As many of us have done in recent months, I have been thinking about the legacy of Nelson Mandela. In my last blog, I wrote about one of the most important lessons from Mandela’s life – forgiveness. And thinking about forgiveness naturally takes one to the other side of the equation – namely, the unthinkable cruelty and oppression of the apartheid, and the incredible suffering the non-white population of South Africa endured. “What did they do to deserve this decades long atrocity?” is a question that haunts many of us. Perhaps it is an unanswerable question. I sought to get an understanding by delving into my Hindu religion, its principles and its philosophy.
The principle of “karma” in Hinduism is one that pops up in most such enquiries. But before assigning everything that has gone wrong, or that causes suffering, or results in a “misfortune”, to karma, I thought I would first look at the cause of the suffering or misfortune. It could be a natural cause such as flood, earthquake, fire, avalanche, disease, mechanical failure, accident, etc. On the other hand, it could be instigated by man, for example, war, civil unrest, oppression, subjugation, torture, etc. These have origin in some other dark force such as greed, anger, lust, covetousness, hate, jealousy, that finds expression in man.
Karma is the sum total of all actions right and wrong that a person has accumulated not only in this life, but in all past lives. So, suffering caused by nature, such as a disease or accident, incurred by man could be attributed to one’s karma. To anyone’s thinking, this is logical, as long as one accepts the principle of karma and rebirth (thus past lives) of the human soul. It even allows one to (eventually) reach a state of acceptance with regard to events such as the suffering of an innocent child due to disease, or the misfortune befalling a good person.
But what about the misery and suffering caused by human beings (or should I say, by inhuman beings)? Such as what was brought on by the white South African rulers, or by the Nazis, or by the many colonial rulers (when they ruthlessly plundered the colonies, and heaped untold misery on the local people). Or something even closer to home for us in Canada? Many of us are aware also of the dark side of capitalism that has caused a great deal of human suffering.
In my previous blog, I summarized the principle in Hinduism that applies to man-made suffering, and what Hinduism prescribes when the oppressor is truly evil. We, as human beings, are urged to do soul searching, and then do what is right and appropriate. Hinduism places the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of humanity, and assures us that we are indeed capable of carrying out this supreme duty. There is no escape from or shirking of this burden rife with complexity. In Hindu philosophy, there is no concept of “hell” to which evil people are dispatched (except in mythological stories), and there is no concept of God handing out punishment or reward (again, the exception being in mythological stories). So, it is you and I, and all the good people on earth that must carry out our duties and responsibilities.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up in South Africa in 1995 endeavoured to do the right thing. The processes and the outcomes have been the subject of many debates, criticisms, documentaries, plays and books. But in the end, one must admit that a horrific tragedy such as revenge massacre and civil chaos was avoided – due to the foresight and vision of the saintly leaders Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
What makes Nelson Mandela one of the truly great men of history is the amazing legacy he left behind for the human race. For that he will be remembered, respected and admired for a long time.
Suresh Basrur practices the Hindu faith, participates in inter-faith activities in Victoria and speaks to audiences about Hindu religion, philosophy and practices.
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