Protesting for rape, innocence or for loyalty?
What does a rape accused godman give his disciples in exchange for their unreserved servitude? And why in spite of being convicted of rape, he is still ‘alright’ in the eyes of so many that call him their leader. This is in the light of the misdeeds of ‘guru’ Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
An identity. And in this case a spiritual and social identity.
And that identity is why it is hard to rewire the human mind.
It’s hard for us to question and rethink our cultural practices and our rituals.
Biases strengthen over time, to the point that the denial of a life-altering truth is easier than rewiring and rebuilding the foundations of our mind.
Much like breaking a wall down and laying the bricks again, we sometimes are guilty of letting the wall stand as it is, and look at how beautifully it is built.
A reason is due to our biology and the mental energy required to re-process things; which explains the difficulty (and our unwillingness) in unlearning and relearning. And also why it is difficult to change our personal, communal and national habits.
Today, the ‘non-Gurmeet believing’ world is wondering what is wrong with these masses of ‘spiritual’ people being reduced to their carnal selves, breaking things and throwing a tantrum of epic proportions.
It is the loss of identity, a spiritual, social and personal compass that grants a sense of stability. An identity could simply be to give someone something to feel good about and something to aspire to.
A fear of what would happen if they lost that sense of identity can evoke very strong emotions. Crying, screaming, shouting, threatening: these are carnal and reactive responses. Where is the resilience that those in spiritual pursuits usually have?
Today the unjustified death of 28 people is a crime that has been committed in the hideous veil of a ‘just cause’ by a mob. Who is to blame? Can you single out one person? Who are these 28 people who have been killed for no reason. For the willful crime of one person?
Will it find justification in the sentencing of that person? No.
Will it find justification in the sentencing of the now untraceable ‘bhakt’? It won’t. There is no antidote.
The very least is that the bereaved families get some respite in some form or a barter of their ‘earning potential’; which is still a pithy comparison to the worth of a person but is still recognized by the state as justifiable exchange.
