When morality is sufficient, law is not required; but when morality is insufficient, law has to be enforced. When the morality of those who are supposed to enforce the law is insufficient, the criminals roam freely outside the jails; the people have no say whatsoever. If someone steals the ration meant for the poor and we complain to the department of food and civil supplies, can we expect justice from them? The officials and the minister are major participants in the stealing; hence, to complain to the thieves to ‘please take action against themselves’.... is useless. Therefore, without the power to punish the corrupt it is useless for the people to complain.
Justice is truth in action. We cannot cooperate with the devil in the office and say we are cooperating with God in the church as well. Man cannot serve God and Mammon. We look to our religious institutions to reform our society but we find the church eagerly accepting the wealth bestowed on them by the thieves. Even Hitler looked forward to the priests, for his mental consolation. It is wonderful that highly corrupt people in our society lavishly contribute money (conscience money) to churches. But can the church sanctify it? Can it cover up their guilt? Is it possible for the church to buy blessings from God or even to bribe God into giving them more opportunity for more corruption? Who then is left to tell them that the Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked?
The question of morality verses immorality has existed ever since we came into existence. Chaucer in his “Canterbury Tales” talks of ‘indulgences’- selling of good deeds to the sinners against a price and thereby getting salvation. In the same tales we hear of ‘pardoners’ and ‘summoners’ selling the bones of pigs as relics of the saints, making good money and fattening themselves. Milton talks of priests, who were more interested in ‘feasting’ than in offering solace to the needy souls.
Changing times have changed age-old foundations of honesty, truth, integrity and all other virtues. Today a man’s worth is measured in terms of money. By dishonest means, assets worth hundreds of crores are created and thereafter, a hefty chunk of it is offered to the church; for the love of God or for absolution? The church accepts and all is forgotten. But is it forgiven? The human church may grant acceptance, but let it not be forgotten that it is for a higher power to forgive or pass judgement on what is sinful and what is not.
Mahatma Gandhi said that seven things will destroy us. All of them have to do with social and political conditions. These are also known as seven deathly sins.
1. Wealth without work. 2. Pleasure without conscience. 3. Knowledge without character.
4. Business without morality. 5. Science without humanity. 6. Religion without sacrifice.
7. Politics without principle.
1. Wealth without work. This refers to the practice of getting something for nothing- manipulating the system that you do not have to work, just manipulate people and things. Making wealth without working, benefitting from govt. programs without carrying a fair share of the financial burdens, and enjoying all the perks of citizenship without assuming any responsibility. New social norms and mores are cultivated that causes distortion in their thinking and judgement. Justice and judgement are inevitably inseparable, suggesting that to the degree we move away from principle (the laws of nature), our judgement will be adversely affected. We get distorted notions. We start telling rational lies to explain why things work or why they do not. We move away from the law of the farm into social and political environment.
2.Pleasure without conscience. Followed by wealth without work, the chief question of the immature, greedy, selfish, and sensuous has always been, ‘what in it for me? Will this please me? Will it ease me? Many people want these pleasures without conscience or sense of responsibility, even abandoning or neglecting spouses and children. The ultimate costs of pleasures without conscience are high as measured in terms of time and money, in terms of reputation and in terms of wounding the hearts and minds of other people who are adversely affected by those who just want to indulge and gratify themselves in the short term. It is dangerous to be pulled or lulled away from natural law without conscience. You are now a law unto yourself; you do not need a conscience to govern you anymore. And you see sixty year old man with attractive young girl. Whatever happened to spouses? What happened to the social mores that make cheating on spouses illegitimate behaviour?
3. Knowledge without Character. As dangerous as a little knowledge is, even more dangerous is much knowledge without a strong, principled character. Purely intellectual development without commensurate internal character development makes as much sense as putting a high-powered car in the hands of a teenager who is high on drugs.
4. Business without morality. Adam smith, the father of economics, in his book, Moral sentiments, explained how foundational to the success of our systems in moral foundation: how we treat each other, the spirit of benevolence, of service, of contribution. If we ignore the moral foundation and allow economic systems to operate without moral foundation and without continued education, we will soon create an amoral, if not immoral society and business. Economic and political systems are ultimately based on a moral foundation.
To Adam smith every business transaction is a moral challenge to see that both parties come out fairly. Fairness and benevolence in business are the underpinnings of the free enterprise. Our economic system comes out of a constitutional democracy where minority rights are to be attended to as well. The spirit of Golden Rule or of win-win is a spirit of morality, of mutual benefit, of fairness of all concerned.
I like that Smith says every economic transaction. People get in trouble when they say that most of their economic transactions are moral. That means there is something going on that is covert, hidden, secret. People keep a hidden agenda, a secret life, and they justify and rationalise their activities. They tell rational lies so they don’t have to adhere to natural laws.
5. Science without humanity. Science and technology have changed the face of most of everything else. But the fundamental things still apply, as time goes by. If science becomes all technique and technology, it quickly degenerates into man against humanity. Technologies come from the paradigms of science. And if there is very little understanding of the higher human purposes that the technology is striving to serve, we become victims of our own technocracy. We see highly educated people climbing the scientific ladder of success, even though it’s often missing the rung called humanity and leaning against the wrong wall.
6. Religion without sacrifice. Without sacrifice we may become active in church but remain inactive in its gospel. In other words, we go for the social facade of religion and the piety of religious practices. There is no real walking with people or going to the second mile or deal with our social problems that may eventually undo our economic system. It takes sacrifice to serve the needs of other people- the sacrifice of our own pride and prejudice, among other things.
If a church is seen as just another hierarchical system, its members won’t have a sense or inner worship. Instead they will be into outward observances and all the visible accoutrements of religion. But they are neither God-centred nor principle -centred.
7. Politics without principle. The focus on the personality ethic is the instant creation of an image that sells well in the social and economic marketplace. You see politicians spending crores to create an image, even though it is superficial, lacking substance, but it is just to get votes to win the election and gain office. And when it works, it leads to a political system operating independently of the natural laws that should govern. If we get a sick social will behind the political will that is independent of principle, we get a very sick society with distorted values. The problem is that our value system is not based on a natural law. Good leaders create more leaders but bad leaders create more followers. Politics with principle empowered the citizens but politics without principle rob the freedom of the citizens.
In the movie The Ten Commandments, Moses says to the Pharaoh, “We are to be governed by God’s law, not by you’. It is our responsibility to cooperate the government which is protecting the welfare of the people, it is also equal responsibility to non-cooperate with the government, if they are not protecting the welfare of the citizens.
If the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do. They do the right things for the wrong reason. Giving to the church is right, but the foundation of obedience to the voice of God, people give it for the wrong reason. I am not a theologian to criticise anybody. It is just a thinking of my spiritual map of what I believe in my heart should make sense in my mind.
I have not had reason to complain about any lack of opportunity of public presentation. However, if my arguments arouse any interest, and lead to more public discussion of these vital issues, I would have reason to feel well rewarded.
Medongoi Rhakho
Assistant Professor (Department of Economics)
Dimapur Government College
