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Series:
Theology
Source:
Author:
McIntyre, Dina G.
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Fans of the original Star
Trek series may remember Ensign Chekov. When the series first started, for
every technological marvel that came up in the course of any discussion,
Chekov claimed a Russian inventor. It became a standing joke. I am
beginning to feel that I have a Chekov-complex, because for just about every
ill that plagues our world, I (an unabashed Gathicist) find real time
answers in Zarathushtra’s thought. Allow me to give you a bird’s eye view,
with a few examples.
Consider the great divide
that currently exists between religion and science. In Zarathushtra’s
thought, the two are seamless, because to him, truth – asha – finds
expression in the worlds of both mind and matter, as two sides of the same
coin. And religion is an on-going quest for truth.
For those who are concerned
about a society in which blaming everyone and everything else for their own
actions, has become endemic, Zarathushtra offers an effective antidote –
individual responsibility. We can have the best form of government in the
world, we can enact the best laws, we can have the best organizations or
corporate charters, but they don’t mean a thing unless they are implemented
from day to day, by individuals making the right choices. We can confer.
We can advise. But when all is said and done, it is individual
responsibility that saves us from the collective cop-out.
For those who worry about
the ego-centric rat-race we sometimes get caught up in, Zarathushtra implies
that “completeness” (haurvatat) is achieved at both an individual and
a collective level. Perfecting ourselves is a necessary first step, but
completeness is ultimately attained when everyone makes it. So at each step
along the way, in order to make it, we must both give and receive help. It
is the paradox of the individual and the community – individual
responsibility, and mutual loving help; each concept flowing seamlessly
into and out of the other; both essential to realizing the desired end.
It is sobering to think how
many people in the world live under dictatorships, deprived of basic human
rights. According to Zarathushtra, even the object of our worship is to be
chosen in accord with asha (yatha ahu vairyo…..). Logically then,
people should also have the right to choose their temporal rulers in the
same way. If this idea of Zarathushtra were to be believed and held,
worldwide, it would solve not only the problems of dictatorship, but also
those of democracy.
In matters of governance,
whether of nations, or corporations, or even community boards, we often are
beset by abuses of power. The wealth of some nations gets siphoned off into
the pockets of corrupt politicians, leaving little or nothing to spend on
needed infra-structure, such as schools, roads, water and sewage systems,
electricity, telecommunications, urban planning – the infrastructure needed
to form the foundation of a thriving economy. In our own country,
corporate management sometimes exploits workers, and workers’ unions
sometimes exploit management, each locked in a destructive struggle which
reduces productivity, damages the business, and if not checked, eventually
puts both management and labor out of work. Zarathushtra’s solution is
vohu xshathra – the rule of asha and vohu mano; the idea
that power and authority are a trust to be exercised in a way that promotes
asha; the profound realization that, to be effective, an essential
ingredient of power is service (another interesting paradox);
“…fame is to
serve Thee and the truth, Wise One, under Thy rule.”
Y32.6.1
In a world where so many
live below the poverty level, where we have seen the children of Bangladesh
and Africa haunt our TV screens, where we have read of the victimization of
women in Afghanistan, where on a lesser scale, poverty, adult illiteracy,
drugs, crime, prejudice and environmental pollution afflict North American
communities, Zarathushtra’s “can-do”, action oriented teaching provides a
powerful remedy. He teaches that it is not enough to think good thoughts,
and speak good words. We have to use our minds and hearts to search for
solutions, and take action, so that each of us becomes a co-worker with
Ahura Mazda, a benefitter, (“saoshyant”), a savior of our world,
solving one small problem at a time. He says:
“Yes, those men
shall be the saviors
[saoshyanto]
of the lands, namely, those who shall follow their knowledge of Thy teaching
with actions in harmony with good thinking and with truth, Wise One….”
Y48.12.1
I love the teaching of a
prophet who tells us that on the path of spiritual evolution, a good first
step is justice, being fair, but an even higher step is generosity
(“…the beneficent have correctly chosen…”
Y30.31). If we could commit to generosity in our dealings
with each other, what a happy difference it would make, as generosity often
(though not always) begets a corresponding generosity from the recipient.
On the other hand,
Zarathushtra does not teach us to be willing victims. He encourages us to
fight wrongful actions, but with truth and good thinking, not with anger or
hatred or prejudice. If we fight hatred with hatred, or anger with anger,
or prejudice with prejudice, we simply create more hatred, anger and
prejudice. By showing us the path of the amesha spenta, Zarathushtra
helps us to realize that a good end can never be accomplished through
wrongful means.
In the final analysis, there
is one teaching of Zarathushtra that links into all the others, and provides
a solution for so many of the ills that plague us. It is the idea that the
divine is immanent (present) in all things, and that therefore, we are all
part of one whole. If, when making our choices, we could remember that
teaching, just imagine what the consequences would be. How would we speak
or act in a given situation, if we remembered that the divine is present in
the object to which our words or actions are directed – whether it is a
human being, or another life form, or our environment?
Can this teaching be carried
to its logical conclusion? Probably not. Do I swat mosquitoes? Sure I do
(with a mental apology). Would I eliminate a colony of ants that were
lunching on my house? As humanely as possible, yes I would. Would I wage
war against tyranny or terrorism? Yes I would (to the extent necessary and
without indiscriminate killing). Should we kill to eat? We have to, if we
want to survive. Even we vegetarians kill or cut plants. I do not know why
our world is ordered in such a way that we have to kill to survive (although
I have some ideas). However, we can use our minds/hearts to ensure that we
don’t victimize. If we believe this teaching of Zarathushtra – that the
divine is present in all things – we would understand that we are all
inextricably linked in a web of existence – an interdependent ecosystem. We
would understand that whether it is another human being, or another life
form, or our environment, we cannot victimize it, we cannot trash it,
without harming ourselves and God. If we could turn this thought into
actions, its Light would flood our lives and make our world a brighter,
happier place. “…Therefore may we be those who
shall heal this world…” Y30.9.1
-
All
quotations from the Gathas in this paper are from the Insler translation,
as it appears in: Insler, The Gathas of Zarathushtra, (E.J. Brill,
1975).
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