Individual humility and community solidarity

The grave injustice we read about in the first reading of the day, from the book of the Kings, about Naboth being killed by king Ahab for his plot of land reflects very much some of the happenings around the world today.  Someone poor and innocent is murdered merely for holding onto what is rightfully his.  The oppressor, who is much richer and powerful, gives in to his greed and commits a murder.  What's more heartbreaking is that the king and the queen, those in the highest of authority, prey upon those whom they are supposed to protect and strengthen.  Not only the rulers, but the whole system is against the poor and innocent.

What would one's response to such a tragedy be?  Or what can one do if one finds oneself in similar situations?  The Gospel seems a very absurd response:  show the other cheek!

...offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.

Where then is justice and how can one live an honest and simple life?  One can answer that it lies in the following passage from the Kings, when the wrath of God prophecies against Ahab and Jezebel - but that does not save neither Naboth, nor Ahab!  However, the gospel passage itself has a response.  It is of individual humility and surrender.  But that's what one is to do when one finds oneself in such a situation: surrender; not react.  But as a community each one is to stand for the one being oppressed.  Every act of injustice is to be challenged without being aggressive or hateful... just state that the act is wrong!  Gandhiji, a non-Christian understood this perfectly well!  Christian ethics is always communitarian. 

That also means that when there is injustice being meted out to someone in the society, I need to take a stand on behalf of those oppressed. This is where our society fails itself:  we expect everyone else to support and stand by us when unjustly treated, but rarely do we stand by someone who is in a similar situation.  Individual humility (having done all one can do to prevent the injustice) and community solidarity:  Sounds utopian but actually possible and humane.  No violence, no hatred, no unprovoked anger.  

Respect

Know not if this distinction is sensible or unnecessary but speaking of respect, there can be of two kinds: appraisal and recognition.  While the former is something that I accord (or deny) to someone on the basis of their actions, virtues, words and so on.  In short, it is esteem. The latter is something that I accord to all persons irrespective of what they do or say or not.  It is recognizing their personhood and acknowledging that aspect.

While there can be a very limited number of persons in the 'appraisal' category but none can be exempted from the 'recognition' category.

Or is this basically a classification similar to love-like? That I'm called to love everyone but then I can like or dislike people for various reasons.  Anyway, makes some sense.  But there is something that tells me that all is not well with this distinction.  

Social sins

A very comprehensive quote (by Gandhiji) summing up our modern attitudes:

Gandhi Jayanthi

My last post from India for now:

This time something I came across on Random Thoughts.  It is in the context of our nation "celebrating" Gandhi Jayanthi today.

Read her exact and apt words here...

Gandhiji martyred... again!

This whole day was a long run of the comprehensive oral defense exam of the Brothers. More than the students it was a struggle for the Professors to sit through it all. However, as ever, there was something to cheer too:

To the one who did his paper on the Gandhian notion of non-violence, I asked the full name of Gandhiji? Mohanlal Karamchand Gandhi, came the reply!

To another, in whose paper I found a quote and the author of that quote too - Moraji Bhai. I asked the Brother who this was and without a moment of hesitation he replied, "Gandhiji's wife."

Hudson, Vivekananda, Gandhi, WTC and 9/11

There was an interesting discovery I made this evening as I glanced through The Hindu of September 19, 2010. It was an article titled Vivekanada, Gandhi and 9/11. The author, Rajni Bakshi weaves together three other significant 9/11s which indeed prove as crucial crossroads in the history of humanity. The first 9/11 is that of 1609: the day Henry Hudson, the first European landed on an island called 'Menatay' - today it is Manhattan.

Within half a century of Hudson's landing, much of the native population had been wiped out by European guns and germs, those who survived retreated inland.

The next significant 9/11 is of 1893: the day Swami Vivekananda gave his famous "Sisters and Brothers of America" speech at the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago. A day for celebrating peace and brotherhood through reason.

Vivekananda realised that all spiritual striving is beyond reason, but reason is the only way to get there. For, reason is the greatest gift of the human existence.

The other great 9/11 is of 1906: a day when Gandhiji first spoke of Satyagraha at the packed Imperial Theatre in Johannesburg.

In an atmosphere charged with anger and the will to fight, Gandhi dropped an idea that acted like a depth charge. Let us fight disciriminatory laws by refusing to comply - by offering unflinching non-violent resistance. His logic was impeccable. Truth is God and God is love. It follows that a struggle for justice cannot involve hurting one's opponent. Instead, the 'other' in a conflict must be weaned from error by patience and sympathy. In turn, this means cultivating the willingness to examine 'truth' in all its many dimensions. This can only be done by being strong - not physical strength but the strength of truth-force or love-force.

What I liked best was the author's intention of drawing our attention to not the incident itself but the attitude with which we recall those incidents. That these ground-breaking events took place, is a fact, but with what outlook and attitude we face today and especially live the events related to these 9/11s is what really matters.