?Character is Destiny,? so says Dr S. Radhakrishnan. What did he really mean? That it is the character of a nation which determines its destiny? Not its beliefs? No. Belief without commitment is hypocrisy. For example, a man may declare his faith in telling the truth, but he may be a consummate liar. Which is why Gandhiji used to insist that a conviction must lead to the transformation of a man through a process of internalisation.
Nature provides a good example. Each living thing is armed by nature with the instinct for survival. It does not leave it to chance. Again, breathing and blood flow are in the keep of involuntary mechanisms. They are not voluntary. Character is an involuntary mechanism. It ensures proper responses.
The character of a person is formed by the transformation of convictions into instinctual behaviour through a process of internalisation. For instance, years of belief in Buddhism and Jainism had made many people non-violent.
But it was not the design of nature to make man slaves of instincts. The reasoning power of the brain and the mind releases man from the bondage to instincts. He becomes free to think.
It is said that Hindus have no character. Perhaps there is some truth in it. As a nation of a billion people, we must have character in order to ensure our survival, to ensure our success in the future. In fact, this must be the prime objective of our educational system. Men without character cannot make India great. Nor can we reach great heights unless we are tall.
We do not know what is in store for us. There is no way to know it either. In the meantime, time marches on. History marches on. And men are brought closer to each other as never before. Perhaps too rapidly for our comfort.
We are baffled by the problems thrown up by our age. There is no real leadership in India. Opportunism and sycophancy?these are the dominant elements in the psyche of many.
History is not fate. There is no fixed destiny. Freedom and necessity are inter-twined. Freedom leads to choice, necessity compels us to conform. Man is master of his destiny. So says Krishna in the Bhagavata. So says Buddhism. True, karma is fatalistic. But man can manipulate his karma. God does not interfere. We may make the right choice. Or the wrong one. It is in our hands.
Of course, it is within the providence of God to destroy the human race (with nuclear bombs?). But when our passions are armed with nuclear weapons, we are more likely to revert to our tribal gods. And tribal gods are unlikely to lead us to peace.
There is a glaring contrast between the promises of technology and what it actually delivers. Life could be graceful. It could be joyful. But look at the vulgarity and sorrows of our lives! Carl Gustav Jung says: ?Misguided development of the soul must lead to psychic mass destruction.? What prevents the realisation of our dreams are our outmoded methods and loyalties, says Einstein.
Religions are supposed to make us see the divine purpose of creation. But it has blinded us and forced us to stray. Some like to believe that they are ?chosen? to lead others or rule over them. These are dangerous beliefs. Nationalism is good, but it should be subordinated to the principle of loyalty to humanity. ?My country, right or wrong!? can never prevail in the world.
Today the enemy is not outside, but within. There is, therefore, need to bring about a moral revolution to match the technological revolution. A government without a conscience is a dangerous thing to have. Which is why there ought to be limitations in the separation of politics from religion. A society without ethics is like a pack of wild animals.
Scientists say that biological evolution of man has come to an end and that the future belongs to the evolution of the mind and consciousness. But, do we realise that the minds of most people are tied to fixed ideas? To organised religion? An illuminated consciousness is possible only when the mind is set free.
We Hindus are fortunate that our minds have been free from the times we know. It is time to free all minds. And it is time to give character to our people. Absolute reliance on science is dangerous. Progress is precarious and conditional. Aristotle says that man when perfected is the best of all animals, but when separated from law and justice, is the worst of animals. Alas, for the last thousand years or so, man had been separated from law and justice, and were in their worst form.
We Hindus have never believed in the conquest of other people or in seizing what belongs to others. We believe in self-conquest. This is why the world wants us to guide the humanity. No other people can be trusted to take on this role.
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