Unlike religion is opium of masses (Karl Marx), it could be threshold of all the virtues and guiding power to stand against all societal evils, but why is it so that religion has turned to be a symbol of orthodoxy and backwardness? Its language has been blemished by fear of sin and the force of violence. Every religion requires self-correction and introspection by inner voices in due course of time in order to be compatible with scientific temperament and modernity. While advocating for humanity as an ultimate religion J S Mill writes Auguste Compte and positivism (1865), and praised him for his admiring work on 'religion of humanity.' Likewise, protestant movement started in Europe after dark ages when theocracy proved as a lethal murderer of rationality. It is after the peace of Westphalia (1648) secularism emerged as a way life, and exclusivity of priestly class replaced with popular reasoned theocracy and later enlightenment in the leadership of Immanuel Kant. But the 21st century of world is suffering from several vices, including fanaticism and radicalization of youths. Can there be better principles than human values itself? Fundamentally all religion has some ultimate telos; prayer to peace, happiness and salvation. Do we need a mediator to reach near our goal? Or every individual as a rationale agent knows his methods to reach near his/her destinations? Europe witnessed a ray of enlightenment amidst the bloodshed in the name of faith but what about other parts of the world? Are we ready to take a lesson from them that extreme rigidity is a sign of vulnerability, in contrast flexibility brings progression and dynamism in the human spirit. Let's work for some better thoughts and even better actions in order to reform ourselves and to establish the most conscientious religion of the world; consisting of the most fundamental principles of humanity, i.e. peace, love, and brotherhood.
Aristotle once wrote in his Nicomachean Ethics that there are four significant virtues for human beings, namely Prudence, Temperance, Justice, and Courage. There are a few judges who have courage and sense of justice, both. Hon'ble Mr. Justice Rohinton Nariman has been truly an exemplar judge and erudite historian, theologian and philologist, a great scholar of music as well as a courageous and meticulous jurist of our country. He did his Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1980-81 and taught by one of the finest jurists of the last century, Roberto Unger. He became Senior Advocate in 1993 in the age of 37 and also served as Solicitor General of India in 2011 before he was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court of India in 2014. He delivered many landmark judgments, including Shreya Singhal v. Union of India. There are a few people with whom time moves too fast, but to count that experience takes ages. Justice Rohinton Nariman is one of those great jurists with whom a meet...
Comments
Post a Comment