MtM 45 - The siren call is inescapable

I stepped into the lift one morning to face six neighbours joining the city’s rush to work. Our eyes met, but nobody smiled, nor were any greetings exchanged. It felt oddly like there wasn't anybody in that bright, confined space, as if we were all apparitions of momentary annoyance. I don’t know where I picked up this bad habit. Why didn't I bother saying “Good Morning” even though nobody greeted me? Now, imagine being lost in a threatening forest, or being stranded on an unforgiving island, how thrilled we would be to encounter a fellow human being! However, when the village is stacked vertically into high-rises, we become indifferent to our neighbours and consider them a nuisance that holds the lift doors too long, or a noisy bother upstairs. The global village has contracted a disease of alienation and I just hope it isn’t a fatal one. A helpless indifference infected the heart of man and its pernicious roots are traced to early humanism.

Before the emergence of “the self-made man”, humanism substituted the ideal of personal success for the classical notion of sanctity that, elevated beyond reach, is still misunderstood. As a spiritual concept it used to inspire mankind toward something greater than itself, uniting all aspects of humanity by amalgamating cultural, intellectual and spiritual ideas. It wasn’t the exclusivity of super-humans, but an aspiration for what is greater than ordinary, a striving for personal excellence. Later the focus shifted from communal wellbeing to individual success and boundless honors were then given to personal achievements, attained in one field or expressed in another. From this point on, the dominant culture elevated private triumphs over the common good and the split endured till today. The result is a blatant celebration of the Successful Man, a cult of the individual raised as Caesar, emperor and even a demi-god worthy of public worship.

We needn’t look far to discover a sparkling constellation of exalted athletes, movie stars, internet titans and industrial giants, who placed hope in their own strengths, competed and won. Now what matters most is to make life a success, to be famous and receive acknowledgement, status and praise. The obsession is to win admiration at any cost, and it matters not whether it is on TV, in sports, the arts, politics or business. The siren call is inescapable, “Worthy of heaven are those who do great things on earth!” But what if one isn’t talented? What if circumstances aren’t favorable? What if one falls on bad times? Is there honor without worldly success? What’s the score outside the circles of opportunity? Are the sick and weak worth nothing? The seeds of many evils wait to germinate trampled by the feet of the Goddess of Fortune. May we cultivate a  community enriched by ideals of distributive giving and belonging, instead of individual rights.