Who is really insane? – ‘Seldom’ such Posts (3)

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Today, I am here with my sequential Article as titled above under ‘Seldom’ such Posts series. Here, in this category, you will find some specialty topics which I consider to be most essentially attended to by my Readers. As my regular Readers know it very well that whatever I publish here on my blog is always worth-reading and nothing is special or ordinary; but, just to emphasize the particular Article, I categorize the same so.

Before stepping into the topic, I would like to narrate an episode witnessed by Honorable Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam (p.b.u.h.). Once he was passing through the streets of Medina, the Capital city of Saudi Arabia then. A crowd had gathered in the market place and in the heart of the crowd, an insane person was doing some mocking (jesting) actions. People were attracted with the scene and they enjoyed and laughed at him. The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) called them and told them “Do you want to introduce you the real mad man?” All were silent and listening to him attentively and respectfully. He said, “A person who walks conceitedly (proudly), and he continually looks around himself. He moves his sides along with his shoulders (He sees no one but himself and thinks about no one save himself.). A person from whom people expect no goodness and a person from whose mischief people are not safe. This is the real mad man. The person whom you saw is a patient, a patient of mental illness.”

Now, keeping in my mind the above episode, I’ll try my level best to answer the question put in the title as “Who is really insane?” in my own words with some more comparative instances. Insane is not he or she whose mouth leaks with saliva or spittle, but he or she whose mouth always vomits vulgar words, speaks ill of others, expresses back-biting and exchanges abuses. Insane is not he or she whose clothes are torn and dirty as the said person is unable to maintain them decently, but those are really mad persons who are well dressed looking like gentleman or gentle-lady, but whose characters are rated in the third degree of comparison i.e. the worst in the eyes of the society and also in knowledge of the Almighty Creator.

Further to say, the person with crossed eyes and stretched facial muscles is not a mad man. He or she is merely a patient, but real mad people are those whose eyes are always red with anger and hatred of others, twinkling with greed of gathering money by hook or crook and lustful for illegal and immoral sexual entertainment. The former narrated with their peculiarities are the patients and the latter are insane in real sense though he or she may be a master of sharp intellect, possessing unlimited wealth, having sound mental and physical health, occupying so-called honorable position in society or considering themselves powerful politicians.

It is the general tendency of those mentally handicapped people that they never acknowledge them being insane, but instead of that they think that the people of the whole world are insane save themselves. Similarly, the real insane people being discussed here are in delusion of their minds that whatever they do is as a result of their smartness. With their over-confidence and superiority complex, they believe that they are making fool of others and nobody is capable to mark their trickeries. But, they do not know that they are cheating to themselves because the sane people and the God Himself better know what they really are. Here below, I would catalogue some insane groups of people who have knowingly or unknowingly accepted that they are mad, but they like to remain mad with their false and defensive arguments of being practical in routine life.

These groups are such as millions of High School students and their parents worldwide and particularly in India who have gone mad knowingly. All know that their Teachers are paid handsome salaries for their duties to teach them honestly in the institutions. But, what we see is that those insane people defined here are making lots of money through private tuitions and applying also tax-evasion or tax-avoidance practices. If we count all those persons (students, parents, managements and Governments) involved in this open scandal, the size of the population of such people world-wide would be more than1/3rd. Other group of voters and politicians of democratic nations may randomly cover 2/3rd of world population where we can see not only monetary corruption but some ethical corruptions also which cannot be made at par with any huge amount of currency and they are disturbance, destruction, deviation and transgression.

One more group of youngsters who are in ratio of about 30% in the world may perhaps go astray and turn out to be insane in our special definition of insanity in this Article if they are not protected from the popular culture spreading speedily. Grip of elders upon them is becoming loose day by day and it will not be a wonder if they rebel against them and so called modern culture already stands there waiting to embrace them stretching its arms open. Entertainment media has been aggressive to increase TRP rating of their programs by catering vulgarity round the clock just to make money from costly Ads by spoiling culture of youths and teen-agers. Degradation of their culture is being tolerated by their guardians (to say all from parents to politicians) and thus their irresponsible attitude is fully responsible to damage the peace and order of the society.

Just before winding up the post, I would like to say that history has witnessed many cruel rulers who have utterly ruined their nations or kingdoms with their insanity termed here. Their evil ruling has caused to lead the people down to ever darker and lower levels of hell on earth. If my fairly sane Readers, randomly, presume the number of those mentally handicapped people (patients) world-wide and compare their proportion with those so called sane people, they will find that the former are negligible in counting. But, there is no scarcity of such so called sane but as a fact insane people at any place in the world and at any time also.

My good Readers will agree with me that those poor patients of mental illness never do any harm to anybody in the society. On the other hand, we see that those insane in disguise have done all round damages to society in little or more proportion. The real difference between people to people is not sanity or insanity, but more or less insanity. Psychologists and Sociologists have found out through researches that any individual is always insane little or more and occasionally this insanity comes out and leads him or her to such unfair behavior and action which become the cause of repentance for the whole life. If such wrong action damages himself or herself, it is all right; but, sometimes the related person/s and society have to suffer the consequences of the same. A notable quote of Friedrich Nietzsche is as “Insanity in individuals is something rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs it is the rule.” Terrorism and some other forms of massacre such as racist attacks, confessional hatred and so-called ethnic cleansing are the forms of mass insanity. These are the man-made disasters where there is nothing but utter ruin of human lives. They are such as wild fire in the forest where dry and green trees burn to ashes together and it becomes very difficult to let the fire cool down.

We have to take stock of ourselves whether, knowingly or unknowingly, we are the part of such destructive activities with our silence insanity. A very witty quote of Rita Mae Brown will justify what has been said just. It is as “The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from mental illness. Think of your three best friends and if they are okay, then the fourth that remains is you.”

Summing up, the sanity of individual’s mind makes the good health of his body. Similarly, the healthy mind can dwell peacefully in a healthy body. Healthy minds and bodies of the citizens can establish peace and order in the places where they live. Civilized civilians are like beams in a house or bones in a body that can make own nation strong, healthy and prosperous. Lastly, I quote Lord Byron with his brief text as “Hatred is the insanity of the heart’. Madness of heart is more dangerous than the madness of brain.

Hopefully, this post may be evaluated as fitting to my category of ‘Seldom’ such Posts and be commented fairly by my Readers.

Regards,

– Valibhai Musa

Note: (p.b.u.h.) means “Praise be upon him”

 

Life on earth, possible but not safe!

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Today my heart, paining with the burning issue of violence now-a-days spread over one or the other country of the world, stimulates me to write something still more over and above some of my previous articles in this regard. Wars and conflicts, both military and civilian, can never bring permanent solutions of the issues. The world has experienced the failure of experiments of violence and still we are not prepared to give a serious thought over the philosophy of non-violence successfully experimented by Mahatma Gandhi. The world is now weary of hate and violence. Far past and recent massacres made through Atomic Bombs and Bomb Blasts have destroyed the lives of such a number of people with whom, if they were alive, we could have started a new world on any planet of the universe.

Let me very frankly put a new equation as “World = Rulers + Ruled”. The Rulers are at top, the Ruled are at bottom. The Rulers are few and the Ruled are countless. Out of both the divisions, the oppressors are few, the oppressed are many. From top to bottom, those some very few are engaged in how to destroy the earth, its innocent population, its balanced environment, its natural resources, its social law and order, its peace and comforts, its primary needs for survival of all creatures, its ideology and spirituality and its many more physical and abstract concerns. A great number of the oppressed have to judge who use Atomic Bombs and alike destroying weapons as the Rulers and who use Bomb Blasts and similar practices damaging and disturbing civilian lives as the Ruled. A neutral observer will not generalize them in particular group of East or West and Caste or Religion. They will classify them as a single group of known as the enemies of humanity and rebellious against the God and His Divinity.

The Birthday (2nd October) of Mahatma Gandhi has been declared as International Non-violence Day by the UNO. But, what of that if the purpose of the day is not served! All the member nations of the UNO should at least introduce the study of Non-violence minimum at Primary Education level and see we can create a new generation throughout the world that can change the face of the world with a new concept of Non-violence. Revolutionary education to present growing up generation may bring good results flourished fully after 100 years if we start today. I recall an ancient system of erecting walls with bricks and stones around the capital cities of a particular kingdom to protect it from the attacks of the enemies. In that context, I remember a quote somewhere read as “Just to prevent the wars, walls should be built in the minds of the people.” The lessons of Non-violence will surely build the castles in the minds of the new generation and thus the future of the world will be very bright and the earth will be worth living for all.

I am not an expert of National and/or International Politics as well as not a scholar of World History. But, with my simple logic and understanding, I have come to a conclusion that due to some political mistakes, the powerful nations opted wars instead of some alternative solutions of the issues and as a result millions of human lives have been destroyed. Some political critics have openly blamed those powerful nations that they have imposed wars upon the world under the pretext of saving all from destructive weapons and that also with a good name of war for peace. But, the outcomes of those so called wars for peace are before our eyes and we have no any option but to believe in that all these misfortunes are the side products of those wars.

It is the irony of the fate of the world that the scientists try to know whether life is possible on other planets like Mars; but here on this Earth, we see that life is possible but not safe. Human is not safe in transportations, on roads, in hospitals, in their business premises, in religious places, in schools or colleges, in their farms or even at its home.

Just for some moments meanwhile, I’ll go to a personal matter of mine just to co-relate it with my following point of the Article. My Friend Dr. K. M. Patel’s daughter, Urmila is preparing for her Ph.D. in the subject of “Saul Bellow – an American Novelist”. I chatted on internet to feed some contents if useful to her. I chanced to collect a dialogue from Saul Bellow’s novel “Ravelsterin” (Frankly speaking, I have not read the full novel) which is very important for me to advocate humanity. The dialogue is as “There are times when I need to ride in the subway at rush hour or sit in a crowded movie house-that’s what I mean by a humanity bath. As cattle must have salt to lick, I sometimes crave physical contact.”

I pick up only two words ‘humanity bath’ from above text and join my Readers with me to imagine a ‘blood bath’ resulted from a bomb blast and victims would have been travelers of any transport or spectators of any movie in a theatre. Those enemies of humanity take away the lives of many in a second and on the other hand some Surgeons try to save a single life with some major operations for hours. A mother sacrifices her whole life to bring up her child and make him a young man and in no moments he becomes the victim of such man-made disasters. A doctor who studies up to the age of about 25 years and has been capable to save the lives of many patients and he loses his valuable life in a very cheap manner. Many blood donors worldwide donate their blood willingly to save the lives of unknown people and here the sacred blood of many innocents is spilt and wasted.

Mahatma Gandhi has rightly said, “We see that this song of hate has not benefited humanity.” I repeat my words placed in my previous Article “International Non-violence Day” and say that to walk on the way of Non-violence is rather difficult and perhaps the result may be disappointing. Gandhiji has explained this issue of doubt in his words as “My faith is as strong as ever. There is no hope for the aching world except through the narrow and straight path of Non-violence. Millions like me may fail to prove the truth in their lives; that would be their failure, never of the eternal law.”

While summing up, I would suggest to my Gujarati Readers to read a poem of Zaverchand Meghani titled as “Ghan re bole!” (ઘણ રે બોલે!). A sledge (big hammer) and an anvil (એરણ)are the instruments of a blacksmith. In personification flower of speech (સજીવારોપણ અલંકાર), the hammer and the anvil have been imagined as brother and sister respectively. Here, the brother speaks and the sister hears. The sledge declares its (his) wish before the anvil to make some creative equipments useful to mankind rather than destructive weapons used in wars. It is a wonderful poem that can be sung in tune of a singing prayer (ભજન).

Let us pray to God for prosperity and happiness of the world.

Regards,

– Valibhai Musa
Dtd.: Aug 15, 2008

 

Winning hearts and bridging minds

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Today, I am going to undertake a risk of writing this Article, with hope and despair, whether I would be able to justify its aim as I am far away from National or International  Politics. Mr. Jeff, my bother-like friend and who recently passed away, was the US citizen. We used to sit together frequently and he made me aware of the US and its National and International politics. My subject here is not on politics, but the great thing the US recently did is praiseworthy and I am inspired with it to express some thoughts of mine here regarding the most essential ideology of Global Brotherhood and Peace in the prevailing situation of the world.

Just before I step forward, I would like to represent A RESOLUTION, recognizing the holy month of Ramadan and expressing the deepest respect to Muslims in the US and throughout the world, was passed unanimously by 110^th Congress of the US on October, 2, 2007 (International Non-violence Day) by a vote of 376-0. The Resolution was the 1^st of its kind to acknowledge the importance of Muslims in America as a sign of respect and recognition. Its text is as follows:

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the commencement of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, and commending Muslims in the United States and throughout the world for their faith.

Whereas since the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, threats and incidents of violence have been directed at law-abiding, patriotic Americans of African, Arab, and South Asian descent, particularly members of Islamic faith;

Whereas, on September 14, 2001, the House of Representatives passed a concurrent resolution condemning bigotry and violence against Arab-Americans, American Muslims, and Americans from South Asia in the wake of the terrorist attacks;

Whereas it is estimated that there are approximately 1,500,000,000 Muslims worldwide;

Whereas Ramadan is the holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal for Muslims worldwide, and is the 9^th month of the Muslim calendar year; and

Whereas the observance of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan commences at dusk on September 13, 2007, and continues for one lunar month: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That : –

(1) during this time of conflict, in order to demonstrate solidarity with and support for members of the community of Islam in the United States and throughout the world, the House of Representatives recognizes the Islamic faith as one of the great religions of the world; and

(2) in observance of and out of respect for the commencement of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, the House of Representatives acknowledges the onset of Ramadan and expresses its deepest respect to Muslims in the United States and throughout the world on this significant occasion.

Mr. Keith Ellison, a converted Muslim from Christianity, presently the Member of the U.S. House of Representative, a lawyer and also active on a national level in advocacy for Muslims in the United States told USINFO showing the motive of US Congress behind the above Resolution as this : “The basic idea is demonstrate not only to the Muslim world but to the whole world that the US Congress is a place where all faiths are respected, all faiths are recognized, where we embrace our diversity and where we believe that promise of America is that you may seek the Divine as you see fit within your own judgment, and in your own tradition and your own way.” Further, he added, “We are a nation of religious tolerance and religious inclusion.”

Over and above, one more positive and noteworthy step of the US is that its Postal Service has announced on October 7, 2007 to re-issue Eid Stamps with an appeal to support it by purchasing and using it. Previously the Postal Stamps of both the Eids (Eid–ul- fitra and Eid–ul- Adha) were issued in 2001.

In my previous Article “International Non-violence Day”, I had suggested to media to observe its Dharma (duty) to highlight such positive events publicly for developing Inter–Religious Understanding. But, very regretfully, I want to say that such a historic event is little brought to the knowledge of the oriental world.

Above two positive approaches undertaken by the United States of America have a vital importance, in my view. Muslims are the second largest populations of the world. Many Arab and Muslim countries of the world as well as numerous individual Muslims had sympathized with the victims of September 11 and offered valuable moral support to the US. I referred some books and other sources to know what re-action the Muslim world had shown on and after the terrorist attack, the brutal violation of Human Rights, on WTC. My recently referred book “The War on Freedom” (How and Why America was Attacked  – September 11, 2001) written by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, a ‘think tank’ dedicated to the promotion of human rights, justice and peace; is riveting and thoroughly documented study of the grave sin committed by those enemies of humanity.

Sheldon Solomon of New York, a Professor of Psychology, on a debate platform of an Auditorium on the 9/11 attack said,” There is hostility in the world because people are incapable of accepting different views.” He further said, “I saw the worst and the best human behaviors there in few days when WTC was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. The best that people set aside their pretty differences in pursuits to help others. The worst is that that event was the worst.” He further added, “Countries will never get along if they keep using military and economical approach to solving problems, and that a Psychological approach is also needed.” He said also, “Imagine if, every day, we acted like those New Yorkers did after Sept. 11, if we fulfilled our human potential everyday and how much better this world would be.”

The noble people of the world are always horrified by the massive killing, destruction and attack on innocent lives reported from any corner of the world in any form, even wars. Particularly, regarding the philosophy of war, they people are of such opinion that “A war never decides who is right but who is left!” Besides terrorism, some other forms of massacre are racist attacks derived from confessional hatred and so-called ethnic cleansing. All such forms of massacres are the worst in views of all the religions of the world and their true believers. Meanwhile, I would like to justify the title of my Article in a way that its profound substance is in line with above mentioned Sheldon Soloman’s views of applying psychology for the solution and prevention of various forms of massacres in the world. With such positive approaches, the hearts of those noble people can be won and their co-operation can be useful for bridging the minds of opposite groups of extremists.

Now, I come to my subject with a link of Muslim re-action after above one of the tragic episodes of the world history. Here below, you will find some specific reports of re-action related to the event. Corey Saylor of the Council on American – Islamic Relations had reported that American Muslim re-action was overwhelmingly positive at the time when the tragic event had happened.

In my first phase, I’ll illustrate some examples of re-action of American Muslims in this regard. Let us go through a Fatwa (Religious verdict) against Religious Extremism by the Fiqh Council of North America in its words as “In the light of Qur’an and Sunnah, we clearly and strongly state that, (1) All acts of terrorism targeting civilians are Haram (forbidden) in Islam. (2) It is Haram for a Muslim to co-operate or associate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence. (3) It is the duty of Muslims to co-operate with the law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians.”

One more example, in brief, is the re-action of “15 American Muslim Organizations” – through their joint statement said, “We reiterate our unequivocal condemnation of the crime committed on September 11, 2001 and join our fellow Americans in mourning the loss of up to 6000 innocent civilians.”

In my second phase, I would like to give you some more re-actions reported from many Muslim countries and individual Muslims of the world. Some extracts of the same in general and specific are as follows:

“We condemn in strongest terms the incidents which are against human and Islamic norms. All forms of attack on innocents are criticized in Qur’nic verse as ‘No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another’. Attacking innocent people is not courageous. Islamists who live according to the human values of Islam could not commit such crimes.”

“They must be brought to justice in an impartial court of law and punished appropriately. It is a duty of Muslims to participate in this effort with all possible means.”

One of the Muslim countries in Middle East re-acted in its open words as “Apprehend them and those supporters who aid and abet them through incitement, financing or other support.”

League of Arab States stated, “Any human being, regardless of his ethnic and religious origin, will never think of carrying out such a violent, evil attack. Whatever its purpose is, this action cannot be justified and tolerated.”

One more statement is as “Islam does not encourage any kind of terrorism; in fact, it denounces it. Those who use terrorism in the name of Islam, in fact, have no other faculty except ignorance and hatred.”

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Jurist-ruler of Islam through Islamic Republic News Agency reported in severe words in general reminding us far past and recent Historic massacres. The words themselves are self-explanatory persuading the political mistakes of those countries that could have saved millions of human lives by opting alternative solution of the issues rather than the wars.  He stated, “Killing of people, in any place and with any kind of weapons, including Atomic Bombs, long-range-missiles, biological or chemical weapons, passenger or war planes, carried out by any organization, country or individuals is condemned. It makes no difference whether such massacres happen in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Qana, Sabra, Shatila, Deir Yassin, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq or in New York or Washington.”

Now, when I am near to sum up, I feel free to say that I am satisfied with the presentation of my text in this Article. I have put before my Readers both the two positive re-actions; one, from the side of the United States of America and the other from the Muslim world. Now, I leave the decision upon you whether you agree with what I have presented here to make the universe peaceful.

Lastly, I shall quote a Czechoslovakian proverb as “Misfortunes always come in by a door which has been left open for them.” This proverb is equally applicable to the Nations of the world also besides individual ones. Now, it is the right time to take the stock of the domestic and international strategies and policies by all the Nations of the world to maintain peace and order in the world. Any problems among nations to nations, religions to religions and individuals to individuals can be solved by winning hearts and bridging minds of each other or one another. No matter how magnanimous the evil forces may be, the honest measures for the welfare of the world from the rulers and the ruled through out the world are bound to grow and bear good fruits.

May God enable us to achieve what is the best for the entire mankind.

With best Regards,

– Valibhai Musa
Dtd: 15^th October, 2007