Dr Asangba Tzüdir
There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their own filth. (Proverbs 30:12, ESV)
The other Sunday, the Pastor of a Church while reiterating on the need for upholding clean election, earnestly exhorted the congregation to take care of the heart and keep it ‘safe.’ Often, we are more concerned about the health and well being of the physical body that we forget to take care of the heart. The functional aspect is that the ‘heart’ and the ‘will’ is the channel through which all good and bad things come about, so also the channel that enables decision upon right and wrong actions.
Based on this premise, the current political imbroglio which has reduced the state government to such a pathetic state, and the serious issues related to corruption that has brought down the life of the people to such a level of despondency, serves as an apt reminder on the need to ‘protect’ the heart and keep it safe. The current state of affairs and the resultant effect on the masses is largely a by-product of the acts of ‘unprotected hearts.’
The current political tussle has taken the masses through a topsy-turvy ride compounded by the uncertain and unclear nature of the issue where one party takes recourse to a floor test while the other takes the issue to court. What is not clear is the right path and it has led to unwanted issues of dignity, integrity and violence. Though, the fact that the fate of the floor test rests on the outcome of the court order is in fact a telling source that the ‘substance’ of the ‘emergency majority’ can be questioned. The art of the ‘majority,’ many a time, tries to stifle the truth for fear of its revelation which seems to be the case in the current imbroglio.
It is time for the general masses to realize that the real truth needs to surface if we are to progress in the desired direction. Why defend the many lies at the cost of truth that unveils the light. The choice is ours to decide between right and wrong and the good and bad. And for truth and the right to prevail the heart needs to be kept safe and protected. Only when one's heart is protected one can have total control over one's heart. It is in keeping the heart ‘unprotected’ that it easily gets negatively controlled by external forces that are more often damaging. It, then, becomes difficult for the heart to discern between right and wrong and the good and the bad. More so, it can be blinded through ‘weakness of the will’ especially when the ‘health’ of the heart is in a poor state.
To protect the heart, it calls for a clean heart that has a clear discerning power over right and wrong, good and evil. In the process of protecting the heart, it needs to shed off selfishness and transform it into a principled and a moral heart. There is also a danger in trying to clean the dirt of others before cleaning one’s own. And on a more serious note, the 2018 election needs to be encountered with a clean protected heart if we are to see a different Nagaland.
For now, ritualistic prayers are offered and people’s forgiveness sought but the damage caused on many fronts especially on trust is severely snapped. It is time for the people to start protecting the heart and boldly say NO to things that we want no more.
(Dr. Asangba Tzüdir contributes a weekly guest editorial to The Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
