Humanity is
constantly evolving. It has come a long way from where it was to where it is
now. It has gone through the evils of slavery, colonialism, monarchy,
dictatorships, authoritarian and hierarchical structures. It has gone through a
long traumatic period of racism, apartheid system, caste discriminations,
sexism, wars, holocaust, ethnic cleansing. It has suffered from many evils. It
still suffers from many evils of the past. Because persons are not conscious of
who they really are, i.e., sovereign
beings with inalienable rights, they still tolerate or put up with, for
instance, monarchy, infallibility, inhuman customs such as genital mutilations
and inhuman religious practices that violate human rights. Death penalty or
bodily mutilations for crimes need to go. Abortion for family planning or
unplanned pregnancy, cosmetic surgery for youthful looks reduction or
enhancement of busts or breasts has no place in a holistic world-view. Looking
at these and many other matters of lesser importance not mentioned here, humanity
has still a very long way to go from where it is to where it is destined to be.
Humans are
created equal and unique, and as such no one is subject to anyone. Yet we
subject ourselves voluntarily to one another for a reason or for a period in
the prevailing circumstances. No one
grudges if one subjects oneself to another, for instance, in surgery or in a
job situation. These functional subjections voluntarily made do not alter the
sovereign nature of a person. These are limitations due to an imperfect world
or present dispensation we live in. Yet it must be categorically said that this
world with all its draw-backs is infinitely better than it ever has been in the
past. Persons or nations cannot any more contemplate or perpetrate evil and
criminal acts with impunity and without consequences as in the near past. That
the world is better than it ever has been is mentioned here to counter the
arguments of fundamentalist and fanatic religious persons who see rapture
around due to what they call signs of the last days of the world on account of moral depravity.
Moral depravity of the past cannot be compared to that in the present. Current
evils often are begotten from unjust and inhuman policies of the past still continuing.
There is an evil reaction in the present to an evil action in the past.
Leveling-up means all persons are on the same level as human beings. No one is
above or below. That way we do not need
to put anybody down or up. Either we bow to all or we bow to none. That does
not mean that we do not either appreciate and acknowledge the good points and
accomplishments of good persons or deprecate and take note of the crimes of bad
people.
History is a
great leveler. We have bad and good people from all strata of society. I am
going to cite a few examples from history. Alexander VI, “the most notorious
pope in all of history… was marked by nepotism, greed, and unbridled
sensuality”. He “lived an openly promiscuous life, fathering several
children”. Henry VIII, the English king
who established the Anglican Church after splitting from Rome for not getting
his much-sought divorce, executed four of his six wives, slept also with the
mother of one of his wives, and worst of all, executed (St.) Thomas More,
perhaps the most moral person in the English realm then, for following his
conscience. Emperor Aurangzeb, imprisoned his father, Shah Jahan (who himself
killed his two brothers to become emperor) and ordered his brother, DaraShikoh,
the designated emperor and the favorite son of Shah Jahan, executed. Aurangzeb
got his brother’s head brought on a dish; he threw Dara’s head on the ground
and gave three thrusts in the face with his sword mocking him. He then ordered
the head to be delivered to Shah Jahan while seated at table in his prison. In
recent history we have Adolf Hitler, one of the worst criminals, who killed
about 6 million Jews and a host of others for his insane ideology. Why look
into history? Let us come to the current situation. The article – IPL parties:
the inside story – in Hindustan Times of May 14, 2010, speaks of “free endless
cigarettes, flowing booze, occasionally drugs, and always women, willing and
uninhibited women everywhere. The boys lapped it up, and would party right
through.” These cricket players are the idols of today’s youth. On the other
hand we have shining examples of Socrates, Buddha, Jesus Christ, a carpenter’s
son, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and countless others. What does all this
say? Human nature is the same everywhere. We are all one. Our choices make us
who we are: not power, not wealth. Fighting against vicious racism and
discrimination, Martin Luther King stated that it is not the color of our skin
but the content of our character that determines who we are. We have every
reason to level up with everyone in the world.