Thepfulhouvi Solo
It is very educating to read “Life versus Truth and Justice” by one R. Silverstein, USA in reply to Kaka Iralu’s on the Issue of ‘Naga Political Stand with India’.
Kaka seems to require India to weigh in the historical TRUTH of the Naga Stand and raises the question of JUSTICE for India to consider.
SILVERSTEIN on the other hand appeared to stand convinced that India “will not and cannot” consider the Naga Stand. He says, (let me quote Silverstein):
“My whole argument has always been that, for a variety of reasons, the GoI will not, cannot, allow the Nagas to have a sovereign nation. I further more stated that, at some point, the GoI will lose patience with the Naga activists pushing for a separate nation will tire of dragging out the peace process with no compromise by the Nagas as to an ultimate demand for a sovereign nation, and will physically crush the Nagas, will in fact finish the bloody job that they started in the 1950s and ‘60s”.
It was surprising to read Silverstein’s great -down to earth- preference for materialistic comfortable good life of today in preference over the Past or the Future. I liked Silverstein’s honest writings and personally, I am interested to learn, he is a Jew. So let me recapitulate a Story from the Jewish Book of Old Testament, Christian Naga and I assume a Jew, must be aware. To save precious time and space for a story most Christians and a Jew must be aware of; I drastically shorten the sample Story in my own simple words.
‘Not long after their settlement in the land of Canaan, the Jews realized the necessity of a King for a National POLITICAL Centre to preserve them against the many enemy Nations in Canaan, particularly the martial Philistines. The Populace, therefore forced their Spiritual Leader Samuel to select a person from among them King to draw the fractious stiff necked 12 Tribes of Israel, into a gravitational political centre under the King.
This was somewhat contrary to the Jewish tradition of not having a worldly King over them instead of their God Yahweh.
Primitive and savage Nagas also in the ancient had nothing more than their Spear to be their only King. Prophet Samuel anointed, a most beautiful youth in all Israel, ‘head and shoulder’ taller than the rest, -one Saul- to be their King.
King Saul spiritedly fought and defeated the Philistines initially but the exalted position of a victorious King over the Amelakite Enemy made the fiber of his character puffed-up and Weak, his Spirit left him and consequently at the end when a Philistine giant Goliath openly challenged Israel, Saul was afraid.
Unbelievably, a young rural Village Shepherd boy volunteered to fight the Philistine giant. The King doubted the shepherd boy David could fight the Giant only with a stone throwing Sling. On the way to the fight, the Shepherd boy picked a few small stones from the stream and with one felled the Goliath.
‘An intelligent choice of a Story for an unrealistic Comparison’ of the Indo-Naga situation today, some may say. However, the choice is not much for the comparison of tiny Nagaland against giant India. The sample Story is to bring out an important fact of LIFE, both Kaka and Silverstein seem to have just passed over, that is that, the Soul in Man lives today and the future.
It is not that only the Living has the Soul of LIFE, the Dead also have the Soul of life. My Mother is dead for quite some time but her Soul is still alive in me.
After all, what is Life Today, without Spiritual Values of Truth and Justice of the Past enlivening the Living today? If human life is, only to enjoy the good life of today, without the Past and the goodness of Hope for the Future, then Life is just a bundle of flesh that will vanish into the Dust in the Grave. The Dead of the Past in the Grave do have Value for the Present; the longer it is in the grave, the more precious it is. Surely, the Dead of the Past does live and affects the living today.
It is not that only the Living has the Soul of LIFE, the Dead also have the Soul of life. My Mother is dead for quite some time but her Soul is still alive in me.
If it “is immoral”, to give up the good life and comfort of today for the dead in the Past and immoral too to sacrifice the good comfortable life of today, for the future, -as Silverstein prefers; then today’s the good and comfortable Life would not have come without the toils of the Past. So also, the Sacrifice will affect the Future. Man without a Past has no Future. If the principle of: “EAT AND BE MERRY FOR WE DIE TOMORROW”, is the most preferable principle of life, I personally do not subscribes to the belief has brought Man from past Primitive savage to the present highly Civilized today.
WE are today because of the Past, we will be the Future because of how we are Today. ‘Respect for the Life of Today’ is great but ‘to live for the Future’ is more sublime. Man chooses today’s Principle for the future. In addition, what can be more transcendent sublime Principle today than a Stand for Truth and Justice for the Future?
The conscious selection of Human Values transcends today and brings us Goodness Tomorrow. For Leaders -if one is in Thinking- nothing is greater a Principle than a Stand for Truth and Justice today for the future. The final question on the Issue at hand is: Which principle Action one adopts for tomorrow’s future: Passive Resistance to the Adversary, Violence, Non-violence or any other democratic acts?
Only 9 Jewish Patriots alone remained in the impregnable Fort of Masada overlooking the Jordan River in Palestine, for the Freedom of Judea, against the might of surrounding Roman Empire Forces. The Patriots swore among themselves to kill each other by turn than to Surrender to the foe.
They cast secret lots to decide who would kill whom. EACH picked up one of the lots and found out which other compatriot he would eliminate, the last would kill himself! One after another, they fell to each other. The Masada fell but the dead are alive in every Jewish Soldier of Israel today before their Passing out Parade at Masada swearing: “Masada will not fall again”!
The Naga cannot and would not adopt the example of Jewish Patriots of Masada of centuries ago, but he will never accept the Status of a Dalit of India and would continue to fight for political Truth and Justice from India by means he thinks best, to live a ‘separate life’ but ‘together’?!
Thepfulhouvi Solo, IFS Retd.(RR -68) Retd. Principal Secretary, Nagaland
