In our junior classes we had a period on scriptures in which Bible History as a subject was also taught. The Old Testament, The New Testament, and the stories of life of Jesus Christ especially the parables were truly inspiring as they all carried useful lessons. The Miracles of Jesus Christ, his sermons and above all his humility had a great impact on our minds. But what was the greatest of all his lessons were his famous last words while he was on the crucifix. True, the significance of those words were too big for a child of a junior class to understand. How could one ask God to forgive those who are very cruelly crucifying somebody who has done no wrongIJ Even the persons who passed the sentence of crucifixion knew and acknowledged that Jesus had done no wrong. And lo, this man is saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. But it was only after a few decades that the significance of those famous last words, their import came to strike my mind. It was a chance incident that gave me this realisation.
It so happened that I was going to some place for an official work. The car driven by a chauffeur was negotiating a rural terrain. The time was some time around Holi and it was morning. As the car slowed down at a bend on the road a small kid who was just standing on the side picked up a handful of mud and simply banged it on the car I was travelling in. The enraged driver stopped the car and was preparing to chase the boy who was smiling innocently. But with no apparent damage to the body of the car I intervened asking the driver to forget and continue the journey. And in a flash I could realise what Christ meant. The boy did what he did for simply pleasure. He enjoyed that hitting of the body of the car with the mud ball he had created. He rejoiced and for him it was not wrong, neither morally nor legally to bang the car. This was what Christ wanted to convey. It, of course, requires a kind of Christ like greatness to pray for forgiveness of those who were trying to kill him so cruelly. For us lesser mortals it may not always be possible but still we should try to learn some lessons from the great souls who come to this world to show us the light.
Greatness certainly may not be possible for everybody but goodness is surely attainable. There have been people who have proved that goodness can lead to greatness if only we learn from their lives, their deeds. The world has seen many rulers, kings and emperors who have derived their power from sheer coercive force, but there also have been people who have acquired their power out of love and compassion. From Mahavira and Buddha to more recently Gandhi and Martin luther king, all have proved that niceties also rule and rule for a much longer period. Nice guys, then, do not always finish second. Power has many connotations and defining it has always been a difficult job for social scientists, but its impact has not been as difficult to understand. The over ambitious leaders have always tried to win others whereas the great leaders have won themselves first. The others simply followed suit.
The writer is a professor of management and public
speaker. He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com