Some two thousand four hundred years
ago, in the city of Athens, the first democratic court of this world brought
two charges against a septuagenarian man; one for corrupting the young
generations with malice of thoughts and secondly for showing disrespect to the
city Gods. The guilt was proved and the accused was sentenced to death. The man
had brought the philosophy to the streets of the city…the scholars, peasants,
artisans, masters, servants, pimps, ladies, noblemen and even the beggars used
to listen to his words that simplified the purpose of life and living through
it.
On the dock, he stood up and
explained before the judges in the Athenian Agora, about the greatest
fallibility of human life. “It is not my crime that convicts me, but the rumour
and gossip that by whispering together you are persuading yourselves to convict
me; to prove that I am guilty. By nature, rumour is very light to lift up, but
heavy to carry and hard to put down and it doesn’t disappear once one indulges
her in life.”
The city of Athens was in trouble to
accommodate a new form of democracy and people were anxious to know about the
new form of governance; these complexities had a confluent influence of both in
risking the conviction of the man, who raised a few fundamental questions about
life and expressed his thoughts to settle those too. A nation can take
questions when it is stable with ideas and confident with knowledge, but it
fears the same questions when it is split and vulnerable, both in ideas and
knowledge. The time was wrong for the Greece and the world and the death of the
man was not untimely, but unjust—as cruel as the thoughts so precisely killed
some two millennia ahead.
The man was Socrates, the ancient
Greek philosopher, who brought the fundamental questions of life on public
discussions. It was not a disturbing note for to start even at that time, but
as he always cautioned that “written words” had tremendous power to influence
mind of people and it could be good or bad, but would have merciless impact to
add virtue or vice to human soul, in days to ensue. It was that stage of early
age of pursuing knowledge that took refuge to written scriptures instead of the
earlier form of oral pool of knowledge.
His death did neither stop rumour to
make more men as her slave nor did his ideas die as the democratic court had
thought. It could only happen for a simple reason that his questioning on life
was simple and everyone in the streets could connect to such questions. What is
worth in living; what is beauty, what is honesty, why love is precious and so
long “whats” and “whys” in the flow. And, in essence, it all spoke about a
simple string that these were all the axioms in life along which the life
prospers. These are the primary pillars upon which life rests. There is nothing
to hide; the love, the hatred, the agony, the pleasure, the warring roar of
people, the merciless torture of powerful, all so relevant and true, but
nothing to hide, but to confine to a single objective, whatever harsher and
harder it might be, to be award goodness to it. It is all to know yourself, the
world being a mirror to know what you are, what is fear, what are your
thoughts, what are your virtues and what are your vices. Explore your deceit
and integrity, truth and lie, love and hate; all so within you and rectify. “The
unexamined life is not worth living, what is the reason for living life, other
than to love it”, he said.
The tragedy of life lies in defining
the objective only. The source of happiness, if remain unidentified, makes the
happiness illusive. Every facet of human expressions is role specific. The love
for the children cannot be and should not be expressed in similar manner to the
parents. Aiming life depends on identifying roles and shaping up goals to such
roles in such a manner that it brings happiness to whatever one does to honour
those goals and roles in life. And, there breeds the discontent. I wanted to be a doctor, but have become a
teacher; you wanted to an artist, but have become a technician. The dreams and
destiny are pulling the life from two directions, sacrificing the happiness in
between. Now, the essential questions that the great philosopher raised have
become so relevant. Is it the happiness anyway affecting either of the faces;
my dreaming to be a doctor and becoming a teacher. A little deeper thought
takes us to a simple answer, “NO”, at the end. The dream of being a doctor and
living a life of a doctor has nothing to interfere with not becoming it so long
the principles of life are concerned. The principles are the axioms in life,
which cannot be broken; we simply break ourselves against it.
It brings my soul to wail whenever I
read the last part of the great epic, Ramayana. Mahakal has come to meet Rama
and got Rama to promise that he would kill anyone interrupting their
discussions. The beloved brother, Lakshmana, had to meet Rama and he knew that
he should not enter as it would compel Rama to kill him, yet he had to.
Lakshmana had to die as Rama had never desisted from adhering to his promises.
Sages opined if Rama disowned Lakshmana that would be similar to killing him as
Lakshmana would not live once being disowned by his revered brother. Lakshmana
moved slowly, alone, toward river Sarayu. None accompanying, none bidding
farewell. His feet were steady while his soul was delightful as he perceived
his happiness has been fulfilled in that mortal life in company of such a
wonderful experience of life; in love, hatred, faith and misfortune. Silently
he dipped into the water never to reappear. What was a life for Rama to live
through? He was to be king of the largest nation. He had to sacrifice it and he
did it happily. He had acquired immense knowledge; had the purity of love in
experience. He had to fight with a great man only to recover his wife, Sita,
whom Ravana had abducted but never touched. Sita had to prove her chastity as
the rumours in democracy put down Rama to oblige. Did Rama have any doubt over
her chastity? The wisdom of Rama never justifies it that he had any doubt, yet
he had to dishonour the respect that Sita deserved. The role specific departure
in pursuit, perhaps, made him more unhappy than Lakshmana and Sita, who never
deviated from the paths of happiness in defining roles and goals, at least in
the epic. Rama too took the path of self-sacrifice. He was too moving slowly
towards river Sarayu; but thousands of people accompanying—some crying in
sorrow, some in pleasure of accompanying Rama. He too dipped into the water
never to reappear, but was it full of delight for him as was for his beloved
brother? Never know, if so; perhaps, not.
Almost contemporary to Socrates,
lived a prince in the cradle of the Himalayas. He left his royal home to seek
for the ultimate truth in life. His journey was strenuous, yet meaningful; it
offered only enlightenment—the sacred truth of life. He professed four noble
truths in life; the life is full of sufferings, craving is the source of sufferings,
the cessation of suffering is the pursuit and the path of cessation leads to
enlightenment. People raised questions, “What is worth in living when it is
only full of sufferings?” The answer offered was much simpler than wheat people
expected. Unless the life undergoes through sufferings, it cannot find it source,
and unless one finds the source of sufferings, the cessation of sufferings can
never happen and the path shall never lead to enlightenment. These are the axioms
in life. One needs to experience pain to learn the meaning of pleasure and
value it. The endless battles of cravings within mind shall end in valuing profound
peace, if the battles are to secure the honest, righteous and principled
choices of life. Love is material so long it breeds upon desire. The desire
leads to own up the loveable. The possession leads to desire to control it. And
the control over the loveable leads to death of love. The illusions in life are
those passions that breed upon desire, whatever sacred and pure they might be.
The joy in life is only attainable in compassion and peace. The selfless man
was Siddhartha, the Buddha.
I love my daughter. I want her to be disciplined,
educated and joyous. In pursuit of such dreams, my love generates a sense of desire;
the craving to see my daughter succeed in the way I perceive the world. I want
to secure her in life; forfeiting her own wisdom, own values. I dictate but do not
let her learnt what is truth as I fear that truth is hard and I never want her
to face such harsh truth. That craving guides her to take a wrong path that
never leads to anywhere, however fast she runs, whatever attainments she has,
whichever tiers of successes she reaches. She learns to belief in wrong
pedestals that my perceptions persuaded to have trust in. The bond—the sacred
bond—has been shattered by me in pursuing my cravings in guise of my love. Such
love is worse than hatred. It erases both the divinity of love and trust from
her mind.
Wise men have so generously shared
their wisdom. The history, the religion, the philosophy and the creative art are
often touched by lights of their wisdom too. But, it all had fallen prey to our
perceptions, our own manipulations and social voids. The essence of life has
not succeeded to retain true meaning beyond those few people who felt it,
valued it and lived it to the fullest.
Why should I be honest? The most
common question wanders through the corridors of the life. Why should I love
when someone ignores me? Why should I not fight to secure my possessions? So
many questions. One wise man says, “Okay, you don’t be honest, if that pleases
you. But, will you say it so to your children? Would you suggest them that they
need not be honest, truthful, trustworthy, loving, caring, concerned? Tell me,
if you agree.” There ends the tale. Yes, there is no answer as to why should
one be honest. It is one of the axioms in life. Life evolves with some fundamental
truths. Such truths hold life to secure itself as an opportunity to suffer,
through sufferings learn the value in it, find true love that inspires life to
offer itself in loving—to do, to be and to aid—and to explore the path that
will lead to profound peace of mind—without any desire, any greed, any fear and
any bond.
I want to be good and my goodness tells
me to be compassionate, to be generous, to be faithful, to be helpful to
others. The compassion if brings joy in mind is the true; if it tempts to raise
desire to be recognized as generous even within the confine of own mind, it is
illusion. It lacks the fundamental truth in its offering. You sincerely want to
address many inconveniences of people around you; you are selfless and the people
have no transactional relationships with you too. But you have neither adequate
resource, enough strength and required access to reach them all. Does it
generate discontent in your mind? One needs to value what is the circle of concerns;
I may have concerns over many aspects of life. One needs to value the circle of
influence also. I cannot do something or my resources do not permit me to do
something. One can stretch the circle of influences by learning, assimilating,
cooperating, and socializing; only if there is no craving for recognition in
doing so. It is only to enhance own character strength, own assessment of pain
and pleasure in life. So more stretched it is, closer it would be to the circle
of concern; only if one wants to offer the life to merge both the circles in
oneness; else the consequence would be disastrous. The discontent rises when
they mismatch. The influence works where concerns do not reside and concerns
breed where influence never dreams to reach. Mostly, we are victim of this
mismatch. Our dreams are illusions; without any logic, any sincerity and any devotion.
We dream whatever suits us; I want to be as smart as Mr X or as beautiful as Ms
Y. The dreams have no meaning except generating a wild chase. The colour, race,
caste, religion, gender and many other sources of inequality have been in the world
only through generation of such misplaced perception and opportunism. There is
neither pride nor glory in being a patriot if one fails to adhere to basic
values of life. The efficiency without ethics help us reaching a wrong place
faster. I wanted to be a doctor but become a teacher. What is frustrating in
it? Did it anyway ruin my purpose of living; living a life with all fundamental
values of life; any hindrance to even seek for the ultimate truth? I am denied
a lift in my career; and blame my misfortune, the bias in the political system
or the whims of the selection board. Does it really matter in interfering with the
life’s pursuit? Have I ever thought in an unbiased manner that Mrs Z may really
be more knowledgeable or has proven her acumen in the field that is primarily
the job to be done on the lift in office? Or, even when the system chooses a
less qualified person above me, do I think it is unjust as I am more qualified
for the post in any unbiased assessment and I should seek the justice in
appropriate office? Does it reflect my ambitions in life have hindered the goals
of life to attained? Does this pain of betrayal have no other value except the
betrayal of lack of justice? In any manner, does it interfere with my pursuit
to seek for the truth in life—the happiness, the peace and the enlightenment?
One needs to ponder sincerely.
Life has no shortcut. One has to
undergo pain, yet seek for the divine truth through loving life, loving living,
loving the pains and the pleasures, loving doing any act of goodness, loving to
be honest, loving to be faithful, loving to be truthful, loving to be life in
prosperity of love only. These are the axioms in life and they need never to be
proved or challenged. Once one challenges honesty, integrity, love, peace,
compassion, cooperation, appreciation, pain and pleasure, the basic foundation
of life gets challenged. The life bears absolute nothingness once it deviates
from such pillars of life. Whatever material successes it may seem to have
attained are only tragic art of betrayal of life. It is the death in disguise
of a life.
