COVID 19: A WAKE UP CALL FOR UNITY AMONG FAITHS

 

COVID 19: A WAKE UP CALL FOR UNITY AMONG FAITHS

Dr M. D. Thomas

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Frederick Engels, in his classic ecological work, ‘The Part Played by Labour in the Transition from Ape to Man’, observes that ‘in nature nothing takes place in isolation. Everything affects and is affected by every other thing’. That would mean, continuous ‘motion and interaction’ compose the dynamics of nature. Therefore, ‘everything is connected to everything else’ is the ethos of environmental science.

 

The above environmental ethos underlines the metabolic dynamics in the human species, in terms of its essential relation with the external environment. The mutual interaction and relation between the duos, along with the humans themselves, cannot be ruled out, if existence on this planet has to be made meaningful. This gives a strong clue to how the epidemic corona virus came about, how to combat it and how to prevent similar instances in the future, as well.

 

It goes without a mention that Covid 19 has been causing immense havoc and misery in the human society. It has inflicted upon the humans incalculable confusion, panic, suffering and loss of life, along with the consequent downfall of economy and day-to-day life, from the homeless and labour class to employees and big industrial firms. Perhaps, the worst part of all that is the ‘uncertainty’ as to when the humans as a whole are going to be fortunate to take in a hygienic breath again.  

 

I think, Covid 19 has done one good thing and it has to be profusely appreciated for the same. That is, when it was scheduled to attack the humans, it did not discriminate them, in terms of caste, class, creed, colour, ethnicity, gender, ideology, language, nationality, senior-junior, ruler-ruled, rich-poor, great-small, theist-atheist, east-west, north-south, and the like. It spared only one group of people, those who were fairly strong in their power of immunity, mostly the young.

 

The dire fact stands out that it has not made a difference between a Hindu and a Muslim, a Christian and a Sikh, a Buddhist and a Jain, a Zoroastrian and a Jew, a Baha’i and an atheist, et cetera. Almost like death, it has levelled all considerations of high-low, good-bad, right-wrong and first-last. Those who came in touch with the affected got affected in return, by personal contact or by air. That’s all. The ‘equal footing’ Covid 19 measured out to one and all is a major lesson for people of diverse faith-based and other affiliations, in shedding their divisive thinking and in sharpening their sense of mutual unity.  

 

Further, Covid 19 affirms that ‘everything is connected to everything else’ and nothing in this world, human or environmental, is an isolated entity. Every item or entity has something to do with the other, whether species, group or individual. Everything is related to the other, in essence, although degree may vary. In other words, there is nothing like ‘the other’. The so called ‘other’ is an extension of one’s own being, brother or sister. Therefore, getting connected and interacting with, one to another, can never be ruled out, in any way, considering a meaningful existence on earth.

 

It is a matter of immense credit that the humans are endowed with intelligence, wisdom and discernment, in view of regulating life in the interest of one another. This creditable gift the creator has given them is to be geared towards conducting oneself, individual or group, by way of keeping the other as next of kin and in priority. ‘Do to the other what one would have the other due to one’ (Mt 7.12), along with ‘honour one another above yourself’ (Rom 12.10), is the ‘golden rule’ of life for one and all. Could the humans act upon this golden rule and consider humans of other persuasions in esteem and reach out to him or her in need?

 

In addition, the ancient seers consider ‘aham brahmaasmi’, meaning ‘I am brahman or god’, and ‘tatvamasi’ (tat tvam asi), meaning ‘you are that, you are god, you are part of god, it’s you’, etc (Brihdaranyaka and Chandogya Upanishads respectively). Similarly, divine wisdom has it that human beings are ‘created in the image and likeness of god’ (Gen.1.27-28) and that ‘they themselves are god’s temple and god’s spirit dwells in them’ (1 Cor 3.16). Both these celestial insights speak volumes of the inherent dignity and nature of the humans that apply to one and all, without exception and gradation. Therefore, the ‘reciprocal relatedness’ of human beings, clear of borders, is beyond the scope of being debated.     

 

That would amount to state that to be inclined towards the other and to ‘stay tuned’ to and to be related to the other, through an incessant process of social ‘interaction’ is the basic ethics of human life, in line with the divine design. For that reason, one individual or community cannot exist, like an ‘island’, lake or pond, cut off from each other. The diverse streams of life cannot travel independently, like ‘parallel lines’ that do not meet, too. ‘Walking together’ and ‘working together’ is the way the different individuals or groups can make the best sense out of their lives as civilized human beings.

 

‘Unity’ is the watchword of a purposeful life. But, in the society where unity seems to be the most difficult to exist is the faith sector. Perceptions, experiences and convictions are not easy to unite. A sense of reason and scientific temper has to reign over the faith sector, so that one believer can accommodate the other believer in one’s world. ‘Staying united with believers of other perceptions and convictions’, realizing that they are sharing the one and only God, though slightly differently, is the litmus test for the realness of faith and quality of life, two-in-one.  

 

Covid 19 is a ‘wake-up call’ for the humans, faith-based individuals and communities in special, to ‘stay united’. It is a hard but an imperative lesson for ‘thinking inclusively’ of the other, learning from a different set of values, accommodating the other, respecting and loving the other, reaching out to the other in service and, at the end of the day, for ‘living harmoniously’ with the other. ‘Unity among faiths’, among believers and faith-based communities is the proof positive for having a faith that is worth the while. Unity of faiths is the yard stick for measuring the ‘harmony quotient’ (HQ) of a certain country and the larger society, as well, because ‘every human being is connected to everyone, in the same divine essence’.

 

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The author is Director, Institute of Harmony and Peace Studies, New Delhi, and has been committed to cross-cultural perspectives, cross-scriptural values, constitutional values, interfaith relations, communal harmony, national integration and social wellbeing, for the past over 40 years. He contributes to the above cause through lectures, articles, video messages, conferences, social interactions, views at TV channels, and the like.

He could be viewed, listened to and contacted at the following portals – websites ‘www.mdthomas.in’ (p), ‘https://mdthomas.academia.edu’ (p), ‘https://drmdthomas.blogspot.com’(p) and ‘www.ihpsindia.org’ (o); social media ‘https://www.youtube.com/InstituteofHarmonyandPeaceStudies’ (o), ‘https://twitter.com/mdthomas53’ (p), ‘https://www.facebook.com/mdthomas53’ (p); email ‘mdthomas53@gmail.com’ (p) and telephone 9810535378 (p).

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Published in ‘The Secular Citizen’ (Weekly Magazine), Mumbai, Vol.29 Issue No. 33, p. 06, 10 -- on 17-23 August 2020