Vekupa Rhakho George
There is a need to envisage beyond the fixed structures in life. Structures are very necessary as they provide foundation for individual and society, but they are relative to culture and it needs to be updated with the changes of time. There are dangers attached to permanent fixation. We sometimes move with the crowd and fail to realize the goal to which we head to. In many cases, people are just satisfied with the structure they are into and fail to see the greener pasture beyond the confinement. In this kind of a situation, the ego is at its peak. New ideas fail to operate because of the lack of passion to accommodate one, which might be interesting and nourishing as well. In our villages and societies, we sometimes come across certain conventions which have become outdated because of the better and more efficient ways of looking at the reality, but we sometimes fail to look beyond.
This is one of the reasons for selfishness to creep in. At times, some people become too adamant with the structures laid down and continue to be satisfied with it. Instead of bringing progress, there is a possibility for backward movement, which is unusual in a world where progress is onward. Actually, philosophically speaking, no human love the other though we might use the best of phrase to express love and gratitude. Sometimes we say, I have no words to express my love for you. It is simply because the human language is limited and not because of any other reason. Everyone, consciously or unconsciously looks for ways to build one’s own comfort zone regardless of the status one fall into. But constant and perpetual deliberate walling of fresh ideas will hamper the progress sooner or later.
In many societies and institutions, sometimes people are so much into rules and regulations and fail to operate love, compassion which is very basic to every human. The potentials to grow are also curtailed because of the social norms and sanctions which prohibit a person to perform certain acts beyond the structure because the society feels that he/she is not matured enough. People who are entrusted as superiors or leaders need lots of openness to guide. At times, we allow others to move the way we want of them. As a result, they do not allow the person to grow as he/she is destined to be, but rather the guider himself. The danger is, it might be like a doctor diagnosing a patient without knowing the sickness. Every human is uniquely built and should be helped to grow the way he/she is destined to. Leaders and superiors can only be facilitators for the growth of a person and not the literal understanding of being the formator. We can’t form people. There is a natural inclination in each person to move the way the instinct directs. For this reason, sometimes the amount of inputs does not help a person to grow but instead makes him/her even more confuse.
Flexibility is very essential for healthy growth of any human person. There is also other extreme where a person can be off path while trying to ignore guidance and attempting to be too flexible. There is a need for proper balance between the two. Anything for that matter which goes extreme is not appreciated and encouraged.
Down across the centuries, we found people who went beyond structure but that led their lives to endangerment. Let us take for example Christ, who lived in the history of humanity. He called aspade a spade that shortened his existence in the world. He was against the scribes and the Pharisees who were so conscious of the rules and regulations but their hearts as Jesus would say is far away from God. The habitual repetition of certain action removes the depth. Most often it just floats at the superficial level.
We all need structures in life and in fact without it there will be utter confusion in the society. But structures are not absolute; they vary from place to place and from culture to culture. Each structure is unique and is worthy of respect and honour. But the problem arises when we glorify our structure and underestimate the other. We will become like frogs in the well as the famous analogy which is often cited.
Humanness is never attained in an atmosphere where so much importance is given to fixed structure. The reason is that we fail to see beyond the ordinary confinement. Every human passes through stages of development and in these stages, certain openness to the external sources is so very necessary for healthy growth. Some people are very closed up and often failed to receive insights and ideas that are essential for their personal growth.
Self-sufficiency in life is very deceiving because by ourselves we can do nothing. Human person is a complex whole. For this reason, the human person became the centre and the focal point in any discipline of human life. Human is the main concern of our time and it will continue to be in the future. We live in an anthropocentric world, where human person is considered as the centre, summit and measure of everything. Philosophical Anthropology deals with those vital and significant questions that touch our own very existence – Who am I? Why am I in this world? Where am I going? etc. Taking to account all these queries to be answered, no one can say, I have understood life because no one has understood life till date. No one will ever understand it. If anyone acknowledges it, he/she is a liar. The other 99% of who we are is still hidden. For this reason, we still keep asking what is life? The fact that books after books are written in the issues of life and death are all an endeavour to answer this question.
Communitarian dimension is important as it is one of the basic foundations for the growth of human person. Today, we need to look for the universal communitarian spirit. It will enhance the growth of a healthy global world. We are not alone in our onward journey. There are so many factors that help us to move ahead. Besides, many changes are taking place in and around us. But we need to accept and choose wisely with prudence the many options laid before us.
In our present time, selfishness is one of the obstacles that prevent us to move out of the comfort zones. Reading the signs of the time is very essential. Everything is moving forward at a great speed. It may be the usual thing even in the past. The only difference is that the awarenessof the movement is attained today. All these movements are directed towards a goal. Teilhard de Chardin, a famous Jesuit scientist would call this movement as directed towards the ‘omega point’. This ‘omega point’ he calls Christ.
Every human needs to look beyond the fixed structures of ordinary life. It is not only a recommendation but it has become the need to establish a healthy global relation. It however needs certain amount of courage. Our present society is so much into structure. One fine example is, rights without duty. Often we come across situations where demands after demand are made while the response to duty is often silenced. This is a serious error. Rights and duties are inseparable. Let us all rise beyond the ordinary and thus, define life more meaningfully.
