Love is the most important religion
In March 2001, the then powerful Taliban ordered the destruction of the two Bamiyan Buddhas using rockets, dynamite and a missile. These were two ancient statues dating back to the 6th century, one a towering male and a smaller female carved into the cliffs of Bamiyan in Afghanistan. That they were destroying relics of ancient culture and heritage dating back to thousands of years, which was not theirs to do away with since it belonged to all mankind, did not deter them a bit.
A similar story seems under way in our own country where there is an increasing clamour for the demolition of the Babri Masjid to make way for a Ram Mandir.
How is it so easy for a handful of rabble-rousers to incite hatred and contempt in the hearts of millions of people? What goes on in their vitriolic and fanatical minds that make them believe they are better than the others who may not conform to their philosophies, habits and opinions?
Why is it that religion and religious beliefs can so easily sway us, make us maim and kill and roughshod their way over empathy, kindness and charity for our fellow beings?
Naseerudin Shah, the intelligent and eloquent actor, in a scathing interview spoke vocally and fearlessly about the fragmentation of society, the desiccation of our morals and the casual trampling of ethics in today’s India. He is so right! Can we right this fast moving, dangerous trend or are we already way beyond redemption?
This rapidly eroding, extremely important sense of tolerance, love and compassion for every person we come in contact with, irrespective of relation, religion, caste or colour is what needs to be taught to children in their formative years. Instead of blindly memorising topics on history, economics and math in school and then soullessly regurgitating them in examinations, I feel the first, mandatory lesson in kindergarten should be on kindness towards all humanity and respect and acceptance of our differences.
My father-in-law was a learned and pious man. In the later years of his life, he would recite the paath (religious verses) without the mandatory covering of his head. He refused to bow down to our man-made rituals. To the aghast supporters of these practices, he always had one answer. God was his best friend and he could have a conversation with Him, anytime and anywhere. Even with a glass of scotch in his hand, the rosary was never far away.
He snubbed talk of rites and unnecessary ceremony, drawing the ire of many a priest and cleric but it never bothered him in the least. Pointless ceremony was not going to come in between him and his Beloved (the Almighty).
He was kind to the point of being laughed at or belittled. Once our house help stole a rather large amount of money and was caught. Since he had been with us for a quite a few years and had ingratiated himself to my father-in-law, the latter, much to our horror, gave him a few thousand rupees for his fare home! He blamed us for our carelessness and for putting temptation in front of a poor boy, who did not have the good fortune God had bestowed on us.
Alas! They don’t make men like him anymore.
THE FIRST LESSON IN KINDERGARTEN SHOULD BE ON KINDNESS TOWARDS ALL HUMANITY AND RESPECT AND ACCEPTANCE OF OUR DIFFERENCES