For human survival, love is the panacea. It must essence of human life else we are bound to end up fighting and annihilating everything around
Human survival on the planet earth is unthinkable without the presence of love. It needs no elaboration on how critically significant is the presence of love amongst living beings. In a rare instance in contemporary history, hatred, violence prolonged incarceration only helped purify the stream of love within an enlightened individual, Nelson Mandela. He presented a shining example of how love could overcome even the most ferocious inflictions of hatred: “People are not born to hate. They are taught to hate. They can be taught to love. No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” It is also a stark reality that people suffer burgeoning levels of hate, distrust, terror, violence, and wars. And this is happening in our civilized world in the third decade of the 21st century!
Never before have human beings been familiar with the secrets of nature today. Never before governments, and global organizations were as well-equipped as today to annihilate human suffering anywhere on the planet earth. Then, why are people suffering on one count or the other? Love flourishes in peace, in righteous conduct, in nonviolence, in truth! All these five – truths, peace, nonviolence, righteous conduct, and love - constitute the ultimate prescription for a totally humane world.
Interestingly, each one of these is organically linked to the other four! This perfect five is also an expression of ultimate human aspiration. It would be a goal that subsumes spirituality, the essence of faith and manifestation of the essential unity of all human beings, and the eternal search
for truth.
The very survival of the planet earth; and hence humanity; is at stake. The world before us; and emerging before generations ahead; was comprehensively articulated by the secretary general of the UN Antonio Guterres at the COP-15, representatives from 190 countries met in Montreal in December 2022 to take a final call on global
biodiversity framework for years ahead: “With our bottomless appetite for unchecked and unequal economic growth, humanity has become a weapon of mass destruction. We are treating nature like a toilet. And ultimately, we are committing suicide by proxy.”
Obviously, the survival of humanity on the planet earth requires a two-fold long-term strategy that could give lasting impetus to the process of learning universal values and internalization of humane
elements by every citizen and every human being. This process - of moving ahead in the direction of a humane world - would require the participation of every
individual citizen and human being in two major initiatives: restoration of the sensitive man-nature mutuality on one hand, and reinventing the man-man relationship to a level where every person treats every other person ‘as he himself would like to be treated by everyone else’.
It is not something like two agenda items in a plan or program; it would cover every aspect of human life and
living, it would require
high-level intellectual churning, and acceptance of the reality that ‘learning to live
together’ and ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam’ are no more clichés, but a basic approach and skill that is as essential to human survival as are air, water, and food. As one contemplates the existing and emerging shape and situation of our planet, attention invariably shifts to the process of growing up of human beings, the manner each innocent and unaware child is taught to love. Let the child witness love all around in family, schools, and society let him observe love connecting people. Let this environment transform him from a ‘person to a personality’. Education policies deserve fresh thinking and let humanistic and ethical values develop around the fulcrum of love. Educational institutions, particularly teacher preparation establishments, could set examples. One has personally observed how national and regional level educational institutions nurture love across all diversities.These need to remain conscious of external elements that would be interested in disturbing the symphony of national unity and integrity.
Teaching learning materials are undergoing serious transformations, and this is the time to ensure that no opportunity is ignored that could reemphasize the need to internalize love for others, and the desire to help and serve the needy. Rapid technological advancements are threatening to downgrade human ingenuity and intelligence.
These could lead to neglect of the human element in the process of growing up, and also in professional life. It has to be taken note of in the preparation of textual materials. The objective of education must be cautiously woven around humane values. It must particularly lay emphasis on the equality of all religions, and comprehension of universal human values drenched in love. These form part of every faith and religion. In a cohesive world, human life must remain a quest for the secrets of nature; it must persistently strive to understand man, nature, and the beauty that makes every initiative and effort worthwhile. The future world must appear beautiful to its inhabitants, Recall the lines of Keats: “Beauty is truth, / Truth beauty – that is all / ye know on earth, / and all ye need to know.
(Professor Rajput works in education, social cohesion, and religious amity. The views expressed are personal)
