The Blessed City
In my youth I was told that in a certain city every one lived
according to the Scriptures. And I said, "I will seek that city and the
blessedness thereof." And it was far. And I made great provision for my
journey. And after forty days I beheld the city and on the forty-first day I
entered into it.
And lo! the whole company of the
inhabitants had each but a single eye and but one hand. And I was astonished
and said to myself, "Shall they of this so holy city have but one eye and
one hand?" then I saw that they too were astonished, for they were
marvelling greatly at my two hands and my two eyes. And as they were speaking
together I inquired of them saying, "Is this indeed the Blessed City,
where each man lives according to the Scriptures?" And they said,
"Yes, this is that city." "And what," said I, "hath
befallen you, and where are your right eyes and your right hands?" And all
the people were moved. And they said, "Come thou and see."
And they took me to the temple in the midst of the city. And in the
temple I saw a heap of hands and eyes. All withered. Then said I, "Alas! What
conqueror hath committed this cruelty upon you?" And there went a murmur
amongst them. And one of their elders stood forth and said, "This doing is
of ourselves. God hath made us conquerors over the evil that was in
us."And he led me to a high altar, and all the people followed. And he
showed me above the altar an inscription graven, and I read: "If thy right
eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for
thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that the whole body should
be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offends thee, cut it off and cast it
from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish,
and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."
Then I understood. And I turned about to all the people and cried,
"Hath no man or woman among you two eyes or two hands?"
And they answered me saying, "No, not one. There is none whole save
such as are yet too young to read the Scripture and to understand its
commandment."
And when we had come out of the temple, I straightway left that Blessed
City; for I was not too young, and I could read the scripture.
...Khalil
Gibran
This simple story by Khalil Gibran amuses me. What made him wrote this
story, what was on his mind when he wrote this, it’s really difficult for me to
guess. Probably it was dominance of religious dogma. In subtle way he tells us
what he meant keeping scriptures beyond human interpretation. But I find in
this story the immortal spirit of authority, political or religious, the
authority or power that is genetically designed to try for its survival at any
cost. What was written more than fifty years ago validates itself even today.
The idea is simple and method is proven. Fear is the weapon and protection from
it sought and surrender is the only way. You surrender for your safety,
willingly. You surrender to the creed. If your right hand offends cut it off,
if your right eye offends pluck it out else you are welcome to hell, you
suffer. So make a little sacrifice to evade hell. Is it intimidation, it is for
you to interpret, for me safety first.
What difference will it make if I pluck
out my right eye and cut right hand? A
small price for safe, better life. I still would be able to see and work even
then and when everybody is like this only you feel safe in the crowd. The life
then is peaceful, protected and you realize you are dwelling in blessed city.
Fantastic way to tell how powers that be work with our psychology! If we
interpret ‘right’ as truthful then eye is the vision and hand is the action.
Cut right hand means lose your truthful action and pluck your right eye means
loss of truthful vision. It’s a loss of correct vision and correct action. ‘Don’t
see’ and ‘don’t do’, for you don’t really need this as you are dwelling in a
blessed city. Or maybe if you want to live in blessed city you have to shed
this burden of right hand and right eye.
Not thinking in isolation the right hand and right eye, the combination
is a moral principal. The action in accordance with conceived truth and vision
along the path of truth is a moral way of living life, a truthful way to
observe and act but what makes it so offensive to powers? The answer is simple
those in power never like being questioned. Asking question means making powers
accountable. No power structure is genetically inclined to be accountable
that’s why we need democracy and rule of law to force it to be accountable to
people. When authority is not operating in the interest of people, there will
be questions raised from people who have right eye and challenge is then posed
by ‘right hand’. But when right hand and right eye are willingly sacrificed
questions and actions also perish. And when questions perish in democracy it
operates as tyranny of elected crushed under it is a common man who in hope of
safe heaven to live in sacrifices right hand and right eye.
As decreed in the inscription on
the altar in this story, "If thy right eye offends thee, pluck it out...
And if thy right hand offends thee, cut it off...”. How can right hand or
right eye offend? If so called offending
right eye and right hand are retained how would our whole body land in hell? They
don’t offend but in the blessed city almost everybody except children who are
too young to read and understand, sacrifice them. The children don’t question
authority so no threat. They are innocent but those who can read and understand
must be made to give up willingly right eye and right hand. So there will never
be any question. The questions don’t come up from intellectually arid and
surrendered mind. The willingness
emanates from fear.
Fear is a time tested lethal weapon. Fear of survival, of self interest,
of safety all make us weak. We then resort to frantic search for an entity that
will safeguard our interest. The search takes us to the corridors of power. Also
when the corridors of power feel insecure they manufacture an environment
seemingly unsafe, insecure for the target people. The manufacturing tool can be
cast, religion, language ... anything that leaves us emotionally vulnerable.
Corridors of power then wait for the people to come. The advice is simple,
safety comes at a cost and cost is meagre... right hand and right eye. Just
shed that burden and dwell in blessed city. Those seeking safety and self
interest live safely in blessed city. But the safety is as defined, designed,
dictated and provided by the power. The dwellers are either unaware of nature
of this safety or are left without an option of exploring its nature for right
eye and right hand are already sacrificed. Corridors of power relish. Those dissenting
non dwellers of blessed city may term this safety as surrender.
When I think of this story in the
context of India, since independence till date we have never been short of
energy in developing our country into a blessed city. We love being followers.
We like worshipping personalities. We were warned by the makers of our
constitution regarding personality cults and dangers to democracy but we have
been relentless in our attempts to build blessed cities. Fortunately we have
our constitution holding our country and a solid foundation of freedom
struggle. In the past and even today we have in majority the followers and those
who are bent on opposing the powers and personalities, rest are in minority.
Just have a look at facebook pages there are those who worship or a battery of
those who hate those in power. The objectivity is a sacrifice done happily.
Appreciation for good and criticism when merited flows from objectivity
otherwise we only witness either praise for all or hatred for everything. All
energy is lost in encounters of praise and hatred.
It is a mistake to think that this brilliant story of Khalil Gibran is
applicable to political or religious powers only. Where you find power
structure built on fears and phobias you see the blessed city. In India we have
no scarcity of such grounds for building blessed cities. Those in minority who
want to retain the constantly attacked thread of objectivity often land in a region
flanked on both sides by the blessed cities that are constantly at war.
But the land in between is the
plateau of democracy.
