Love and Compassion are the Essences of Life

Pic courtesy – https://www.fggam.org/2020/11/clothe-yourselves-with-compassion-kindness-humility-gentleness-and-patience-2/

We have one world, one earth, one Sun, one moon, one life, one body having multiple organs working in tandem, then why can’t we have one religion, one ideology, one belief, one caste, one sect, one culture which is humanity. Why there’s so much conflict of belief which leads to the massacre of people, destruction of nature, and slaughter of humanity? Why there’s so much lust and greed for superficial things? Why there’s so much disparity? Why there’s so much injustice? Why there’s so much exploitation? Why there’s so much distrust? Why there’s so much insensitivity? Why there’s so much insecurity? Why there’s so much blood? Why today human has become the enemy of humans? Is it we have been made for? It appears that the inhuman side of humans is not only dominating, rather it is winning.

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We know that there was a time when keeping a black man in chains was socially and legally justified, burning of blamed witches was acceptable, using the badgers as baits for training the dogs to be more ferocious was a symbol of richness, hunting of wild animals with a pack of dogs which used to rip the quarry of a limb from limb was the source of pleasure of some super Rich. Although all these things which were prevailing and accepted in society in the past are illegal now, inhumanity has become more common and intense with a treacherous mask on the face. Violent headlines are so common today, that everyone has accepted them to be an integral part of our lives.

The whole world is passing through a time where because of the complete control of ultra polarised political zealots and religious fundamentalists, nobody on this earth can escape from becoming a victim of mental or physical violence. And beneath much of this violence is the fatal false dilemma, that turns people with different views into enemies, a difference of opinion into conflicts, which ultimately turns into combat.

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We act on false values, engage in unending arguments, perpetuating cycles of misunderstandings and violent interactions, on levels from the interpersonal to international. In the current scenario, can we call ourselves human? Sometimes I ask myself, are we a part of the human race? In this concrete world of our dreams which we have created with a lot of dreams in our eyes, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. This is the cost of development where the weak are becoming persecuted to extinction. In my opinion, we have no right to call ourselves a RACE HUMAN.

Perhaps there are two kinds of the human being. One who understands that we are all human and other forms of life on this earth are part of the Ecosystem of this nature. Human has been blessed with a rare gift of consciousness to make this world a kind and better place for all. And on the other hand are those, who cling to the idea that they are the masters of this planet and all other beings, men, women, children, and animals. They think them to be their properties to be used and abused for their sadistic pleasures. It has been said that for evil to grow and flourish, it takes only a few good men to do nothing. In the last few decades, sensitivity has evaporated from society, which is so essential and directly linked to our existence.

Why sensitivity in society is necessary? Because sensitive people have depth in their thinking, their nervous system is fine-tuned to develop an understanding and solution to adapt to the situations and the surroundings, in which they live. Albert Einstein, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nicole Kidman, Tolstoy, Jim Hallowes, and Greta Carbo Mother Teresa, are some personalities known as HSP (high sensitive people). The people mentioned above are great artists, actors, scientists, and social reformers. Eisenstein has said, “the intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant”. We have created a society and a world for ourselves that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. Sensitivity has always been the strength of the society without which our existence will always be in a question mark.

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Human dignity is the foundation of humanity which is inherent and inborn. We can’t confine and legislate human dignity. Rather we need to recognize it, affirm it and accept it. The ancient wisdom of the East affirms the dynamic balance of complementary opposites (Night and Day), ( Darkness and Light), (Yin and Yang), and (Action and contemplation). But the western minds too readily fall into the logical fallacy of the false dilemma reducing our complex lives to only two options, good or bad, right or wrong, win or lose, profit or loss, everything or nothing and finally you or me. When this reductive dualism narrows our minds and limits our choices, we see differences as threats, suggestions as interference, and opposition as enemies. Instead of working together to solve our problems, we spend time planning, fault finding, blaming, shaming, holding others responsible for all the bad things, and attacking them with all the allegations. In place of resolving the problems, It fuels only in escalating the issues.

When we look around, we find humans to be greedy and selfish, which they call self-protection. To them, for success in life, one has to have a pragmatic approach according to which altruism is an illusion, and cooperation is only for accommodators or suckers. Competition is necessary and natural for evolution. War is inevitable to safeguard the interest of society and the country. Each country has substantial spending in its annual budget on arms and weapons. Today the bad in human nature is stronger than the good. For millennia, emotions are regarded as the fount of irrationality. Today, we see decisions being made purely based on money or to benefit the career graph of those wielding power.

What’s human? Plato compared the human soul to the chariot, the intellect is the driver and the emotions are the horses. As per Bhagwad Gita, the human form is the highest stage of evolution in the cosmic life cycle. Ancient Indian tradition is rich in explanation of the working of the body, mind, and soul. We must try to cultivate a sense of the oneness of humanity. “PLANET EARTH IS OUR ONLY HOME”. We need to be less focused on narrow self-interest. It is only our perception that creates this world because nothing exists as it appears. Compassion faded only because we rely only on our subjective perceptions and feelings rather than on reasons and objectives. Compassion is as vital to life as the air we breathe. Love and compassion are necessities and not luxuries without them humanity can’t survive. They are the essence of human life.