Towards Peace: Learn to be religious within self
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: April 07, 2009 -

The Human world has made much advancement and is still advancing fast into modern civilisation. There is no limit to the growth of human civilisation. As long as human mind continues to work hard, more and more astonishing things will get to be invented.

What was not thought of as a necessary item in one's life till today might become an essential commodity tomorrow. Such things of the future will make living easier and more comfortable. But while such scientific and technological products become necessary or luxurious items for a particular class of people, these will only remain as dreams for another class.

As it is, highly expensive electronic gadgets, luxurious cars, etc are considered necessary for the moneyed people. Yet all these are only a colourful dream to the poverty-stricken people who find it too hard to keep the wolf from the door.

Nonetheless, every pleasure-seeking man wants to make this dream come true, and thus is jumping headlong into the competition for making money in order to own the costly consumer goods. Everybody wants to have delectable food and many people want to consume good drinks.

People want to drive nice cars and live in beautiful mansions with thickly carpeted floors and expensive paintings on the walls. Everybody wants to own all kinds of electronic appliances available at the market, and avail themselves of the advantages of modern communication provided by the internet and such.

All these are easily available if one has money. Therefore, man needs money, and spends sleepless nights thinking of the means to earn it. He sees only money in his eyes, and is convinced that money is the ultimate goal of life. In order to get money, man cheats, subjugates, exploits and kills man. He lies, steals, indulges in fraudulent business and corruption.

He has become mean, merciless and cruel. He doesn't want to give but only take. There is no love lost between man and man, each awaits an opportunity to reach his hand out for the other's throat.

In the meanwhile, it seems that no one remembers 'religion.' The situation is all the worse in Manipur. Since the time about some 500 years back when Hinduism had almost engulfed the indigenous faith, culture and traditions, the question of religion in the Meitei society has always remained in a confused and controversial state.

Religion, in this context, is not the almost ostentatious kind that we see today. The point intended to raise here is the kind of religion in which the Father of the Nation had believed and propounded.

To him, religion is truth, honesty, generosity, service to the poor and suffering, being compassionate, good conduct, benevolence, to love others, giving up ill thought, etc.

Those who do not possess these qualities, even if they go to temple, church, gurudwara, mosque and other places of worship, are not truly religious people. A person, who never misses participating in all so-called religious functions but tirelessly indulges in thievery, corruption, fraud, cruelty to others and all kinds of evil activities, can never be regarded as religious.

All sections of the society appear to have gone far off the point of religion. As a result, we are witnessing endless violence and undesirable incidents. It can be stressed here that it's all because of lack of religion. This religion is greatly different from that of what karl Marx had called "opium."

True religion will enable all of us to live in peace. Isn't it time for all of us to learn to be a bit religious within self?