There is no third option between true and false

L Luingam *

There was a time, so long gone by, when Smt. Indira Gandhi was unseated from the chair of Prime Ministership by the Allahabad high court on the grounds that, she had used Yashpal Kapoor, officer on special duty in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat to further her election prospects and that she had also obtained the assistance of Uttar Pradesh government officials to build rostrums from which she addressed election rallies, officers had also arranged for loud speakers and electricity.

It was almost like unseating the Prime Minister for a traffic offence. But there was no third option, the law was law. Thereafter, Shri Morarji Desai became the Prime minister of India on 24th April 1977 and instantly Shri Yangmaso Shaiza was made the Chief Minister of Manipur.

I was one of the youngest followers of Yangmaso Shaiza at the age of 24 years and went through many ordeals in association with Shaiza families.

If I am not wrong, the 17th Lok Sabha election can be assumed as the most complicated, decisive and odious election that free India had ever held.

Because it was a battle fought with full of abusing and insulting words; purveyors of false propaganda were in plenty throughout the country; faking and fudging reigned supreme everywhere; hurled criticisms and accusations with one another not because of what the other did wrong but because of what the other is; stole the hearts of millions of unwary and innocent voters by giving wrong pictures about the opponents and orchestrated schemes and creams against the government.

If justice is really and truly the foundation of a nation, the imperative need of the day for India is to go for aversion therapy to bring about change and transformation for a better India tomorrow. The future can be safe and sound if we try to actively atone for our past mistakes. Correcting oneself is correcting the society.

Let me quote here the word of Jiddu Karishmanum who said thus – what you are, the world is and without your transformation there can be no transformation of the world. Georg Feuenstein had also said, Renaissance must begin in the chamber of our hearts. We cannot wait for society to change or our institutions and organizations to be renewed.

We must, as individuals assume responsibility for our own personal transformation. Therefore, the mostradical pervasive transformation will occur if everybody involves to mature, rational and responsible ego.

The world we live in is strewn with lies, deceptions, corruptions hatredand self- centeredspawned by the forces of evil and India is no exception to it. Everyone is looking for power, position, fame and wealth.

It is true that every person has the need to accumulate things and needs to have the basic necessities of life and owning or acquiring riches is not wrong in itself but greed or covetousness is warned against. It is common knowledge and experience that breaking out of the alabaster box of self gives meaning to life. Seeking one’s own interest and self-glory without any concern for other will hinder oneness.

In all these attitudes self is at the centre. Self is the denial of truth and truth is the denial of self. We live in pluralistic society with diverse cultures, religious beliefs and practices. We also live in a cast ridden society.

In some parts of the country there is practice of dividing Indians into high caste and low caste. They also divide Indians as Dravidians, Arians, and Mongoloids. This intervenes the principles of love that is preached. Over and above, India is insurgency prone country and external threat looms large at every corner of the country.

Thus, I very often ponder why in India is there always dissension and schism among our political leaders on national security issues and other core issues of the country.I also wonder as to why people always falsely criticize and condemn the virtuous few for their good deeds.

Would it be right to repay them with evil for good? The denizens of this country are becoming sceptical about the indiscreet and uncouth speech and socially promiscuous behavior of some of the political leaders that may one day cause a greater damage and disharmony in the country.

A leader needs to be constantly aware of what he speaks and how his words might affect others. The people of this country expect consistency, not excuses from our leaders. A leader must have the inner strength to control his desires and actions.

A man or a woman may be a great leader but a great leader needs not necessarily be a good leader because from the points of view of moral character he or she may be the greatest scoundrel in the world. The world rates greatness to achievements, wealth, position etc. But true greatness does not consist of wealth, position and crown.

Great men and women are those who live a humble life. True greatness as defined by Jesus Christ consists of lowly service. The one who is the least is the one who is the greatest and really great person is the lowly one. So a lowly leader is a great and true leader of this country.

A true leadership is developed in the heart. In fact, it begins in the womb because true leadership is ordained and mandated by God. We all know that Buddha was great not because he was the son of a king but he taught how to conquer suffering and his heart was overflowing with milk of human kindness. Mahatma Gandhi was great not because of his leadership but because of his gospel of truth and non-violence.

True and false cannot blend together and there is no third option between these two too. The struggle between true (good) and falsehood (evil) started from the beginning of time and is one of the themes of all history. Obviously an evil man will instinctively hate a good man.

Righteousness always provokes hostility in the mind of those whose actions are evil. The reason is that the good man is a walking rebuke to the evil man even if he never speaks a word to him, his life passes a silent judgment. Socrates was a good man par excellence. Alcibiades wasbrilliant but erratic and often debauched.

He used to say to Socrates - ”Socrates I hate you because everytime I meet you, you show me what I am. It is all because the very sight of the true man made the evil man hate him.In this fast changing world, falsehood and evil seem to have the upper hand over truth but truth always prevails in the long run because God says He is in control.

God says what He means and He means what He says. A man who is expert at feignpiety or unscrupulous demagogue person may put the righteous at a disadvantage but God always turns situations to the advantage of the righteous. God never lets the righteous down. He always upholdsand favours the righteous.

Therefore, keeping all these in view, I wrote an article under the headline, “God makes and unmakes Kings of this world”, published in Imphal Free Press on 30th March, 2019 in which I had opined that Shri Narendra Modi would certainly become the Prime Minister of India again for the 2nd term has now came true.

I am not a fortune teller but a simple committed Christian who believes in the Bible. Let us all believe that there is no power or authority in this world that does not ultimately come from God. It is God who makes and unmakes kings of this world at His own sweet will.

Men cannot thwart God’s plan. The door that God opens nobody can shut, and the door that God shuts nobody can open says the Bible. So, the door is now being opened to Modiji to be the Prime Minister of India again after having endured immense hardships, thorns and priers meted out to him by his political adversaries during the election.

Modi and his team despite the intrigues of their political adversaries have won the battle but Mahagathbandhan fought the wrong battle and came to the wrong end.

I wish and I pray that Modiji leads the country to build a strong and prosperous India.