COVID 19: A WAKE UP CALL FOR UNITY AMONG FAITHS
COVID 19: A WAKE UP CALL FOR UNITY AMONG FAITHS
Dr
M. D. Thomas
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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’.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published in ‘The Secular Citizen’ (Weekly Magazine), Mumbai, Vol.29 Issue No. 33, p. 06, 10 -- on 17-23 August 2020
Comments
Post a Comment