Understanding the basic tenets of Humanism allows for a deeper grasp of why human beings continuously fall within inevitable disarticulations throughout generations of scientific and philosophical enquiries that sought and continue to seek the removal of ‘God’ for reasoning mankind’s existence and purpose. According to the International Humanist and Ethical Union, “Humanism is a democratic and ethical lifestance which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives.” In addition and most important to note, “It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality.” In essence, understanding and accepting that the human condition is not dependent on religious historicity, metaphysics and scriptural injunctions allows mankind to delve into meaning-making missions that are bound to result in chaos and absolute failure.
Throughout the various scriptures and Hindu texts, it is evident that the focus and purpose of that soul,having been spiritually evolved to acquire and experience the senses and discriminatory mind of the human body should spend his/her lifetime with an ultimate goal of achieving moksha or freedom. Our ancestors understood that any inquiry into the purpose of man is performed and undertaken with the understanding that a higher force is at play and is involved in the process whether one chooses to accept it or not. An example of a person who is unaware of their own ignorance can be best understood in an analogy-where a farmer appreciates and focuses heavily on the importance of the physical labour necessary when ploughing the land, planting the seeds, watering the crops, and finally harvesting for a successful crop. However, if little attention is placed on the other forces that determine the success or failure of the crop like the exposure to sunlight, the insects and worms that aerate the soil, the nutrients available in the soil, the time of the year, the season and the effects of the moon, the weather patterns and all other forces of nature, then the farmer can expend all that energy and fail in the end. Positioning ourselves at the center of all the action can cause tremendous problems or mishaps in life. We must accept and adhere to the reality that our reality is an illusion. If we do not do so, then there is no technological and scientific advancement that can save us when the forces of creation are at work.
The opposite can also happen, where most of us spend our lives in an existential loop where we wait, wait and wait for things to happen. When some persons are asked why indifference and laziness define their existence, it is easier for such people to find comfort in blaming ‘bad karma’ or ‘bad times,’ where they may be waiting again for ‘good times’ to come again. The life-journey of human beings have become bogged down by the waiting game where essentially, everyone is waiting to finish their education, waiting to get married, waiting to have children, waiting to marry their children, waiting for grandchildren, waiting for retirement and it goes on and on, much like the literary masterpiece, Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. This play positions the life of two characters in the same existential loop where they spend their time waiting for someone named Godot who never arrives. Most lives resemble such a ‘tragicomedy’ and as a result exist as insignificant entities in the world devoid of any real purpose.
The message becomes clearer when one worries endlessly about the results of an examination but failed to put in the work necessary to pass in the first place. Some people invoke the power of God to acquire material things and it has even become so perverse to the extent that pujas and yagnas are scheduled to thank God for a new car, new house, overflowing coffers and affluence beyond one’s needs. When did the real reason for worship and sacrifice become so perverted that there remains a tremendous imbalance amongst the legitimate pleasures of this worldly existence; where artha (material wealth) weighs heavily on the scales. The lessons from scriptural narratives of characters like Daksha, Kubera and Raja Bali have all been forgotten? Their meaning-making mission of using their bodies and distorting reality to achieve a different purpose caused their downfall.
It is strongly advised that shifting the focus even for a bit is too much in this age of Kaliyug. This age begins with the end of the narrative of Raja Pareekshit who lost all sense of purpose and value when he put his body, his position and his material acquisitions before his mind, his soul and his sense of morality. Placing the dead snake around the neck of a Sage caused his eventual demise. Let that dead snake remain a symbol of man’s pride in position and authority and the fate Raja Pareekshit faced by devaluing the higher self, the Sage and the journey of enlightenment for eventual freedom from this bondage of sin and suffering. Change the trajectory of our meaning-making mission and allow into our lives the divine bliss and ecstasy we can experience when God comes first.
Pt. Varistha Persad
BA, MA, Pg, Dip.Ed (UWI)
TIII (English)
SWAHA Hindu College
