“Out beyond ideas of
wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” The great 13th-century
Persian poet Rumi sang that. Rumi was an enlightened person and like all
enlightened people he knew that the line between right and wrong is rather too
blurred. Right and wrong, truth and falsehood, are not absolutes except in
science and mathematics.
Sonya, the
heroine of Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment, is a prostitute.
Prostitution is absolutely wrong, a cardinal sin, in most religions and moral
systems. Sonya stands on the side of the condemned in ordinary morality. But
not for Dostoevsky. Sonya emerges as one of the noblest characters in the
novel. She was driven to prostitution by utter poverty. She had to look after
her ailing sister and her children. Sonya had no choice but sell her body.
Ordinary
morality and religion would condemn Sonya. But Rumi would have met her on that
field beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing.
Life’s truths
and rights cannot be absolute. There is no God who would dare to dish out
absolute truths and rights in the world of human beings. Human truths are
limited. Human rights are circumscribed. By circumstances, by motives, by ironies.
One person’s
fetish may be another’s food. One person’s god may be another’s demon.
Your truth
may be your neighbour’s biggest irony.
Why do you
insist on imposing your truths, your likes, your views on your neighbour?
This discussion
is absurd, I know. We live in a post-truth world where truths
and facts don’t matter at all, forget about absolutes and relatives. The
heartbeats of slogans override the sobriety of truths and rights here. It is
not about wrongdoing and rightdoing anymore; it’s about fabrication of truths
and rights. The prophets of post-truth are alchemists. And alchemy was always fake.
Alchemy may
go about sporting a long, white beard which pretends to be something what it is
definitely not. Alchemy relies on false propaganda. Massive advertisements.
Communicative abundance. Diarrhoea of words. Photoshops. Photo ops. Costumes.
Fancy dress which is taken as real by a bunch of bhakts.
A field
beyond wrongdoing and rightdoing alone won’t do anymore. We are not in 13th
century. We are in post-truth 21st century.
What is
needed now is a field beyond absolute truths and post-truth. What is needed is
real democracy. Real democracy teaches us that no man or woman is good enough to
claim they possess the truth and to rule over fellow beings.
PS. This post has been provoked by the latest
Indispire theme: “Out beyond ideas of
wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I'll meet you there. When the soul
lies down in that grass the world is too full to talk about.” ― Rumi #internationalpeaceday
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ReplyDeleteI remember Sonya from class and I believe that she will meet Rumi at the field beyond truths and the contrary. The world names the truths and wrongs according to their will and you've explained it pretty well.
ReplyDeleteRights and wrongs are relative to one's upbringing, religion, culture, education, psychological makeup...
DeleteWhat is needed now is a field beyond absolute truths and post-truth. I am pondering over it. I am also pondering over - no man or woman is good enough to claim they possess the truth and to rule over fellow beings. Yes, we are not in 13th century (which was perhaps better than this post-truth 21st century). Your thoughts appear to be in the context of today's India. However they apply to the world as a whole.
ReplyDeleteYes, they apply to the whole world. Trump, Putin, Jinping...all need to understand these lessons. Biden seems to be a bit better...
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