Spirituality as a Bridge Between the Secular and the Religious

Speaking of Indian religion and spirituality to a modern Western audience at once implies caution and insight. Through what generally transpires through the media and the tourism literature, Indian religion and spirituality often evokes a set of ready-made clichés and stereotypes to the Western mind. Needless to say that, if this is part of the showcase of the religion and spirituality of India, one should try to avoid to be misled by such external demonstrations when searching a more intimate and more profound understanding of the spirituality of the people of India. There is much more depth to it, and it is by living close to the simple people of rural India and their existential difficulties, with their traditional spiritual wisdom helping them to cope, to share and resolve these hardships, that we can discover it, live it and understand it from inside.

It is by being amidst the most underprivileged men and women and helping them to undertake an uphill task to restore the broken pieces of their life that I have discovered and understood for myself the essence of spirituality. This essence is revealed to oneself when the perennial virtues, which all religions prescribe, become the very vital and psychological instruments of our day-to-day life. These virtues are compassion, generosity, equanimity, patience, forbearance, temperance, justice and, of course, love. They are the energy of harmony and peace in this world. And they grew within me as the fruit of my interaction with those people who were discarded, humiliated, marginalized and forgotten by society, by governments and even by the official religious establishment.

Several years ago, while studying in the Philippines, I had a very intriguing yet significant dream. In that dream I was sitting in a rowing boat. At the beginning the surrounding was very dark, so dark that there was no way for me to figure out any specific environment. Slowly, I could feel the presence of another person in the boat, opposite to me. A man perhaps. As I started rowing, gradually the man disappeared and I became aware that I was struggling all alone in the midst of nowhere. The struggle intensified as it became clear that I was rowing against the stream. As the force of the stream kept increasing, my efforts too increased. I was determined to overcome the obstacle, seen or unseen. It was as if something inescapable called me from the other side. A call of the beyond that, since that day, has ever been my guide.

In that dream, the stream I was struggling against was not the natural stream of life, that of the harmonious succession of the seasons, the generous stream of the running rivers and their meeting all into the ocean. The God-ordained stream in which all living creatures harmoniously follow the flow.

I am speaking of another stream, which has dramatically gained an irretrievable momentum during the recent centuries. A “man-made” unnatural and offensive stream, prompted by domination and greed, disharmony and hatred, encroaching and invading every parcel of the first original stream. From the industrial revolution till the recent tide of economic and cultural globalization, this “man-made” stream rules and regulates almost all aspects of life, mostly for the profit of a minority of wealthy and over-developed nations and at the tragic expense of millions of people around the world who have hardly a meal a day. Reflecting on the global situation today, is it not ironic to think that, during the inception of the industrial revolution, a handful of enlightened citizens penned down what was to become the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights?

The Human Rights and man’s obstinacy to reverse the natural flow of life by industrially converting every gift of nature into commodities for the exclusive satisfaction of man have the same age. Of these two major products of man, let’s just ask which of these two has made significant progress in spreading to nearly every forgotten corner of the planet. Looking around or reading the daily news the answer looms obviously with a disproportionate advantage to the rumbling stream of industrial and technological progress at the cost of the moral and spiritual upliftment of humankind.

Based on the revolutionary mantra liberty, fraternity and equality which was on the lips of millions of people, have the Human Rights really introduced a sense of wisdom and justice in the mind of mankind who would in no time change the face of the Earth and endanger the very foundation of life? About five thousand years ago, on Mount Sinai, Moses received the revelation of the Ten Commandments from God. One of these is thou shall not steal. During more than five hundred years man has plundered shamelessly nearly whatever was available in that endless natural stream of elemental wealth. Since the early 19th century, 250,000 botanical and animal species disappeared for ever from our planet. In spite of God’s injunction to Moses “thou shall not kill “, are man’s created laws sufficiently large and enlightened to make him accountable for these innumerable irresponsible crimes against the original stream of life?

Regulations, constitutions, amendments and charters tend to structure, organize and harmonize human inter-relations the best they can, still a disproportionate number of men and women continue desperately to struggle against unpredictable man-made streams. But what about many other forms of life besides humankind? What about the right to exist of many innocent species? Unless there is a radical transformation in the collective consciousness of modern civilization, man’s laws will always be partial. This transformation can only proceed from a broadening of humankind’s vision of the mutual interdependence not only of men and women but also of all living beings sharing the variegated environment of our mother Earth.

Let us now turn towards a religious perspective of the Human Rights.

Besides establishing moral codes, many religions – almost all of them - can objectively be accused of social injustices, discriminations or even genocides. These unacceptable contradictions of religions are not merely limited to wars opposing two rival religions, they happen also, and sometimes mercilessly, in the very fold of a single religion itself. In each codified religious system, for instance, injunctions and dogmas are often detrimental to the spiritual freedom and to the psychological and social justice of women and underprivileged sections of society, as in the Indian context tribals and Dalits. Additionally, when the dogmas start to address the growth of religious elite based on arbitrary notions of purity and superiority, the spiritual origin tends to be lost and the initial virtues that pertain to the essence fall in oblivion. Persecutions, marginalization and untouchability are the tragic result of such theological loopholes.

In India, the caste system and the practice of untouchability are products of elitist deviations of the pristine source of true spirituality. Compassion, truthfulness, generosity, justice, equanimity, forbearance, and universal love are often discarded as religion gets systematized. Although these spiritual virtues are the “morally correct” injunctions of most religions, yet it is always at the very bottom of life, where men and women are struggling with the harshness and injustices of existence, that their active and transformative purport will be put to test.

To a certain extent, the Human Rights can be imagined as the secular dogmas of a social religion called democracy. In many cases they appear to remain inapplicable in traditional contexts where a strong divisive dogmatic system rules over the various layers of the society. Dogmatic mentalities still remain an obstacle when it comes to introduce secular values meant to transform and liberate those traditionally oppressed by such mentalities. Women for instance, and the majority of the Dalit and tribal populations in India, find it extremely difficult even to voice their rights in a traditional social setup in which they continue to face injustice and oppression In a certain sense, the Human Rights are praiseworthy accomplishments of democratically-minded lawmakers, but they still have to be implemented skillfully and almost heroically by those intrepid activists who fight for Truth, Equality and Justice at the grass root level where repressive and divisive mentalities are still the rule.

One of the misconceptions when trying to understand Indian Spirituality is to limit it exclusively to influencences coming from Hinduism and the Vedas, There is a huge pristine spiritual tradition that traversed the people and the country for several millenniums, to which all the religions existing today in India, inclusive of vernacular folk traditions, contributed immensely. For several centuries, mystics, saints and poets from different religions – Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Sufism, and Christianity – shared together their concern, not only for spiritual experiences, but also for justice, dignity and responsibility towards all living beings. Many of them were rebellious against the conservative establishment and quite a number of them were great social reformers. The names of some of those are still living in the memories of local communities, and for the common people repeating their name is still a source of hope and solace.

The Buddha has been one of the greatest spiritual rebels of India. His spiritual quest started when he was for the first time exposed to human suffering and injustice. He understood that the religion of his time had gone out of its peaceful and harmonious course. The natural order was corrupted and the wheel it symbolized had stopped. The Buddha made the wheel turn again. The Wheel of Dharma.

India’s religious and spiritual magic word is Dharma. Dharma is universally accepted by the people of India, irrespective of their economical, social or religious background, as the very warp and woof of both the material and the spiritual world. Literally Dharma means, “ that which holds everything together ”. But it is important to add “in peace and harmony”. Unfortunately, even this beautiful concept of Dharma has been distorted in course of history for the sake of religious control by theocratic elite over the masses. During certain periods in India, Dharma has really been hijacked and considerably adulterated by patriarchal religious authorities. The initial holistic vision of Dharma became fragmented into categories of duties ascribed to different communities. In this narrowing process of Dharma, women were considered as inferior creatures, and in many cases reduced to the condition of objects, gradually loosing their dignity as subjects.

Considering that such a portent concept like Dharma could have been manipulated by the priestly theologians of Hinduism, having myself been directly exposed to the calamities poor and marginalized people are facing daily, what then does spirituality mean to me?

Spirit is not an abstract word. It is an all-pervasive energy that carries and propagates the enthusiasm to be alive and the overwhelming joy to share it with other living beings. I was blessed for having witnessed the presence of spirit and its transformative action in the most desperate situations humankind can be confronted with. And it is not limited to human beings. Spirit is acting everywhere in nature, where it often takes the form of rejuvenation; often when the combined energies of nature are brought to flow over the brim and suddenly burst into a devastating disaster annihilating in no time many forms of life, after there arises a miraculous counter-force which recreates life from the very remnants of destruction, with such a new vigor, such a decisive willingness, like the Phoenix resurrecting from his own ashes. In nature as well as among people, I have seen this power of renewal acting very often. In my own inner-journey as well as in my social action I have always tried to cultivate this awareness of the presence of a spiritual force that could be tapped whenever life demands it. Therefore, to me spirituality starts by being responsible towards this spiritual force cast in various forms of life, in struggle and celebration. More we become aware that this spiritual force exists within us and all around us more spontaneously we become capable of receiving and sharing it. This is where the transformation takes place. Transformation within, transformation without.

Regarding Dharma, truth, justice and responsibility are major aspects for me. The person who claims to uphold the Dharma should necessarily be a truthful, just and responsible person, which means that he or she should be able to fully respond by thought and action to the natural requirements of life.

Dharma is therefore the most ancient version of a holistic understanding of life. The notions of interdependence and interconnectedness are inseparable from Dharma. From these the principle of unity in multiplicity is derived. The symbolic image often given of Dharma is the “wheel”. The wheel itself, because of its perfect shape, is a dynamic symbol of harmony. Inside of the wheel all the spokes are interdependent, and by their regular distribution they interconnect the tire to the hub. Because there is no inequality whatsoever between any part of the wheel, the wheel can move freely and smoothly.

The Buddha, Mahavira, Basava, Kabir, Swami Vivekananda, Narayana Guru and Gandhi are some of the illustrious responsible individuals who were epoch-makers in reaffirming the perennial spiritual values during confused historical times. Yet, many people whose name will never appear in any history book are humble upholders of the Dharma in their own right, and quite surprisingly they can be found among the most underprivileged and illiterate men and women who remain as precious examples of an ageless wisdom streaming through the most basic realities of life.

To summarize, four interactive principles are regulating the original order of the universe: Interdependence, interconnectedness, inter-existence and inter-being. These four principles apply in different proportions to the various realms of manifestation such as the biological, the social, the psychological, the moral, the religious and the spiritual.

The two principles of interdependence and interconnectedness can be seen everywhere from the very basic texture of life to the social interplay of men and women. The notion of inter-existence and inter-being are more related to moral and religious consideration for the former and spiritual openness and transformation for the latter. Inter-existence implies a dialectical approach in which similarities and differences interact on an equal basis. Inter-existence becomes meaningful and enters into activity when human beings start to be fully conscious that what they share in common and also the differences that are part of their respective identities, contribute vitally and psychologically to their personal transformation.

Inter-being is the spiritual fruition of this entire process. Spiritual progress and the transformation that results from it ultimately reach the center of the person, the heart of everyone involved actively in the process of mutual growth. Inter-being happens when there is a deep perception that the sharing has left an imprint in the soul. The outward social solidarity and the efforts combined to solve and reach beyond the harshness and obstacles of life led us to the experience that inside, within our intimate being, we are one.

This awareness and the corresponding observations in the course of my interactions with the men and women, their respective tragedies and their environment situation have taken me gradually to a vision and its application which culminates in the creation of the Fireflies ashram.

Fireflies Ashram and Holistic Spirituality

Fireflies is an Eco-spiritual ashram, which provides a psychological, social, moral, and spiritual experimental space for people in search of values, irrespective of caste, class, or gender. Fireflies believes that the human is not an isolate being as modern individualism would have us believe, but is part of an interconnected web of life that includes humans, plants, animals and the entire biosphere. When we believe that we are connected to other beings and the entire earth, we will naturally grow in empathy with others and nature as a whole. Fireflies is therefore both a social and spiritual effort to reconcile human aspirations for harmony and equality with the intrinsic spirituality of nature as such, by bringing them dynamically together enhancing the sacredness of both of them.

The discussions and reflections revolve around personal transformation combined with social involvement. The urban youth, executives, writers, artists, teachers and activists who gather at Fireflies to contemplate on the inter-connectedness of the outer and the inner world. The rural youth, marginal farmers and the women meet at Fireflies to find motivation to deal with their daily challenges and rebuild their lives and the Eco systems. Ecology and allied issues are treated as a spiritual discipline of inner transformation. During certain periods of the year, we host international workshops to which scholars, journalists and activists from different countries around the world participate. The themes of these workshops generally focus on Conflict Resolution amidst Inter-Religious Conflicts, Religions, Ecology and Spirituality, Water conservation, The Organic Farming, The Empowerment of Women in poor communities etc. Fireflies is also a natural open platform where all human beings can find inspiration and empowerment in all their cultural and spiritual diversity. The ashram campus is also an ideal space for personal artistic creativity, and recently a British woman sculptor, with the help of vernacular sculptors, contributed very impressive symbolic granite sculptures inspired by traditional feminine myths.

The major causes of inter-religious conflicts and unsustainable development (which obviously includes environmental degradation) is our inability to give the right or appropriate interpretation to our deepest beliefs, whether these are religious or secular. In India, most of these beliefs are integrated in religion and therefore it is necessary to re-interpret religion and culture on a continuous basis to give direction to people’s lives. Only then can notions like democracy, participation, pluralism, compassion and human responsibility begin to come alive on a day-to-day basis.

It is in this context that the need for celebrating the festivals with people of all religious persuasions and socio-economic-educational backgrounds becomes of paramount importance for us. At this juncture I would like to share with you glimpses of these reinterpretations of some of the festivals.

An important festival in India celebrates the elephant-headed god Ganesha. Clay effigies of this god will be prepared before the festival, which extends on several days. To conclude this festival it is a custom to immerse the clay effigies of the god into ponds, lakes or rivers. Ganesha is also called Vigneshvara, the remover of obstacles. Another important aspect in the symbolism of Ganesh is the resolving of contradictions: the elephant is the biggest of all the animals, yet Ganesh is riding on a rat as his vehicle without crushing it. Here, in spite of being huge and powerful, Ganesha can also be light and delicate to his tiny and vulnerable companion. There is an additional meaning in this complementarity: Ganesh has a big belly, which symbolizes prosperity and the joyful appreciation of life; yet the rat represents the tendency to store food, to be endowed with economic foresight.

Among hundreds of people are present at the festival, discussions are being held as to the meaning of the Festival. Several questions are raised.
- If Ganesh is the god of knowledge, what is the common perception of knowledge? What is our vision of society? How do we see religious tolerance and pluralism?
- If Ganesh is the remover of obstacles, what are the social, political and religious obstacles that are dividing us and preventing meaningful development, and what can we do about it?
- If Ganesh is partly from the natural world (the elephant head) partly from the human world (the lower half) does he not symbolize the spiritual link between Nature and Human Beings? If so, then what is our co-responsibility towards humankind and the environment?

The holistic reinterpretation of the concept of Ganesh became a democratic people’s process. People realized that they would have to respect all human beings regardless of their religious background. They averred that development could only take place in the context of a vibrant civil society, where the local democratic institutions and development efforts were respected. It was also felt that protecting the environment could be a simple spontaneous way to honour Ganesh. The people also decided not to use painted Ganesh statues. They realized that when the painted statues were immersed at the end of the festival, (a tradition considered to be sacrosanct) the waters were getting polluted because of the lead and other chemicals in the paints.

Another important festival in India is Navaratri, nine nights dedicated to the Mother Goddess. I have discovered that it is largely connected with women empowerment in psychological, social and spiritual perspectives. The nine nights form ten days, which constitute the duration of the entire festival. During these ten days ten archetypal aspects of the feminine are honored. These are called the “Ten Supreme Knowledges”, mahavidyas. Among these aspects are contemplative and active, compassionate and rebellious, tender and heroic forms of the feminine personality. In all of these aspects it is shown that woman has equal status with man, that she has an exclusive spiritual power and dignity that is able to respond most excellently to the difficult challenges of life. The reinterpretation of this important Navaratri Festival in the context of Women’s Rights today contains portent lessons which womenfolk of various social origins can understand and mutually make their own.

Besides these important common festivals there are minor local folk festivals which have a deep symbolic significance for the vernaculars, but which contain precious meanings even to enquiring academics. Let me explain one of these folk festivals.

The Maleraya (Rain-god) Festival is oriented towards both invoking and honoring the rain-god, It is celebrated just before the monsoon when the land is parched and the lakes are dried out. In the villages, people implore the rain to come and bless the earth in its entirety. The image of this rain-god is made by the villagers with the soil of the lakebed, and then carried from house to house while people follow in procession singing devotional folk songs. At each house where the procession stops, householders worship the god while pouring abundant quantities of water, drenching the carriers who are delighted. This festival generates much joy among the people. For us this festival was an ideal subject for a reinterpretation on the lines of eco-spirituality. When the celebration took place, thousands of people gathered in the middle of the dried lake. We suggested that the invocations addressed to the rain god should not remain unilateral; instead every devotee should reciprocate by assuming the responsibility of taking care of the conservation of water and reafforestation. All the people who were present took an oath to plant at least two saplings near their house. Some were so enthusiastic that they spontaneously formed a committee to protect the lakes.

The holistic reinterpretation of cultural and religious festivals is only a first step to exploring new means to the inter-religious dialogue. This approach could be extended to other areas where human groups encounter conflicting situations such as issues of cultural identity, justice and dignity. There is a need of shifting paradigms at various levels of human understanding, a need of reconsidering nearly all the parameters of humankind’s interaction with its planetary environment on the basis of a thorough holistic analysis.

Cultural Identity, Justice and Dignity

Now let us also look into the emerging challenges in India created by pro-globalization and liberalization policies. The market reforms in India have taken different shapes and shades through its philosophy of globalization. There are many who sing songs of praise to the market deity. In the magical world where the market economy has opened up boundless opportunities for unfettered growth has made life easier for millions. Why has such a dawn not yet come for the other millions of the impoverished and marginalized?

As one of the answers to this question, in recent times, the government’s policies are instrumental for disrupting the livelihoods of the rural communities and pushing them to cities for mere survival, in a new environment inauspicious to their cultural identity. Additionally, the unjust disparities, at all levels, are conducive to various forms of conflicts and violence.

In the name of urban development and beautification of the various cities in India, many slum-dwellers, on whose labour development itself depends, are being evicted to the outskirts of the cities, affecting their economic, social and emotional stabilities. No politicians, nor bureaucrats or policy-makers are genuinely concerned about the rehabilitation and the importance of a safe environment in which the displaced communities need to rebuild their lives.

At this point, I would like to share my experience of working with the victims of communal riots and beautification of the city who were displaced to Ullalu Upanagara, on the outskirts of Bangalore city. We started a NGO, called Grama Swaraj Samithi, GSS (Village Self governance Council) based on Gandhian philosophy, for the sake of addressing concretely the problems of such communities inhabiting urban and rural areas.

Affected by one of the worst communal riots that took place in 1994 in Bamgalore, a section of the dwellers of a large slum mainly Muslims, shifted to a piece of bare land on the other side of Bangalore City and tried to rebuild their homes and their lives there. Two years later, they were once again summarily picked up one Saturday evening in trucks and forcefully taken to yet another piece of barren land 30 kms outside Bangalore and dumped there, with just the sky for a roof and no civic amenities. The purpose of this eviction, like many others at that time, was to beautify Bangalore.

The area where 550 poor families found themselves was Ullalu, where already more than 1000 families had been living with bare facilities, but on the other side of the road which ran through the barren area where the evicted were dropped. The displaced population – including Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Dalits - thus segregated, was expected to fend for itself here on all fronts, from fetching water and finding places for toilet functions to putting up huts and finding jobs.

Initially, the people found it difficult to connect with the new environment because of the fear, the insecurity and the constant rumour of violence. By the end of the year, they were joined by 500 Dalit families who were also evicted as part of the beautification plan of the city. Finally, due to displacement and lack of rehabilitation the livelihoods of more than 2500 families have been disrupted, resulting in broken families, unemployment, child labour, chronic health problem etc.

The women in Ullalu have been the perpetual victims of exploitation. The broken families have made women and young girls also vulnerable to sexual abuse. Lack of basic amenities pushed the men to the city for livelihoods, which in turn increased the number of single mothers. Neglecting their own health in order to feed the family has made these women prone to many diseases. "The week-end or month-end husbands", instead of bringing home some money and food with them, brought sexually transmitted diseases.

The day-to-day survival had compelled these people engrossed within their own individual pursuit, without any consideration for their surroundings. But when their deeper consciousness was stimulated by our meaningful intervention they would be awakened to the vibrations and responses of their latent positive strength. Their hearts are still filled with love and compassion though their bodies are being worn out.

Work in Ullalu Upanagara began by engaging with every member of the household who was psychologically in the grip of feelings, anxiety and helplessness, in a continuous process of dialogue so that the change arises spontaneously from within. Though these people came from different backgrounds, something in them responded to our holistic approach to challenges, regardless of their diversities, recognizing that their poverty and their helplessness was the real enemy, not their different religions. Whenever it was relevant, we never missed to make references to progressive dimensions that are found in all religions, as they appealed to their common sense.

To highlight this holistic concept of upholding the dignity and practical means of ensuring the rights and responsibilities of all, here are a few examples of the participative-actions of the people in the context of self-empowerment.

Running as a thread holding all the programs together is women’s empowerment. We believe in asserting women’s rights with a view to achieving a positive relationship with men, rather than in promoting a combative feminism that cannot sustain them in their particular social environment. Women have been emboldened with the confidence to tackle issues like domestic violence and alcoholism. They have been encouraged to express themselves and dialogue not only with their men but also with the community and institutions. About 400 women drawn from varied backgrounds of religion, caste and language have been organized into self-help groups to address the economic, social, environmental and political concerns.

These women’s groups do not restrict themselves only to find economical and social solutions, they also generate within their inner development a collective intelligence and capacity to find immediate practical responses to unforeseen issues.

Most of the shelters in the settlement were mud-huts of a very rudimentary kind. However, the women did feel a need for proper housing. This was an intimate part of rebuilding collectively the sense of dignity. The process of empowerment undertaken by us as a basic issue relevant to all aspects was brought into play here too. Strengthened by this process the women were able to find the means to construct houses of their likings. The material achievement of this was only secondary compared to the joy and the pride of celebrating the warming of the hearth, by reciting the Koran and simultaneously lighting an oil-lamp.

Dignity has always the force behind the necessity to bring proper sanitation facilities, of which they were so far dramatically deprived. The result was the successful setting up of unique community multi-purpose sanitation complexes. To promote a sense of ownership, self-reliance, dignity of labour, these sanitation complexes are being maintained and managed by women, irrespective of religion and caste. As a self-supportive and interdependent mechanism within the community the material required for the maintenance are supplied by other women groups.

Understanding the need for a holistic approach while tackling a multi-dimensional issue such as HIV/AIDS, which is by definition very personal in nature, we have to address every individual case on the basis of those spiritual virtues such as compassion, generosity, openness, etc. The local women and men trained by us adopted different methods in educating the communities by discussing openly while concentrating on removing the stigma and discrimination faced by HIV positive people. The efforts of this initiative are to make families and communities understand that the ultimate responsibility is theirs.

HIV positive people are connected to positive peoples’ networks to raise their level of confidence and by being part of such networks they become conscious of a human solidarity and regain self-esteem and the necessary dignity to affirm their rights.

The role of religious leaders is extremely vital in talking to the common people without prejudices about HIV / AIDS and against gender violence, child marriages and sex selective abortions. In Ullalu, the local Mullah and priest actively participated in sensitizing the people.

The collective struggles of these people lead them to secure most of the basic amenities and their dream was fulfilled when they finally obtained the title deeds of their houses. Two women - a Muslim and a Dalit - were elected to the local self-government as a political result of the empowerment process.

Today, nearly 20,000 forgotten people of Ullalu have regained their identity and recognition through their own struggles, their courage and above all through the mutual compassion shared in their quest to social harmony. The struggle for dignity is an ongoing process. That struggle, which is too often unknown, ridiculed or even annihilated, still goes on whether in Ullalu or anywhere as long as there is exclusion and marginalization, any form of inequality and injustice.

Nobel laureate professor Borough’s said, " plants do speak but they speak only In whisper Unless you go near them, you cannot hear ". The same is true of the farmer with the broken plough, a rural mother who treks mile after mile to collect a few twigs to cook food for her family or another mother who scavenges the garbage for a morsel of food for her children. If we are near them, we can listen to their whisper.

Even though I consider this as a humble attempt this was for me an extraordinary opportunity to put into practice a dialectical method where spirituality and social considerations contribute to transform harmoniously the life of people. This human-cum-spiritual experience strengthened also in me as well as in most of the people of Ullalu the importance of dignity, individual responsibility and primarily the positive force derived by assuming firmly one’s responsibilities towards the human community, towards the environment, towards life as a whole. An active holistic reinterpretation of the sense of responsibility has been at work there also.

Reviewing the several instances of the complexity of various issues I have been unraveling with you, it becomes more evident that the Human Rights, in spite of contributing efficiently in the administrative and political domains of law and justice, have nevertheless their own limitations in areas which are still controlled by archaic religious and cultural divisive mentalities, especially in the realm of the oppression of women, Dalits and indigenous people. There is a call for a holistic redefinition of the parameters regulating the interactions of men and women, of the human being with a society of his or her aspirations, of humanity as a whole with every aspects of life. To this a conscious and dedicated acceptance of the sense of responsibility, both in a moral as well as a spiritual sense, has a significant role to play in enlarging the scope of the Human Rights ‘reach.

Whether we want it or not, whether we understand it or not, whether we accept it or not, each one of us is responsible for most of the irresponsible wrongdoings in the world. If we earnestly ponder on our conditionings, our unconscious patterns of behavior, our ingrained prejudices, we will discover that most of the time we are disconnected from the interdependent laws that rule the harmony of the planet. Very easily we adhere to comfortable systems of progress, not seeing that in many cases the exercise of progress goes against the harmonious original stream of life, while still innumerable people, with their breath and sweat, struggle against that manmade stream for the survival of what is dear to them, their intimacy with the spirituality of Mother Earth.

It is our responsibility to care for all those “small things” that make God so great, so infinite indeed. All these wonderfully interconnected “little-nothings” which we have irreverently pushed in the oubliettes of our specialized world. Paradoxically our single vision of a uniform world has created a very narrow world in which spirituality seems to be more and more of a highly priced commodity of well-to-do elite. A message of responsible solidarity and responsible compassion is the need of the hour if we expect peace, harmony and justice to prevail in all human affairs. This should become the vital texture behind the Declaration of the Human Rights

Many people who are daily confronted with the worst issues of inequality and injustice feel that unless the notion of human responsibilities is not emphasized both at the highest level of International conferences and at the level where urgent issues have to be given a practical and relevant solution, there is little hope to enter a transformative process. This is why as a subjective addition to the objective part of the Declaration of the Human Rights; a Charter of Human Responsibilities, an initiative of The Charles Leopold Mayer Foundation for the Progress of Humankind (FPH), is being contemplated by like-minded people in several corners of the world. Our spiritual responsibility starts when we relate to those who are in dire difficulties as subjects instead of anonymous objects. This attitude extends also to nature at large: to animals, plants, and the environment as a whole. All are subjects in God. One of our old wisdom scripture says, “ Everything in this world is enveloped by God ”.

When one becomes fully aware of that, one cannot escape being spiritually and socially responsible. When we relate to all the little things of this world as subjects we discover what inter-existence really means. This is the beginning of spiritual transformation, the inner and outer journey to inter-being.

It is heartening to see more and more international debates about the gravity of the issues confronting humanity with unprecedented global social, political and ecological dangers. There are very few places on the planet, which are not in a state of emergency in one way or the other. The need of the hour is to gather all the spiritual forces of compassion and non-violence we can, of whatever origin, whatever nature, and to nurture them, enrich them and propagate them like luminous seeds of hope. There lies our responsibility as conscious human beings who still believe that life is precious and is a wonderful thing to preserve and revere. And with this regained enthusiasm let’s also go to the common man and woman, to share with them that power which can still move mountains

Sudha Reddy, at the “Hindu and Catholic Dialogue- Human Rights" Conference,
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles,
22nd April 2006.