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Zarathushtra thought about
human affairs critically, he addressed them forthrightly, and lived a
principled life. Nevertheless, he experienced such grievous evil in his
society, he felt the Soul of the Earth crying. Yet,
never did he believe it was Ahura Mazda’s will. Instead, he sought
Greater Wisdom – to become wiser, to teach Humanity to save itself
from itself when in error, to make the world better. Although a Prophet,
yet, to promulgate the Good Religion and to be able to stir Humanity to
work for a perfected world, even he had to learn much about how
people affected society, and how society affected people. When we
study the GATHAS – his discourses on religiosity, ethics, society
- we recognize that
Zarathushtra’s Good Religion encompassed proto-sociological,
psychological, and philosophical thought. Indeed, he is recognized as
the first theologian who, nearly four millennia ago, governed by
ASHA - questioned authoritarian mentalities, prohibited idolatrous
customs, and did away with prejudicial traditions in his society: Thus,
early, in human history, Zarathushtra struck a blow that was to
continuously broaden Human Freedoms.
Nowadays, the essence of
Zarathushtra’s progressive wisdom is also discovered
studying the Humanities and the Social Sciences. As such, a modern day
scholar, Erich Fromm, advises that intellectuals must maintain an attitude
of Humanistic Radicalism - questioning every idea, and every
institution from the standpoint of whether it helps or hinders man’s
capacity for greater aliveness and joy. Certainly, in the whole of
Zarathushtra’s Gathas - particularly in Gatha Ushtavaiti, The
Questions to Ahura Mazda – one finds humanistic radicalism
practiced. And, so, when, Vartan Gregorian, an intellectual, declares
Hell is where nothing connects with nothing…and concludes-
education has to connect everything with everything in order to make an
individual free, he echoes Jacques Duchesne-Guilliman’s
realization that Zarathushtra had thoughtfully so established the
necessary link which unites the end of things with their beginning and the
future existence with the present- being that his cosmogony is
followed by an eschatology.
It is compelling
revelation that an ancient Prophet and modern intellectuals fully agree
that Humanity’s capacity for greater aliveness and joy - or hellish
existence - has to do with being liberally learned or not. Today,
wiser educators declare that the high purpose of academe is
to always educate citizenry to create greater opportunities to pursue
happiness. Their view is astute, as much as societies are entirely
technologically dependent, most educational institutions are compelled,
today, under such social fact and force, to turn out people societies
immediately need, to build, run and repair machinery. But, it is
at high cost of not creating a greater liberally learned citizenry
that will, above all, enhance and conscientiously work at sustaining
human rights and civil liberties – such being the kind of citizens
societies deserve, always. Zarathushtra had surmised so;
and so while he had preached that humanity must become religious, he had
also advocated that humanity is, also, liberally learned. And so, that is
why Zarathushtra declared that The good dominion must be man’s choice;
to know what deeds ensure long duration of priceless existence – and
so, consequently, May good rulers, not bad ones rule over us-
by the works of the good doctrine. Such liberal insight necessary to
upholding a freeing social order societally, has been passed on
historically, so that today, John Dewey, could say- If there is one
conclusion to which human experience unmistakably points to it is that
democratic ends demand democratic methods for their salvation.
It is most crucial that
those Zarathushtrians who are primarily steeped in religious knowledge
are, also, obligated to be liberally learned. Otherwise, as the
World keeps progressing, unable to connect the dots, priests and laity who
assume whatever mantle of communal influence and authority, but who do
not possess a learned, liberal mentality – as much as they remain
insufficiently informed - will fight against all progress. And so, they
will be, always, religiously intractable. They will function, always, as
societies’ reactionaries. They will promulgate superstitions. They will be
insistently authoritarian, and even preach dogma of violence, to restrain
societal progress. They will preach intolerance as religious
conviction, thus, so self-righteously, create hell for the many.
And those who have to live under such imperialistic, theocracies always
suffer greatly, Yet, an institution that has always claimed to be of
good intentions, is Religion: However, Joachim Wach warns that the
influence of religion, sociologically speaking, then, is twofold: there is
a positive or integrating influence; and there is negative, destructive,
disintegrating influence. Thus, Zarathushtra, wholeheartedly
condemned individual irreligiousness and societal illiberality,
as when he bewailed - When, O Wise One, shall devotion come from
righteousness? For, have the false gods ever been good masters?
Now, in our time, the
corpus of the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences is
available freely- and at our fingertips. And if humanistic radicalism
is of consequence to fulfilling Zarathushtra’s Vision of the
perfected world, all of us are to be required to be continually
liberally learned. But, if one believes that in these progressive times,
Zarathushtra’s progressive reformation shall simply hold up; it may be
well to remember that the most eminent Zarathushtrian High Dastoor, M.N.
Dhalla has warned that there will be people in all times - even
Zarathushtrians - who will claim to be - ‘conserving’ traditional
learning, but, in fact, striving with fervour and bigotry to
prevent inroads of new knowledge…. They do not, Dastoor Dhalla
cautioned, adapt themselves to the changed conditions and so prove a
deterrent factor in the march of intellectual progress.
But there is, though,
reassurance as much as Dastoor Dhalla, - a great man of religion - also
declares - Whereas education was formerly indoctrination, it is today
aiming at the liberation of the mind. So, then, to keep refreshing
Zarathushtra’s Vision – to be always stirred to being
progressive in Thought, Word, and Deed – Humanity must keep Learning
Religiously.
{Dec 31, 2002}
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