QUESTION:
In his recent book ‘Let us Dream’ Pope Francis talks about an existential myopia, that holds on to something we are afraid to let go of. Since there is no immediate magic solution to many of the problems, we are affected by the virus of indifference. How much is it relevant in the present Indian scenario?
– Vinod M
Saji Mathew Kanayankal CST
ANSWER:
The book of Pope Francis, ‘Let us Dream,’ is formulated in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and he calls our attention to the different kinds of crises of the present world. Since we may not be able to avoid it, we are forced to cross a threshold by our own choice of necessity. When we hear about crises, we should not think about them as something bad alone. It has got both good and bad effects, positive and negative outcomes. Some would engage themselves in the service of others while some others would get rid off other peoples need. The crisis also witnesses rising of innovative ways, a time of interaction and openness to new realities. When normal functionalism is shaken, we will be forced to revise and modify and revitalise our habits and practices and people will find new ways and creative interactions. In our reaction to the crisis, he especially points out three disastrous ways; they are – Narcissism, Discouragement, and Pessimism.
Narcissism is a tendency to keep on oneself. People give importance to themselves, and to get extensive attention and admiration, the narcissists will use all possible methods to attract others. They are emotionally isolated and highly distrustful. Having no empathy for others, they will be preoccupied with themselves and their matters. With their skills, talents and power, they use to attract others and make followers of them, but the focus will be on themselves. The increase of such kind of leaders is a key threat to the present world of democracy. They may not be tolerating criticism and will use all possible means to quiet the dissent. According to Pope, they end up so in love with the image they create. For them, the news is only good if it is good for them personally; and if the news is bad, they consider themselves as the chief victims.
Along with narcissism, the problem of discouragement leads people to lament and complain about everything. When people are in the trauma of discouragement, they no longer see what is around them nor what others offer them. They will be speaking only about the loss they had that may lead them further to sadness in the spiritual life. It further prevents them from a wider view and closes it to themselves. Slowly it leads to a kind of pessimism, which is like a door one shuts on the future and the new things it can hold. All these leads to a greater crisis- a kind of indifference.
The Danger of Indifference
Pope Francis explains the problem of indifference with the help of the story of the rich manand Lazarus in the Gospel of Luke. Lazarus was laying at the door of the rich man and he knew very well who Lazarus was. For the rich man, ‘Lazarus’s misfortune was his own affair.’ And “every time he passed him at the gate, peering at him over an abyss of indifference.” Here Pope brings back the same idea he narrated in his latest encyclical Fratelli Tutti. In the encyclical, he says about the disappearance of the sense of belonging to a single-family in the contemporary world. To work together for peace and justice is considered as an outdated and utopian idea. “What reigns instead is a cool, comfortable and globalized indifference, born of deep disillusionment concealed behind a deceptive illusion: thinking that we are all-powerful while failing to realize that we are all in the same boat. This illusion, unmindful of the great fraternal values, leads to “a sort of cynicism” (Fratelli Tutti, 30). As a result of this kind of indifference and cynicism, ‘people judge situations without empathy, without any ability to walk for a time in the other’s shoes’ (Let us Dream). This indifference can become normal, silently seeping into our lifestyles and value judgments.
Indifference blocks the Spirit by closing us to the possibilities that God is waiting to offer us, possibilities that overflow our mental schemes and categories. It blocks the chance of discernment. The indifferent person is closed to the new things that God is offering us. It does not allow us to feel the movements of the Spirit, especially at the moment of crisis. When one is undergoing internal torture and pain, it would be very difficult to see a clear path. While facing the deepest life crisis, if one is open and sincere, he will be enlightened. At the moment of greatest trauma and disappointment amidst the encircling gloom, St. John Henry Newman did not ask to ‘see the distant scene,’ rather, he prayed for the one-step to foot to go ahead. Similarly, the crisis is a time to open up new ways and finding new possibilities in life.
In a time of crisis, there are many ways that one can pass it at a safe distance. One can re-treat inwards or ignore the other people and their struggles, one can look elsewhere, and find ‘other way.’ By narrating the story of the Good Samaritan, in Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis brings all these possibilities and challenges with the real question that is to be addressed: “Will we abandon the injured man and run to take refuge from the violence, or will we pursue the thieves? Will the wounded man end up being the justification for our irreconcilable divisions, our cruel indifference, our intestine conflicts?” (Fratelli Tutti, 72). A true faithful cannot but to answer these questions, because, “the essence of God is mercy, which is not just seeing and being moved but responding with action” (Let us Dream). The reflection on the merciful God who is active especially in the face of injustice and exploitation becomes an imperative for a Christian to make a preferential option for the poor, to make sense of solidarity and fraternity with the rest of our brothers and sisters, especially with the oppressed and the suffering who plea for justice and peace.
Entering into the Wound: A Challenging Task
From a Christian point of view, when one is seeking God’s will, there are no-compromise solutions. Entering into the wound of the other is not an easy task, especially in the present political scenario of India. While entering into the wound of the other, we have to stand with the poor and the oppressed and to protect the basic values and constitutional rights of each citizen of the country. When the traits of totalitarian symptoms prevailing in the country, fighting for justice and truthfulness may bring more challenges. If one truly stands with the problems of the marginalised, the systemic powerful authority may throw them into jail on fictitious and fabricated charges. They will be abused, beaten and subject to all kinds of torture. The family is put under severe pressure. The powerful regime uses all existing mechanisms to silence the voice of the dissent.
In present India, whenever there is dissent, agitation, protests against the policies of the government, they are being systematically targeted as ‘anti-nationals’ and ‘terrorist outfits’ or ‘Urban Naxals.’ Fr Stan Lourduswami SJ, is in prison for many months at the age of 83, with the accusation of treason, terrorism and complicity with Maoist guerrillas. Fr Stan has been fighting for years for the rights of tribal Adivasis, in particular for their land rights. Many of us are aware of the arrest of Ms Disha Ravi, a 21year environmental activists from Bengaluru, charged under the classic provisions of sedition.“If highlighting farmers’ protest globally is sedition, I am better in jail,” said Disha in court on the process of bail.However, after ten days of imprisonment, she was granted bail by the Additional Sessions Judge, Justice Dharmender Rana on February 24, 2021,saying, there were ‘scanty’ and ‘sketchy’ evidence to back charges of sedition against her. While granting her bail, the Judge was keen enough to focus on the right of the individual citizens of the country stating, “Citizens are conscience keepers of government. They cannot be jailed simply because they choose to disagree with state policies.” Similarly, the four-month-long farmers strike is accused of ‘the international conspiracy to threaten the democracy of India’. Though not giving any clear evidence some national media propagate about the real foreign hands and forces behind the farmers’ movement and they narrate of great propaganda, carried out against India in abroad.
At this juncture, what we need is a constant awareness of our power and strength. As Pope Francis observes, “every society needs to ensure that values are passed on; otherwise, what is handed down are selfishness, violence, corruption in its various forms, indifference and, ultimately, a life closed to transcendence and entrenched in individual interests” (Fratelli Tutti, 113). This time of crisis is also is a time to recover the values, values which are deeply rooted in our culture and underlined in our constitution. It is a time to reflect and retrospect on the authenticity of our values that sustains human life as well as the existence of the world. “The value of life, of nature, of the dignity of the person, of work, of relationship—all these are values key to human life, which cannot be traded away or sacrificed” (Let us Dream). To protect these values, we have the moral responsibility to be active and vigilant and be awake as time requires.
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