Seasonal flavors
Has anyone noticed how we
unknowingly or unwittingly tend to flow with the tide? Even though we consciously
restrain ourselves, yet the sheer enormity of happenings around us build up a
tendency to follow suit. Peep into your younger days when certain ‘in use’
words were originally treated as slang, but because of its daily use, becomes
commonly accepted words in daily dictum
The excess coverage, usage of
these words makes it irreplaceable in common day to day conversations thereby
giving it a pedestal to cling on in modern day dictionaries. The same can be
said of actions too, the more you keep repeating a certain action the more it
gains acceptability making it as justifiable action in communities.
The present day dispensation is
an able example of this type of action. They browbeat the opposition to their
thoughts and view point in such a manner that the fence sitters amongst us
start believing there is nothing wrong in condoning such actions and
utterances. The basic requirement is that one must commit to these actions in
an unfailing manner with lots of conviction and must seem to be, and be eager
to defend it.
Some of us have started to copy
them and this is the flavour of the season. In a lot of places you will see people
acting with disdain. In fact lack of tolerance, jumping the gun and solidly
defending even the indefensible has become hallmarks of our daily community
living.
This is sadly not only happening
in inter religious mixes but also in intra religious gatherings, where the
majority or elected representative viewpoint is being thrust upon ordinary
folks with the same body language and with the same conviction as the
propagators of this line of thinking. If you differ you are ridiculed and
threatened with physical incapacitation or even false propaganda.
Unfortunately the keepers of
religion also have started to mess about in this thick. The seemingly subdued modesty
of these keepers somehow sweetens the intimidating tactics that they follow. It
seems that the present trend in the country seems to have rubbed off on some of
our parish priests.
I am a member of a church and
have seen the brazen acts of these so called keepers of religion and appointed
guardians of the faith, who have started using the pulpit in the church to
articulate totalitarian ideas. Anyone who chooses to defy or forms an
alternative view point is doomed by these leaders and their gods.
We as bystanders can either choose
to fall in line, thwarting the wrath of their gods or choose to trudge a
different path and cross swords in matters of faith. Either way you are doomed;
as inviting the wrath of the Gods will not go down well in your own circle of
family and friends, and choosing a different path will go against the dictates
of the religious order.
So should we follow the oft
repeated path set from above or question the closed fist attitude of these
leaders. Should one go down the path less trodden or stutter in speech when
confronted by their God in your prayers. Should you take inspiration from the
great Poet Rabindranath Tagore who exhorted us to go it alone in the absence of
backers, or hold on even if you are the last man standing?
Robin Varghese
18th July 2017
