We witnessed the spread of the dark ages through the Middle East and Asia Minor. An average thought of a common man is drenched in theological dogma in those lands, and the intellectual liberals find themselves in a minority, intimidated by the religious leaders, wielding the power of having organized the masses under the influence of the dogmas they feed. Hope hinges on a period of enlightenment, that the human race has displayed with regularity, to emerge out of such hopeless cycle of polarization and hatred, a fake feeling of unity cemented by the unreal bondage of religion and nationalism.
Little did we imagine that dangers of the Arab spring, would spread to lands beyond those under the influence of the three Abrahamic religions. For religions without dogmas, were not known to organize into tyranny, and not being organized remained the hinge on which, their seeming tolerance hung on to. The fire of protest that is lit, is for reasons noble, to end inequality and injustice and oppression, but the powder that is burnt, unfortunately only promises more of these. To move from Monarchs and Oligarchs to religious and nationalist tyranny does not represent progress. It represents the dangers that humanity breeds, those dangers that arise when the iron is hot, to beat humanity into new shapes of oppression, to sink them deeper into the world of chains. In the blind and furious pursuit for change, we may have taken a route, even less noble, than the one we were already traversing.
Slowly over the last decade, I witnessed the slow degradation of the civilized values in our society. These values, prominently characterized by co existence, pluralism, and a general dismissal of intolerance, were either built by design into our culture by our learned sages, or by accident by the inability of the same sages, to built into our culture, the dimension of intolerance. I would rather stick to the earlier view of design by sages, from what I have learned about our history and culture, rather than the later theory, of our failed sages, which is made to look what it is, by the efforts to rewrite the history of our nation and the composition of our culture on the basis of new dogmas.
Little could we imagine a fate like this to dawn upon our proud civilization, for we assumed that the lack of dogmas would protect us. Little did we foresee that one day such dogmas would be engineered into our culture, fed on by the fire of the incompetence of the last decade, that allowed religion and nationalism to burn the powder, that would destroy texture of our tolerant society.
I watch helplessly, as the same society, that disapproved of intolerant rhetoric a decade or two back, which forced all leaders to adorn the costume of a moderate, to be considered competent to rule, started nodding in silent approval, or maybe even whisper along, or shout joyously at the rabid rhetoric of hatred and intolerance. The same society in the name of liberation and liberty and progress, wants to crown a monarch through democracy. I would be less bothered about the coronation, but deeply concerned about the degradation, that makes them repeat the same rhetoric as acceptable thoughts of a civilized society. The degradation has set into our culture, and the dogmas are being written down as rules, and norms acceptable to our society. There is nothing lower that humanity can sink into.
Oh founder of the new Hindu thought, who sought to revitalize into our society the wisdom of our spiritual past, who dreamed about establishing a universal religion, taking in the nurturing values of all religions, and breaking the dogmas, and the organizations that spread them, who wished to elevate the masses without injuring their religions, who sought to replace obedience to dogmas with thoughts on philosophy, has your grand project been hijacked and defeated, has your proud proclamation of civilization gone to the dogs?
Much against your vision, we see today the metamorphosis of our religious thoughts into dogmas, where the Vedas, will turn from thoughts of wise sages, to words of Gods, where philosophies that they contain, will require obedience, rather than critical thinking. The organization of masses on the basis of nationalism and religion will do exactly what you intended them not to, that is to stop seeking their own fate, leaving that to those who control them and lead them, and order them using the newly intended dogmas of the modified nationalism and the modified dharma. What we have is a machinery that will control the masses, and a machinery that is defining the laws of crystallization of the chemicals, not one that will lead every man and women to their own fate, not one that will let nature set the rules.
If we as a nation, look into the mirror now, we would see not a great civilization, but a nation no less barbaric than those others, chained to the dark ages by the dogmas of their respective theologies. Our new age nationalism, spiritual and religious realization started with a learned man, whose words below, describe his vision.
"My whole ambition in life is to set in motion machinery which will bring noble ideas to the door of everybody, and then let men and women settle their own fate.Let them know what our forefathers as well as other nations have thought on the most momentous questions of life. We are to put the chemicals together; the crystallization will be done by nature according to her laws. Keep the motto before you "ELEVATION OF THE MASSES WITHOUT INJURING THEIR RELIGION” - SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
All we need is a deep introspection, a long unwavering look into the mirror, to realize how we have failed his vision.
Little did we imagine that dangers of the Arab spring, would spread to lands beyond those under the influence of the three Abrahamic religions. For religions without dogmas, were not known to organize into tyranny, and not being organized remained the hinge on which, their seeming tolerance hung on to. The fire of protest that is lit, is for reasons noble, to end inequality and injustice and oppression, but the powder that is burnt, unfortunately only promises more of these. To move from Monarchs and Oligarchs to religious and nationalist tyranny does not represent progress. It represents the dangers that humanity breeds, those dangers that arise when the iron is hot, to beat humanity into new shapes of oppression, to sink them deeper into the world of chains. In the blind and furious pursuit for change, we may have taken a route, even less noble, than the one we were already traversing.
Slowly over the last decade, I witnessed the slow degradation of the civilized values in our society. These values, prominently characterized by co existence, pluralism, and a general dismissal of intolerance, were either built by design into our culture by our learned sages, or by accident by the inability of the same sages, to built into our culture, the dimension of intolerance. I would rather stick to the earlier view of design by sages, from what I have learned about our history and culture, rather than the later theory, of our failed sages, which is made to look what it is, by the efforts to rewrite the history of our nation and the composition of our culture on the basis of new dogmas.
Little could we imagine a fate like this to dawn upon our proud civilization, for we assumed that the lack of dogmas would protect us. Little did we foresee that one day such dogmas would be engineered into our culture, fed on by the fire of the incompetence of the last decade, that allowed religion and nationalism to burn the powder, that would destroy texture of our tolerant society.
I watch helplessly, as the same society, that disapproved of intolerant rhetoric a decade or two back, which forced all leaders to adorn the costume of a moderate, to be considered competent to rule, started nodding in silent approval, or maybe even whisper along, or shout joyously at the rabid rhetoric of hatred and intolerance. The same society in the name of liberation and liberty and progress, wants to crown a monarch through democracy. I would be less bothered about the coronation, but deeply concerned about the degradation, that makes them repeat the same rhetoric as acceptable thoughts of a civilized society. The degradation has set into our culture, and the dogmas are being written down as rules, and norms acceptable to our society. There is nothing lower that humanity can sink into.
Oh founder of the new Hindu thought, who sought to revitalize into our society the wisdom of our spiritual past, who dreamed about establishing a universal religion, taking in the nurturing values of all religions, and breaking the dogmas, and the organizations that spread them, who wished to elevate the masses without injuring their religions, who sought to replace obedience to dogmas with thoughts on philosophy, has your grand project been hijacked and defeated, has your proud proclamation of civilization gone to the dogs?
Much against your vision, we see today the metamorphosis of our religious thoughts into dogmas, where the Vedas, will turn from thoughts of wise sages, to words of Gods, where philosophies that they contain, will require obedience, rather than critical thinking. The organization of masses on the basis of nationalism and religion will do exactly what you intended them not to, that is to stop seeking their own fate, leaving that to those who control them and lead them, and order them using the newly intended dogmas of the modified nationalism and the modified dharma. What we have is a machinery that will control the masses, and a machinery that is defining the laws of crystallization of the chemicals, not one that will lead every man and women to their own fate, not one that will let nature set the rules.
If we as a nation, look into the mirror now, we would see not a great civilization, but a nation no less barbaric than those others, chained to the dark ages by the dogmas of their respective theologies. Our new age nationalism, spiritual and religious realization started with a learned man, whose words below, describe his vision.
"My whole ambition in life is to set in motion machinery which will bring noble ideas to the door of everybody, and then let men and women settle their own fate.Let them know what our forefathers as well as other nations have thought on the most momentous questions of life. We are to put the chemicals together; the crystallization will be done by nature according to her laws. Keep the motto before you "ELEVATION OF THE MASSES WITHOUT INJURING THEIR RELIGION” - SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
All we need is a deep introspection, a long unwavering look into the mirror, to realize how we have failed his vision.
