமின்றி மிக மோசமான ஒரு குறும் படத்தை இயக்கப் போக உலகமெங்கும் இருக்கிற இஸ்லாமியர்கள் ஒட்டு மொத்தமாக அமெரிக்காவிற்கு எதிராகத் திரும்பியிருக்கிறார்கள். 

லிபியாவில் அமெரிக்க தூதர் கொல்லப் பட்டதாகவும் அவரோடு இணைந்து மேலும் இருவரும், பாகிஸ்தானில் இதுவரை பத்தொன்பது நபர்களும் கொல்லப்  பட்டதாகவும் செய்திகள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன. ஆனால் பாகிஸ்தானில் கொல்லப்பட்டவர்கள் அமெரிக்கர்கள் இல்லை - அவர்களும் பாகிஸ்தானியர்கள் என்றே நினைக்கிறேன்.

இதோடு இணைந்து இந்த சமயத்தில் பிரெஞ்சு பத்திரிகை ஒன்று நபிகளின் கார்ட்டூன் ஒன்று வெளியிட இந்தப் பிரச்சனை இன்னும் அதிகமாகிறது. மத சம்மந்தப் பட்ட கோட்பாடுகளில் கைய வைக்கிற யாரும் மிகக் கவனமாய் இருக்க வேண்டியது அவசியம். ஒரு தீப் பொறி ஒரு காட்டை அழிக்கும் வல்லமை படைத்தது என்பதை இந்த நிகழ்வு சுட்டிக் காட்டுகிறது. அமெரிக்கர்கள் கிறித்தவக் கடவுளைக் கிண்டலித்து பழகிப் போனவர்கள். இப்போது அவர்களின் கோபம் இஸ்லாமியர்கள் பக்கம் திரும்பியிருக்கின்றது. இதை அவர்கள் கருத்துச் சுதந்திரம் என்று நியாயப் படுத்தலாம். ஆனால் இது அவ்வளவு சுலபமாக ஏற்றுக் கொள்ளப் படாது. ஏற்றுக் கொள்ளவும் முடியாது.

உலகின் எல்லா நாடுகளும் ஒருங்கே அமெரிக்காவின் கருத்துச் சுதந்திரம் என்கிற கோட்பாட்டை அவர்கள் பாணியில் யாரும் புரிந்து கொள்ள முடியாது. அப்படி எல்லாரும் அதே விதமாகத்தான் புரிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டுமென்றால் அமெரிக்க ஏகாதிபத்தியத்தை ஏற்றுக் கொண்டதாகத் தான் அது இருக்கும். 

ஒரு மனிதனின் தவறான கருத்தை கடுமையாக எதிர்க்க வேண்டியது அவசியம்தான். ஆனால் அதற்காக வன்முறை எதிப்பை ஒரு போதும் நியாயப் படுத்த முடியாது.  

அடிப்படையில் எல்லாம் சமயங்களும் 

அன்பைப் போதிப்பவைகளாகவே இருக்கின்றன. 

ஆனால், அதில் இருக்கும் உறுப்பினர்கள்

தாங்கள் போதிக்கும் அன்பே உயர்ந்தது என்று சண்டையிடப் போய் 

அவர்கள் அனைவரும் 

தாங்கள் போதிக்கும் அன்பிற்கு எதிரானவர்களாகவே ஆகி விடுகின்றனர். ஆனால் இதை அவர்கள் உணராமல் இருப்பதுதான் 

பிரச்சனையின்  ஆணிவேரே.

கொசுறு:

இன்னொசென்ஸ் ஆப் முஸ்லீம்ஸ் - முழு ஸ்கிரிப்ட் - சொடுக்கவும்.

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 …

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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.