13 September 2001, 12:36am IST
C Jayanthi.
Going by the events that have hit people globally without a pause, we could virtually coin a phrase, "life is but a series of calamities", and the next thing that you might think of asking is, "is it worth living?". the horrific terrorist attacks on the symbols and might of american economic and state power yesterday has shaken the whole world to its core. we in india have barely recovered from the starvation deaths in orissa and indeed the rest of the country, the economic and political crises. then of course, there is the ongoing violence in jammu and kashmir and the nearby middle east. most of us no doubt assume that god is being immeasurably unmerciful to the inhabitants in this part of the world. but how wrong we were. we are reminded now of how vulnerable the rest of the world is, too. fate and destiny find their target with unerring precision. most americans and indeed the rest of the world are perhaps asking, what have we done to deserve this unkind cut, these wilful acts of destiny that ravages us ever so often? haven't we prayed enough? have we harmed too many in this world and now, is it retribution time? the french philosopher anatole france, said, "it is almost impossible systematically to constitute a natural moral law. nature has no principles. she furnishes us with no reason to believe that human life is to be respected. nature, in her indifference, makes no distinction between good and bad." but then, what is one to make of human nature? the evil in us? the evil in every human being? each one of us give in to the evil and refuse to fight it; we cause great suffering with mind-boggling consequences. we give in to despair and ask ourselves, is there a god? but then the almighty does not reside outside of us, he resides within us, we just have to seek the right path, into our inner core and listen to our inner voice. we have to realise that all this violence that we do unto others, reverts back to us with a greater degree of force and the retribution that flows from evil acts perpetuated by us can be far more cruel than anything that nature's fury has in store for us. this is what kaliyug is all about. we have to collectively fight evil within and without and restore peace and harmony that god and nature willed for humanity. remember, buddha advocated right action, right thought, right conduct and right path. this is the time to put it into practice. william blake, the poet, wrote "when the voices of children are heard on the green /and laughing is heard on the hill /my heart is at rest within my breast /and everything else is still." we may soon not be able to hear the innocent voices of children, only their horrific crying as they are hit by calamity and cruel fate. the age of innocence is gone and gone are those isles of affluence which could remain untouched by acts of human destruction. the cup of human woe is over-flowing. who do we turn to? there is no saviour out there. there is only `us'. let us then turn inwards. let us weed out the evil within us. let us learn the healing power of good. let our actions dictate our spirit to take the right path and awaken the collective human conscience. this conscience allows us to practice the art of good and ethical living and while we go about our lives, it prevents us from harming and destroying others with impunity. the writer samuel butler has said, "man is god's highest present development. he is the latest thing in god." let us not forget that. let us remember that the almighty has willed us to show our power in our ability to fight and ward off evil. let us not disappoint him. it is only by recognising this inalienable fact that we can attain eternal peace and happiness. it is only by waging this war upon ourselves, that we can cleanse our souls and attain the highest good that we are capable of. some of us believe in transcendence and reincarnation and some of us do not. for a lot of us, therefore, `it is just here and now' and we are going to be judged according to what our actions are in this world. it is therefore time for introspection and right action. this is only way that we can save humankind.
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